Some RENT questions...for the experts.- Page 4

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:13pm

Right, presumably one of them would have to have gotten the needle already used.

That's what I imagined too, jrb, in some combination: one of them got it from the needles and gave it to the other when they had sex.

Updated On: 12/1/05 at 06:13 PM

[heaja123]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:33pm

I have a question , why is it that Anegl dies from AIDS and Mimi is on the verge of death , yet Collins and Roger dont even seem sick, besides that we see Roger needing to take the AZT, also isnt AZT very expensive if these people are so poor how are they able to afford the persciption for AZT ?

[Chloe]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:34pm

The film does seem to imply that scenario, with April apparently getting her diagnosis first. In the show it seems more like they got it at the same time, which could happen if they were in a shooting gallery where everyone was passing around needles.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:35pm

I can't really answer the second question -- I don't know enough about timing and availability of the drug. But as to the first question, I guess the explanation could be as simple as that they're all at different stages of their illness. Everyone progresses differently. Depends when they got it, what shape their body has been in, etc.

ETA -- Chloe, that could defnitely be. But if April got tested and found out SHE had it, wouldn't it be generally on course to assume (provided they'd had unprotected sex) that Roger would have it, too?

Updated On: 12/1/05 at 06:35 PM

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:35pm

A disease affects everybody differently. A person can die of it in a year and some can still be alive 5 or 10 years later.

I always assumed that they bought the AZT from 'the man'. This means it was probably older/weaker/less expensive.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:36pm

People also cope with the virus differently and at different time frames.

The AZT $$$ thing has certainly been debated but perhaps there is an explanation for how they get it.

[heaja123]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:44pm

thanks for the answers i have another question aswell,
could we assume that Roger lived with April considering that Benny says "you, me (i assume referring to Mark) collins and maureen) maureen mostve moved out when her and mark broke up which would be a month ago, could we assume that April only died a month earlier? also that may be why Roger has never seen mimi because he hasnt lived there for that long ?
another question, do any of you think that Maureen was Cheating on Mark with Joanne, if not then they would have only been dating for a month, that seems alittle short considering it seems they get engaged according to the movie around valentines day, that means they would have been dating for 2 months, that seems like a short time

any opinions on any of my questions ? thanks guys

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:48pm

In the SHOW Mark says he was dumped a month ago - he never says that in the film, so we don't know exactly how long Maureen and Joanne have been together.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:53pm

Roger went to rehab after April died, did he not? So she's been dead for longer than a month -- in the movie, Benny says Roger is coming off of nine months of withdrawl. In the show, Mark says "half a year of withdrawl." So, either way, if that's the case, April's been dead for longer than a month.

When Benny says "you, me, Collins and Maureen," perhaps Roger was living with April. Or, it could've been during the time Roger was gone and in rehab.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:59pm

He could also mean "you" as in "you two" (hehe) and includes both Mark and Roger, since both are on the phone with him.

[ajayspak2]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 7:05pm

RobbieJ I COMPLETELY agree with you! Well said

[gumbo2]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 7:39pm

I always assumed from the OCR that Benny is saying that he, Collins, Mark, and Maureen lived there before, not including Roger, which would explain why Roger doesn't know who Mimi is before Light My Candle, but that Mark recognizes her.

[heaja123]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 7:59pm

how do you know that Roger went to rehab ? is that what they mean by withdrawl, if not, what do they mean by withdrawl ?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 8:04pm

Isn't that what's implied? I suppose he could've just quit using on his own, but that's a hell of a lot to go through.

[alarmgoesoffat7]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 8:41pm

i really didn't read all of the postings but it was still an issue on page three-
the reason why benny is so mad about the protest is because while maureen is protesting losing her performance space the message (crazy as it is) is against cyberland kicking everyone out of their lowincome apt. areas and forcing them to live on the streets. at the time this was written, as well as today, corporate america continues to tear down low income families homes and replace them with something posh. after they all leave the protest -which gets violent as you can tell in the movie- mark comes to the cafe/diner late because he was filming all the homeless people sitting in the space mooing- no one was leaving and the cops can get people to move along. this is exactly what benny was afriad of- not some crazy woman making a dramatic performance- he was afraid of her rallying the people together behind something and getting attention. too much attention might stop their plans to put up the cybercafe.

this is explained on the cd during la vie boheme- but not really in the movie -except for when they say that he sold the footage.
its an issue of money.

