I knew nothing about “Rent.” I hadn’t seen the movie or a staged production. I didn’t even know what the plot was about. Yet, I was moved to shill out for moderately priced tickets anyway. What would possess someone, you might ask, to purchase tickets to a musical they knew nothing about? If you assumed I was trying to impress a girl, you’d be right. It turns out I was the one impressed.

“Rent” is a musical that could be deemed a “rock musical.” The show has won numerous awards including a Tony for Best Musical in 1996 and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1996. “Rent” is also the seventh longest running Broadway show with more than 4,300 performances. It seems reasonable to say that the show is a classic.

The acclaimed musical tells the story of a group of young artists and musicians living in New York’s Lower East side. A multi-ethnic and trans-gender cast deals with the issues of AIDS, drug addiction and homelessness.

The message of “Rent” is one of acceptance and open mindedness, while never appearing to preach to the audience. While saying the show was inspirational may be inappropriate, it certainly was thought, and acceptance, provoking.

Not only is the message of “Rent” admirable, but the production of “Rent” at Devos Performance Hall was also noteworthy. The 150 minute show opened a bit slowly but soon the cast was moving quickly from scene to scene, song to song, flawlessly. The highlight of the first half was the entire production company performing “La Vie Bohème.”

It was truly a show-stopping production of the song that left the audience speechless and feverishly applauding.

The second half was also impressive. From the first notes of “Seasons of Love” to the finale, the latter portion of the musical moved much more quickly and was far superior.

”Rent” is truly a classic musical. While the 12-year-old show is beginning to feel a little dated, I could not have been more impressed by the quality of the production and the writing behind the show. Grand Rapids was truly privileged to host this show for just a few nights.

Rating: 5/5