Pick Rent to start with, a play (7)
I believe the answer is:
electra
'play' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'pick rent to start with a' is the wordplay.
'pick' becomes 'elect'.
'to start with' indicates taking the first letters.
The initial letter of 'rent' is 'r'.
'elect'+'r'+'a'='ELECTRA'
(Other definitions for electra that I've seen before include "She sought vengeance" , "complex character" , "King's daughter" , "titled lady" , "female in tragedy" .)