by L. L. Kirchner
Pittsburgh City Paper
June 3, 1998

Rent creates a world where success equates with selling your soul, AZT is the daily cocktail, a thousand sweet kisses pay the rent and the beat is never less than groovy. And that is precisely why it deserves every accolade ever heaped upon it. You can recognize all the musical instruments, the characters are compelling and, despite the subject matter, this show never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously.

For the uninitiated, the story revolves around Mark, a videographer, and his roommate Roger, who has AIDS. Don't let the title confuse you, nobody in this story is paying anything. Thus, their landlord and former roommate, Benny, wants to usurp their space and turn it into a cyber arts studio. (This description is used as if this is a common thing, though I couldn't begin to guess just what such a thing would be). Mark's former girlfriend, Maureen, stages a performance art piece in protest to Benny's action, which coincides with his padlocking the tenants out of the building. Mark catches the ensuing riot on film and, voila! , everybody's life goes down the toilet.

Here, the role of the chorus is played by the voice of various characters' parents. As a sign of the times, I particularly enjoy the answering machine cutting off producer Alex Darling as she lists the ways to reach her: phone, fax, cell, e-mail, pager, bleep!

It doesn't hurt that this is an incredibly strong cast. The vocal and physical talent is awesome. I prefer some of the voices in this company to those on the much-lauded CD. Maybe it's because this show is still so new, but there is an indescribable energy you feel the minute the performance begins. There isn't the usual pomp and circumstance. Things just sort of get going. Ka-pow!

So where does one begin in praising this cast? I suppose it would be logical to start with Angel, who makes himself a force to be reckoned with from the moment he hits the stage. Andy Senor has the voice, the looks and the grace this part calls for. And when Senor jumps up onto a waist-high table from dead on the ground in heels, he won my undying admiration. Senor's Angel is our herald of love and death. Angel's every praise or admonition is a reminder to love, somehow without making you want to toss up your lunch. His demise is foretold with everyone singing, "Will I lose my dignity; will someone care?" So what if it's an AIDS-related death, aren't those the real issues, no matter how you go?

Adrian Lewis Morgan, who played Roger, nails "One Song Glory," setting us to care about him for the rest of the show and not letting us down.

Kirk McDonald makes an excellent Mark. His Fred Schneider sound-alike voice makes for the perfect storyteller. McDonald's duet of "Tango: Maureen" with Monique Daniels, who plays Maureen's current girlfriend Joanne, is killer. It had me on the edge of my seat substituting Maureen's name with one of my exes.

Enter the rubber-clad vixen Julia Santana as Mimi, howling about getting a night out on the town. There wasn't a dry mouth in the house. This is a tough part to play. As Mimi, Santana has to belt out several numbers and then whimper like a baby doll in others. Santana's Mimi (Benny's former girlfriend and Roger's on-again, off-again flame) is strongest when she gets to be strong.

Then there is Maureen. Surely you know someone just like her. By her own account, she's been sought after by boys and girls since puberty, and you can see why. Leigh Hetherington is absolutely hysterical in her performance art segment, and still sexy and fun and bratty and compassionate. Shall we dance?

The people in the supporting roles are incredibly strong as well. Mark Leroy Jackson, as Angel's lover Tom Collins, has a lovely mellow voice that really shines in the "I'll Cover You" reprise. D'Monroe, who plays the imperial Benny, is on it, too.

Then there is the delightfully offbeat way other things were done. The setup makes having the band on stage not distracting. During the first act, in tribute to "Light My Candle," the stage is lighted with candles. Though I like the idea of screening Mark's film, the execution kind of flops. I worry, too, that some people missed the plot synopsis in the playbill because it looks a bit like an ad, and I heard more than a few people wondering aloud what the hell was going on.

But I know you won't let that stop you from taking the people you love to see Rent. It's a beautiful way to tell them you love them and, as this musical reminds us, there's no chance they've heard it too much.

Just do tell them now. As is my gripe with so much overworked material surfacing again and again on today's stage like so many curdles in cream, this just won't be as delicious 15, 40 or (God forbid), 100 years from now when you'll have to read footnotes explaining the Doc Martens reference.

Rent continues through Sun., June 7, at Heinz Hall, Downtown. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 2 p.m. Saturday. If you don't have tickets yet, don't despair. The first two rows are available at half price on the day of any given performance. 392-4900.