At the end of “Light My Candle” in the musical “Rent,” Mimi and Roger introduce themselves to each other.
Roger sings, “I’m Roger.”
Mimi responds, “They call me Mimi.”
I’ve always loved the way she introduces herself:
Not “My name is Mimi,” or I’m Mimi,” but “They call me Mimi.”
I asked Elysha a long time ago if I could begin introducing myself in this way.
“They call me Matt” actually applies — at least a little — given that my real name is Matthew, but people call me “Matt” or, in the case of some of my oldest friends, “Matty.”
Elysha’s response:
No.
It was an emphatic no indicating that I should not proceed further along this line of questioning, so I didn’t.
Not that day, at least.
I’ve brought it up again over the years, but her emphatic no has remained constant.
Today, Clara has a friend named Mimi, so I was hoping that maybe she could at least use the iconic line in her life. If I am to be denied, perhaps I can help another soar.
Mimi has never seen “Rent” or listened to the soundtrack, which is even worse than not using the iconic introduction.
