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I'll Cover You (Reprise) - In a gut-wrenching performance, Collins (Brandon Victor Dixon) sings what was Angel’s song to him, at the very beginning of their relationship. Now, it’s Collins’s song to Angel as he says goodbye to her. We were seriously glad for the commercial break after this number, because we needed a moment.
Watching this really felt like a memorial service. The pain, grief, loss, devastation, memory-sharing… It’s poignant and gut-wrenching and the performances were stunning.
We particularly noticed before the song began, how Joanne shared that Angel came to her asking legal advice “for everyone.” Including CPS. Which led us to feel even more for what Angel’s home situation might have been like. (We see a grieving older woman in the front row of the service, beside a younger woman - Angel’s mother and sister?) and this had us thinking deeply about Angel’s family and whether she had ties there. Whether she was protected and loved, or ostracized and shunned.
Halloween - Immediately following Angel’s memorial service, Mark is at a payphone, returning Alexi Darling’s call. She, apparently jokes with him, and he forces a smile and manages, “Yes, I am still alive…” despite being utterly broken. He agrees (after months of phone calls by Darling) to “sell his soul” to Buzzline. Driven by losing Angel to make a change in his life. Mark also reflects on everything that brought him to this point. He wonders whether he’ll have to face his future alone.
This is, hands-down, our favorite number in this particular version of Rent Live. Jordan Fisher’s performance is more sensitive than we’ve seen previous Marks. The actor mentions in pre-show interviews that “[His version of Mark] breaks.” And he does. Mark spends much of this number in tears due to the grief and trauma of losing a close friend to this devastating and largely ignored epidemic.
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| [Jordan Fisher's Mark, "breaking", as he sings "...Angel set up her drums..."] |
Goodbye, Love - We see here that Angel’s death has also deeply affected Roger, who is leaving to go to Santa Fe. Mimi is not happy hearing this and walks away. The couples all fight. Eventually Maureen and Joanne make up, but Roger and Mimi do not. Collins is devastated that “this family must die” and he’s super disappointed that they all seem to no longer believe in love, since that’s how Angel helped them all.
Roger wonders how Mimi could leave, and Mark asks how Roger could let her go. Mark talks to Roger about not “escaping your pain.” Roger says Mimi has baggage and Mark says, “So do you.” Roger is super defensive and wonders who Mark is to try to tell him what to do. Mark explains patiently, “A friend.” But Roger challenges him, telling Mark he “lives a lie” because he “pretend[s] to know how we all feel” when he’s really “detached from feeling alive” and Mark says, “Perhaps it’s because I’m the one of us to survive.”
This particular back and forth is very vivid and continues showing us, the audience, what trauma actually looks like. While Roger angrily yells at Mark (one way trauma can present) Mark repeatedly attempts to distance himself into emotional numbness to avoid reacting to Roger’s tirade. On top of that, Mark steadies himself and keeps trying to reach Roger, and figure out if he’s jealous, or if he’s actually afraid of losing her.
Roger admits, “Mimi did look pale.” Mark points out that Mimi’s gotten thin and is running out of time but that Roger’s leaving. Roger can’t take Mark’s realness and turns to leave. He says he’ll call. But then finds out that Mimi has actually overheard everything and knows Roger doesn’t want her baggage, or to watch her die.
He leaves, and Mark and Benny stay behind with Mimi. Mark says he knows a rehab and Mimi says she could never afford it, but Benny volunteers to pay. Mimi faces her own mortality and is also at a crossroads in her own life, doing her best to recover from addiction.
Meanwhile, Collins is being harassed by a security guard after he can’t cover Angel’s final expenses. The guard uses a slur toward Collins after Mark interjects, “What happened to ‘Rest in Peace?’” Benny intercedes and warns the guard to watch his mouth, because Collins is his friend and he’ll be in to take care of expenses.
Benny and Collins want to go out with Mark and get drunk, but Mark can’t because he has a business meeting to get to with Alexi. Benny and Collins lovingly call Mark a “punk” and they leave.
We love this number so much. It is difficult to review it with any sort of distance as it feels utterly real and raw.
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