Where does Mark go??? (RENT)

[bwaylover86]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 10:23pm

My sister and I have been trying to figure this out, sorry if it has come up before. We noticed it first because in the movie it is explained, but not the show. Right before "One Song Glory" in the show Mark leaves but doesn't say where he is going, in the libretto it says just that "Maureen called". In the movie he goes to look for Collins, but that line was added in. In the show he is not there for "One Song Glory" or "Light My Candle" but then is there for "Today 4 U" and "You'll See". After these two songs he goes to fix the equipment for "Tango Maureen" so where does he go before that?

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 10:25pm

During that break, he is on his way to Maureen's, I think.

[rose&lark]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 10:26pm

He does go see Maureen...he's on the phone with her in the song "Rent."

[bwaylover86]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 10:31pm

Yes, but I assume that the first time he goes to see her is during "Tango Maureen", these two songs are before that and he is there for them, just not Roger and Mimi's songs.

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:02pm

I've always thought that he was on his way to the lot, but ran into Collins and Angel and went back up to the loft with them.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:04pm

That's what I was going to say, Mandi Moo.

[rent1988]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:04pm

i always assumed he was on his way to the lot, but i noticed that the second time i saw it. but now id go with the idea that he runs into collins and angel on their way to the loft and just goes with them.

[Fizz]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:12pm

Tune Up # 3

ROGER
Where are you going?

MARK
Maureen calls.

ROGER
You're such a sucker!

MARK
I don't suppose you'd like to see her show in the lot tonight?
(ROGER shrugs)
Or come to dinner?

ROGER
Zoom in on my empty wallet

MARK
Touche. Take your AZT
Close on Roger
His girlfriend April
Left a note saying "We've got AIDS"
Before slitting her wrists in the bathroom
I'll check up on you later - Change your mind. You have to get out of the
house.
(He exits)

[bwaylover86]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:16pm

Okay but where is he going? I would say he ran into Collins, but I always thought that he was already in the loft when Collins and Angel came in for "Today 4 U". Okay I guess there isn't really an answer, oh well it was worth asking lol.

[Fizz]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:22pm

He goes to help Maureen with the promise of checking up on Roger later. In the song before Angel has just started helping Collins, so its very plausible that Mark ran into them just outside the building.

At the beginning of Today 4 U, Mark simply says "Enter Tom Collins". Its possible he came in a few steps before Collins, if he had indeed run into him on the street. He also sings along with him with whats in the pickle tub.

However, the whole thing with Angel entering and being so impressed by her doesn't work with that.


I think he just went back up to check on Roger. *shrug*

Its just one of the things Jonathan didn't get the chance to fix.

[bwaylover86]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:26pm

Well that is one of the things that the movie did make sense of I guess and that we will never really know as far as the show goes... oh well

[Fosse76]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:52pm

He is on his way to the lot. He runs into Collins and Angel and they returnj to the loft. Then after "You'll See" he goes to the lot, distraction-free.

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:19am

I don't think he could have run into Collins and Angel though. Someone mentioned that he wouldn't be impressed and surprised by Angel during Today 4 U if he had. He could have gone anywhere, I imagine he was on his way to the loft, and then turned around because he had Roger on his mind? It's just a flaw in the show I would think.

[AnotherDay46]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:36am

I thought he went to see Maureen, at her apartment or something, and came back to check on Roger. Then Collins and Angel came, then he went to the lot. ...Maybe?

[bwaylover86]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:48am

It really didn't seem to me like he met up with Maureen, it seemed like she told him to go over to the lot and help and he expected to see her there but met Joanne instead. I also doubt he ran into Angel and Collins, its possible but just doesn't seem to fit, even in the movie he says hes going to look for him, but doesnt find him obviously since Collins doesn't show up till the next morning. I think this was just something that never got fixed for obvious reasons, and that JL really just wanted Mark out of the loft so that Roger and Mimi could meet alone to make that first connection. If Mark had been there it would have been very different, so he needed to get off stage and he just forgot to explain where he was going. Maybe "Tango Maureen" should just have been moved to after "Light My Candle" and then "Today 4 U". Oh well, guess we will never know.

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 9:12am

People go out. It's a fact of life. Is it really that important?

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 9:21am

Maybe he enjoys an ice cream sandwich, or perhaps a cookie.

[Dramatic_Irony]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 10:00am

I always thought he went to see Maureen, but when I think about it that doesn't really make sense. Perhaps he just went out filming? Or he was on his way to the lot, but then he actually forgot something (like Roger thought he did at the beginning of "Light my Candle") and went back, but got distracted by Collins and Angel.

I really think it's just one of those unfixed things. Who cares, really?

[NJRae]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 10:36am

I'm sure it is just one of those unfixed things . . . we just thought we were having a blond moment. The only reason I was even curious was because when he leaves it sounds like he should be going to see Maureen "Maureen calls." But since he comes back for "Today 4 U" and "You'll See" and then sings "Tango: Maureen" we just thought that maybe there was an explanation for where he goes that we hadn't remembered.

Oh well . . . at least now we won't be driving ourselves crazy thinking it was something that we missed!

[bwaylover86]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 6:27pm

Yeah honestly, its not a big deal, we just thought we were missing something. no need to get snooty :-P

[NJRae]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 7:04pm

Snooty . . . not on this site!

[daredevil]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 1:07pm

Rent tries to follow the opera plot of La Boheme, though it goes off alot, but in the opera, Schaunard returns with money before Rodolfo (Roger) meets Mimi. Somehow in the many evoluations of Rent, the sequencing was never resolved, and the creators may have wanted to have Roger meet Mimi earlier---hence Mark (Marcello) returns from "nowhere" to participate in Today for You, and We'll See, which mirror the opera fairly accuately. That is the only way I think you can understand "where does Mark go?" Or if you want, since he is the narrator, he can simply move in and out of the story at will.

[NJRae]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 1:54pm

Since neither of us know much of anything about La Boheme that answer will work for me! Although I have to say I was perfectly happy excepting the answer that there is no answer so maybe I am just easy to please! My problem with the whole thing was more that I thought I was having a brain fart and just couldn't remember where he went. Once I realized it wasn't explained I was over it. lol

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 2:00pm

Doesn't he mention something about going to get something to eat in the movie? I realize that Roger says he can't go, but perhaps Mark went by himself.

[bwaylover86]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 3:48pm

Actually in the movie they solved this question by saying he was going to look for Collins since he never showed up because he was mugged. But the movie then moves "Today 4 U" to the next day, so Mark must have come home after searching for a while that night.