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La Vie Boheme B - The dinner party continues inside and Joanne tells Maureen she wants her packed to move out by next week because Joanne has seen Maureen kissing another woman right in front of her. Joanne then goes on to update the Mark on what’s happening since Maureen’s protest.
Benny called the cops, Mark and Roger’s apartment has been padlocked and people are rioting on Avenue B. Even though cops are attempting to sweep the lot, apparently, “no one’s leaving, they’re just sitting there, mooing!” (which was Maureen’s rallying cry from her protest.)
The dancing here is amazing, and the celebratory vibe is everything. We love seeing everyone so happy. But are horrified that Benny has had people locked out of their apartment building in the dead of winter in New York, and people with AIDS like Roger and Mimi no less… What are they supposed to do to keep warm? (Though now we are imagining sleepovers with Collins and Angel and possibly Maureen and / or Joanne) as friends take care of each other, and they surely would.
Eventually, Mark steps out to narrate that the party lasts all night, as do the protests, and that Roger and Mimi are oblivious to it all and “share a small, lovely kiss.”
Seasons of Love - Act II begins here with an additional scene narrated by Mark. He says it’s now New Year’s Eve, 1991 and that 4 of his best friends (Roger, Mimi, Collins and Angel) have been diagnosed with AIDS. And that “this could be the year that we lose one of them. This could be the year that we lose them all.”
Mark sings a quiet, grieved solo here asking, “How do you measure a year?” His camera is notably at his side. He’s not filming this moment. It’s a private one, just for him, as he comes to terms with the very real possibility of losing more than half his family in no time flat.
Upstairs, we see there’s a Life Support meeting going on. Someone says that the holidays are the most difficult time for them. Steve, who we recognize from an earlier meeting, says he’s gotten some discouraging news, and tears up. The rest of the group rallies around him, urging him to take things one moment at a time. We see Angel and Collins are at this meeting, too. And the support everyone provides for each other is everything.
Below, on the sidewalk, Mark also continues to sing about the seasons of love, but he walks alone. Still profoundly isolated. Still seeming hopeless. Still not filming. It’s a stark moment, seeing just how on the periphery of his friends (who have all coupled up) Mark is.
Back up at Life Support, group leader Cy (Keala Settle) sings the big solo part of Seasons of Love, urging everyone to celebrate life and love. Everyone’s leaving the meeting, but Cy, holds hands with Angel and sings to her.
On the sidewalk below, Mark and the others have caught the celebratory spirit and are hugging each other and connecting with one another. Cy finally lets go of Angel’s hand, urging her, and everyone else to “measure your life in love.”
We really love the extra layer of context that’s been given to Seasons of Love here by using it to center the narrative on this group of people living with a terminal disease and how they are their own community and means of support. It gave what is usually a stunning (on its own) number, with members of the cast simply lining the stage and singing even more depth.
In this (really necessary, in our opinion) exposition by Mark, we’re reminded that, “It’s still winter! It’s still cold…” and so in honor of the one-week-anniversary, Mark and Roger celebrate the New Year “the only way we know how,” according to Mark.
“We try to break back in,” Roger says.
Thanks to Mimi, we learn that they’re trying this all at 11:56 PM. She’s brought wine and is eager to start fresh in the New Year, giving up her vices and going back to school. (Tinashe’s singing is particularly strong here and very enjoyable.) She and Roger drink together and Mark takes away their bottle, admonishing them that it’s for midnight. He’s wondering where everyone else is.
Over the course of the song first Maureen, then Joanne, then Collins and Angel all arrive. Maureen eats chips and is the comic relief. (She and Mark play off each other believably.) Joanne and Mark try to plot how to break back into the building and everyone admires Angel, who’s come dressed as Pussy Galore, to Collins’s James Bond. Angel has come prepared with a blowtorch. Mimi is impressed and Angel shares, “I was a Boy Scout...and a Brownie until some brat got scared.”
Mimi says they have two minutes left to execute their plan. Collins asks, “Where’s everyone else?” And seeing Maureen swing away on the scaffolding while Roger says, “Playing Spiderman!” is a favorite moment definitely.
Mark, it seems, has gotten back into the apartment, and he can see the answering machine light blinking. A clear indication that Benny has had the power turned back on while they were locked out.
This is such a fun song and we love seeing all the friends work together for a common goal. Everyone’s so happy and just in the moment celebrating with each other, even while being locked out of their building and having little to no way to fight off illness. Mimi, for one, says she doesn’t mind the cold, because it’s really hot with Roger, OMG...
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