[singingwendy]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 10:28pm

I liked not knowing much about April..the how and why she got AIDS. Personally, the new "April flashback" made me feel less sympathetic for Roger losing Mimi. After all, he's been through the whole junkie with AIDS thing with April, and cleaned up his act, why would he want to go through all that again with Mimi?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 10:31pm

One of the base reasons why Roger can't go near Mimi is because he can't go near the drugs again. But the other is because prior to learning that she too has AIDS, he's afraid of causing her to get sick, too or of causing her pain with his illness. When he learns that, he realizes it's something they can take on together, and help each other through; he won't be so alone. As for the drugs, doesn't she try to give that up when she's with him? I thought that was the purpose for the scene during Without You where Roger catches her, and she puts the needle down.

Updated On: 12/1/05 at 10:31 PM

[singingwendy]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 10:36pm

Yeah...but he DOES decide to to spend time with her.....even after he catches her doing drugs after she's supposedly given them up. I don't know...to me it just made Roger a bit of a schmuck. Of course, maybe it's just because I find the character of Mimi so unlikable to begin with. I'm still trying to figure out how the "seamstress" from La Boehme became a stripper...LOL!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 10:37pm

But that Without You sequence follows their relationship as it falls apart. So, yes, he tries to still be with her, but ultimately can not be. That's why the scene where he finds her in the alley with the drug dealer is so painful. He's in love with her, but he can't go there. Perhaps a schmuck in love, but he's in love.

Updated On: 12/1/05 at 10:37 PM

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 10:44pm

You don't like Mimi? She;s always been my favorite character =)

[singingwendy]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 10:54pm

Nope...sorry don't really care for her, especially in the play. A stripper junkie who sleeps with other people's husbands? Not exactly your leading ingenue! LOL!

I think my main dislike of her in Rent is that I am such a big fan of La Boheme. All the other characters carry over very well:

Rodolfo, depressed, jealous poet=Roger, depressed, jealous songwriter
Marcello, artist tormented by Musetta=Mark, filmaker made miserable by Maureen
Musetta, diva songstress= Maureen, diva performance artist
Benoit, rich landlord=Benny, rich landlord
Colline, philospher=Collins, philosophy professor
Shunard, musician=Angel (Dumott Shunard), street musician
But....
Mimi, seamstress who likes to sew flowers=Mimi, stripper and junkie

Not to say that it doesn't work in the play, but I just find it hard to find sympathy for her. Of course, Marcello and Musetta were always my favorite couple anyway! Rodolfo and Mimi were too sappy! LOL!

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:06pm

I know this. This week, I have become almost an expert on AIDS. When you get HIV, the virus incubates with almost no symptoms at all, just quietly, slowly eating away at your T-cells (your immune system). This occurs for about ten years, although it's different for everyone. When your T-cell count drops below 200, that's when the virus has technically become AIDS. Drugs like AZT only delay this moment. Once you have full-blown AIDS, it can take a year and a half for your body and mind to completely waste away. People get really sick really quickly.

Presumably, Roger contracted the virus relatively recently, since he found out he had it from April less than a year ago. He almost certainly hasn't had it long enough for him to be physically ill. We don't know about anyone else, but that explains him.

Another explanation is that HIV weakens your immune system. So it's very easy to get sick. People can die from pneumonia when they have AIDS. I'm guessing Mimi caught something or other while she was living in the park and her body wasn't able to fight it.

Just a theory.

Also, when Benny says, "You, me, Collins, and Maureen," he's responding to Roger saying, "Remember? You lived here." So I always assumed he was using the plural "you" and referring to both Mark and Roger.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:56pm

There is still another glaring issue I noticed:

If Benny was in a relationship with Mimi, how come he didn't get AIDS himself? I assumed they slept together. The chance of infection is too high to ignore.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:05am

ever heard of a little something called a condom?

[SirLiir]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:06am

Mimi seemed a little too spunky to want Benny to use a condom to be honest haha