We're ENDING?
A/N: So we all have our feelings about the big closing announcement... I cried and instantly turned the OBCR on. I felt so... lost. However, when I am sad, and other people are sad, I am inclined to be funny. So... here's my attempt, here's my salute, here's my... almost-farewell to this show that has so dearly changed my life.
We all know how we feel about RENT closing... but did any of us even think about how they feel?
— —
When Maureen came stumbling into the room, she threw a curled up and tear stained packet of print out onto the loft's table, her eyes red from obvious crying. Her cheeks were a rosy color and Joanne's eyes instantly darted to her, questioning as she approached her girlfriend. "Honeybear? What's wrong?"
"LOOK AT THIS!" she cried, and stabbed one of the printouts with her index finger. Then, she let out a loud sob and collapsed into Jo's arms, succumbing to her feelings.
Cautious as always when around emotional woman, Roger snatched the paper from the table and read it, and then his eyes widened. "We're... ending?"
Mark, who had been licking his camera's lense to... clean it (I hope, at least), furrowed his eyebrows together and shot a sideways look at Roger. "Uh... we're ending? Who decided this? Last I checked, I wasn't prone to ending until I hit maybe eighty five and had numerous heart diseases, either that or intense sunburns."
"Not us," she shook her head wildly, standing up again and wiping her eyes. She made a grand motion to herself and then Mark. "US!" and then she made another motion, circling the whole group of people in the loft. "We're ending!"
"That was... vague," Angel decided, and crossed her stiletto-clad legs. "What do you—OH," her eyes widened and then she looked at Collins, who still looked confused, then, it hit him.
"OH!" Joanne exclaimed, followed by Mark, and then Mimi.
"What?!" Mark shouted, and then grabbed the papers from Roger, flipping them over. "Broadway World, Playbill, NY Times... what are these sites? What is this? They can't just end us! That's stupid! That's STUPID! WE can't end, but we can? I hope they know if they close us, that we won't die, right?" Mark looked around feverishly. "They know that, right?!"
"What are you guys talking about?" Roger asked, for he was the only one who hadn't exclaimed his understanding. "What do you mean, we're closing? They're closing us? WHAT?! NO MORE SQUEES FROM THE FANGIRLS?!"
Mimi slapped him across the face.
"This is insane!" Collins shouted, fully enraged from what he was hearing. "'RENT's last performance will be on June 1st...' What is THIS? Do they understand what they're doing?! We're the best thing since sliced bread, and they know that... right?"
"The stupid strike," Angel said knowingly, because Angel's just smart like that. "They lost a lot of money on that... and then, you know, the whole 'we've-been-going-since-'96' doesn't really help, because we've been around for twelve years, and a lot of people have seen us a lot of times, and others have seen us once and live far away and can't afford to see us again... it's complicated, but... damn, they had good enough reasons, I guess..." she looked dejectedly down. Why did she always have to be right about everything? Sometimes she didn't like it.
"OH!" Roger yelled, and then looked about animatedly. "Wait, they're shutting us down? That's fucking stupid! OH MY GOD!" he threw the apple he'd been eating across the room and watched it smash into an old empty picture frame. "Fuck them! Fuck their mothers, too! And fuck show business! All that's going to happen is... fucking, movies-into-Broadway!" He eyed them all carefully. "Like that shithead Elle Woods! Did you meet her yet? She's a stupid idiot, that's what she is!"
"Hey," Mimi huffed, "me and her are BFF. We got our nails done together last week."
"I thought WE were BFF!" Angel shouted.
"We are, we're BFFL, duh. Because... even if they close this show and I never see Elle again, we'll still live on forever... in the hearts of fans everywhere!"
"Uh... and in existence," Mark put in, "... we'll still exist, you know. We'll still go about our daily lives..."
"But it'll be different," Joanne sighed, and put a hand to her forehead. She hadn't imagined this happening; everything was so perfect, with those two A guys returning and all, and everyone was so happy... and now they were announcing the ending of a generation? How could this happen? How could something so great now be taken advantage of?
