Woog's World / "Today's teens tackle 'Rent'"

When the curtain rises next Thursday on Staples Players' summer production of Rent, it marks the debut of the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning musical on the local stage.

Many Westporters are familiar with -- or obsessive fans of -- the ground-breaking musical about a group of young Lower East Side artists.

But the Players' cast of teenagers -- born in the 1990s, the same time the show was set, and coming of age in Fairfield County in the 21st century -- are less familiar with Rent's central reality: living with, and flourishing under, the grim specter of AIDS.

"It's been interesting for David (Roth) and me to see what a `period piece' this is," says Kerry Long of her fellow director. "Even though it's set only 15 years ago, so much has changed in the world since then. It's been a real educational experience for the kids, and kind of an eye-opener to us. It's amazing to us how little the students know about HIV and AIDS."

Growing up in the 1980s and '90s, Long says, "we knew the difference between having the virus and the full-blown disease. We knew what lesions were. We knew of Ryan White and Arthur Ashe and Magic Johnson testing positive."

Her current cast, she says, "knows practically nothing of that. I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. The good is that HIV is less of a death sentence. The bad thing is obvious: They are somewhat uninformed."

Long and Roth were directing a scene in which Roger -- the main character, who is HIV-positive -- sings about his body, and what lies in store. "We realized these students could not picture what an AIDS victim might look like when he died. We felt terrible telling these kids to Google it, so they could picture what the character would have known."

The directors have been intrigued to see how Rent has held up over time. "It was so trendy and cutting-edge when it came out that some people might think it's dated now," Long says. "But the kids -- even though they may not understand the time period -- are almost as obsessed with it as people were when I was in high school."

The cast bears her out.

"Rent has been my favorite musical since sixth grade," says Michelle Pauker (Mimi). "But until I was actually in it, I never realized how difficult it is to relate to the characters when there's so much of a struggle going on. It really opens my eyes to the fact that living in Westport, and being so sheltered, we don't realize this is so real. It's not just a musical."

Audrey Twitchell -- double cast as Mimi -- has seen the Broadway show and movie "numerous times. I love the score. The music is beautiful, and the lyrics are so powerful."

Chris McNiff (Mark) is a longtime Rent fan. "Even though I wasn't a part of the movement when it opened, I still had the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon when it was appropriate in my life," he says. "The message has stayed with me all along. The songs and characters always evoke a special place in my heart."

Steve Autore (Roger) notes, "This show really embodies a lot of different cultures and perspectives on life. That has brought the cast together in ways that most shows wouldn't. You don't really come across shows that deal with homosexuality, AIDS and philosophy. I think that's been a learning experience for each person in the cast."

Johnny Shea (Angel) admits, "At first I was a little uncomfortable with the role. But everyone has helped me overcome that initial awkwardness. Now I'm just enjoying every second of it."

Despite feeling uncomfortable -- and needing to learn lessons about HIV/AIDS that today's adults believe are almost intuitive -- the teenagers of Rent have done what great actors always do with superb material. They've learned, and grown.

According to Kathryn Gau (Joanne), the show "was a revolution. (Playwright) Jonathan Larson had a really good outlook on life. He saw people for who they were , not for what they had like illness or sexuality. Rent has a really great message of accepting people for who they are and living your life the way you want to live it, not the way that is standard and normal."

"The show gives the meaning of not going through life without having something for yourself," says Clay Singer (Roger). "For example, Roger has his `Glory,' even with the disease he has to face. It's important to always live in the now, not in the past or the future.

"This has really opened my eyes to what happened with the epidemic of AIDS," Singer adds. "It was tragic that so many lives were lost because of this disease. It makes me think about these circumstances. If I knew I was going to die, what would go through my mind? What would I actually do?"

(Rent will be performed July 29, 30 and 31 at 7:30 p.m., and July 31 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at www.staplesplayersonline.com, or the box office 30 minutes before curtain.)