by Kimber Williams
Register-Guard
April 6, 2000

THE SET WAS STARK as urban street grit, the lighting harsh and the storyline rather spare.

But the voices. God, the voices.

Rough-edged and reaching, elegant and ethereal. If this is anything, this show is a glorious showcase for young voices, with an urgent, blistering score that touches everything from reggae to gospel, from throat-ripping rock to tremulous love ballads.

"Rent," the award-winning Broadway hit which began a five-day run at Eugene's Hult Center Tuesday night, isn't about traditional theatrical trappings. This isn't your mother's musical theater at all.

Matt Caplan (left) is the narrator of the contemporary rock opera "Rent."

Here is a contemporary rock opera, set in the age of AIDS and all that goes with it. Drug use, homelessness, sexual identity, class struggle, HIV - these are major plot issues that are dealt with deftly, casually and quite often with frank, PG-13 humor.

However, one of the best discoveries about "Rent" is realizing that despite the unbridled hype and the avalanche of American theater awards (it won both a Pulitzer and a Tony), it remains a stage show that refuses to take itself too seriously.

Though based on "La Bohème," Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera about four young Bohemians sharing a studio apartment in the Latin Quarter of Paris, the comparison stops there.

Jonathon Larson's contemporary production is set in down-and-out Alphabet City, in New York's East Village, a place that percolates with tough-talking, good-hearted characters.

There, we meet Mark (Matt Caplan), an aspiring young filmmaker whose performance-artist girlfriend, Maureen (Courtney Corey), has just left him for Joanne (Jacqueline B. Arnold), a Harvard Law School grad with a social conscience.

We also meet Collins (Horace Rodgers), an affable computer whiz fed up with teaching at MIT, and the outrageous Angel (Shaun Earl), an exuberant and immensely likable drag queen.Also in the picture is Mark's roommate Roger (Joshua Kobak), an HIV-positive rock musician grieving the suicide of a former girlfriend. Enter Mimi (Saycon Sengbloh), an HIV-positive addict and exotic dancer. When she appeals to Roger to "light her candle" during a power outage, sparks fly.

Conflict arises when a friend and former roommate, Benny (Brian Love), buys their tumbledown apartment building and the lot next door with plans to build a cyber-arts studio. Protest is in the air, complete with a sidesplitting bit of "performance art" by Maureen - picture a peroxided Patti Smith - and a friendly neighborhood riot ensues.

And that's just the first act.

Tuesday night's production offered requisite tension, the palpable excitement of a packed, anxious house.

And voices delivered. As Mimi, Sengbloh delivered one show-stopping turn after another, with an intensity and mastery of style that was astonishing. Arnold and Corey also offered strong performances, handling their emotions with a fine comedic twist.

Caplan, as Mark, was a perfect guide to this strange social stew. As narrator and virtual camera lens on the action, he nailed solid performances at every turn - the hilarious "Tango: Maureen" is not easily forgotten.

As the irrepressible Angel, Earl very nearly stole every scene he was in.

Maia Nkenge Wilson stepped out of the chorus with a gospel turn in "Seasons of Love" that left the audience demanding more.

But the drawback to opening night is always the unforeseen.

Tuesday night the first act struggled under horrid sound system problems that left many straining to catch lyrics that turned to mush in their ears. So much was lost - nearly criminal when you consider the ticket prices.

Some I polled felt they had easily missed half of the lyrics. It's a testament to the high-octane energy of the production that the audience stayed with it. The second act was a big improvement, but you still walked away wondering what good stuff you missed early on.

Almost as fun to watch as the stage performances was the opening night crowd itself. It's often been written that "Rent" hooks its audiences in profound ways. The show has also been praised for its ability to attract young fans, sometimes dubbed "Rentheads."

Eugene was no exception. The opening night audience was packed with young people who brought with them a sense of energy, urgency and devotion.

Overheard at intermission, an excited young woman: "One of my friends is obsessed with this. I'm like, 'Wow, now I get it.' "

Little wonder. This is a show that revels in the stuff of youth: energy, angst, joy.

Hailed as a breakthrough production, "Rent" does stretch the boundaries of traditional theater. There is a glimpse of nudity, same-sex love scenes, a few obscene hand gestures, and a smattering of language and topics that might catch some by surprise.

It succeeds, in part, because it relies on characters who are full of glorious imperfections - like life itself. Campy, quirky characters who, coincidentally, appear to have been outfitted by the Spice Girls (never have you seen this much rubberized clothing on the big stage).

But when you get right down to it, this is the bedrock stuff that American theater has always thrived on - the push and pull of life, love and death.

Overheard, two elderly women leaving the show: "I have to say if I hadn't had season tickets I wouldn't have gone. But I'm glad I did."