Maureen read Jo's mind. "Oh, they'll see. Imagine what the world will be like without us. Oh, they'll see."
"They'll see, boys..." Collins sang, and wrapped his arms around Mark and Roger's shoulders.
"Mo, don't talk like that," Mark scolded, "You make it sound like we're going to die. Like... Bohemia. You know how Benny said Bohemia was dead? Yeah... well... picture Bohemia... like us. People are telling us we're dead, but are we really? Um, no. So let's have a party, let's think of all the good things about us, let's viva la vie boheme. There's no reason for sadness when people say we're dead; nothing about us is dead. We live on!"
"That was deep," Roger offered, and snapped a few times.
"We aren't at a poetry reading," Mimi snarled, and he silenced.
Maureen sighed and looked at the now torn papers that she'd brought in. "Jon would be so proud..." she trailed off, and then shook her head, more tears forming in her eyes.
"Jon is so proud," Angel corrected, and wrapped an arm around Maureen's shoulders. "Think about it, honey. We're sort of... known and heard of. What if they close us, and then reopen us, and we are new and 'hip' to a new crowd? Jonathan wouldn't have wanted us to become old news; he was all about being new."
"But Angel, what if they change us?" Roger asked, clearly concerned. Tears were actually almost spilling out from his own lids, tough guy Roggie Dee.
"Well, then, we'll always remember what we were, dear. Over time, things change, it's something you've gotta accept. I know I don't want to, but hey? If Mimi turns into a nun gone wrong and Benny has a 'fro later on, it gives us something to look back on and say, 'Man, I miss those days.' And sometimes, we need that."
"Aaaangeeel..." Collins whined, "You're making this harder. Why are you always so right all the time?"
She snuck a kiss on his cheek. "The character who dies is always the smartest one, haven't you learned that by now, Collins?"
"Hey, I personally like to think that I am the smartest!" Roger announced.
"We know someone who will never change..." Mimi trailed off.
Each of the bohos looked at each other and laughed. It felt good to laugh, it felt good to understand that all good things must come to an end... and it felt good to remember the, share with, and measure in love. It felt good to hear the Christmas bells and it felt good to pay the rent. But now? Let's say our bohos are getting a rest. They've been running for twelve long years and beat a lot of odds... and now, they've got their time to rest. And when they come back, let's just say some hell is going to break loose with them.
RENT
Physically: 1996–2008?–?
Mentally: FOREVAH.
We measured in love
We kissed one thousand times
We rocked out to RENT
And we all changed, in lives.
We know what we own,
What we own is the RENT
The RENT that is paid,
And the RENT that is spent.
We took it or left it,
Always went out tonight
No day but today
No life but this life.
Mr. Larson made speeches
Through his word choice and song
And forever he preaches
And we all sing along.
We'll still sing Voicemail 1
To our friends in days to come
When we call and they don't answer:
"LOVE, MOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"
We're okay, I'm convinced,
For this season's not done
The season remains—
The season of love.
So this one song of glory
From Santa Fe to NYC
I know it has changed you and I,
You and me.
Goodbye love, we all say
Where has love really gone?
We jumped over the moon
And the show is still on!
Yes, the candle stays lit
You know Larson is coy
You don't think it's okay?
Another day you'll see, boys.
I can't fit lots of songs,
On The Street, Today 4 U
They're impossible to rhyme...
You Okay Honey? Without You.
We'll miss Benny and Marky
Mo, Jo, Mimi, and Roger, so sexy!
Angel, Collins,
And even Darling, Alexi!
So I guess now I'm ranting...
And I bet now you're mad.
But this show is amazing!
So let's stop being sad!
RENT forever we'll love,
RENT forever we'll know,
No day but today!
And it's beginning to... show.
A/N: The poem is... weird. O.o BUT. I liked writing this... my Ode to RENT. This is a time we RENTheads needa stick together... but I hope you guys like it, this is sort of a vent for RENT. I don't care about reviews; this was just... let it out.
–Steph.