Sometimes, it’s hard for people to relate to the fairy-tale worlds of musicals with their happy boy-meets-girl endings. “Rent,” however, takes the traditional musical, flips it on its head, turns up the volume and speaks to a definitively modern generation.

Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize and award-winning 1996 musical deals with the struggles surrounding a young group of friends in New York. They’re trying to make something of themselves, but most of all, half of them are battling the ravaging effects of AIDS.

The energy surrounding the show Friday night was amazing, not only in the cast, but in the audience as well. It was a highly charged atmosphere, and the crowd was cheering as the cast walked on stage. “Rent” definitely is neither a show for the shy nor one that’s particularly family-oriented, because of its dynamic content.

Even before the cast stepped on stage, it was visible that “Rent” wouldn’t be like any other show. The set consisted of scaffolding and stark folding tables and chairs. It represented a decrepit area of the city, full of homeless people and starving bohemians attempting to make their ways in the world. Even the pit band is kept onstage in a corner, in seeming rebellion to the traditional musical setup.

The costumes were vivid, ranging from traditional sweaters and scarves to more outlandish garb. One character sported zebra tights with a Santa Claus coat. Another was clad in painted jeans and a T-shirt, while another one wore a mesh top and electric-blue leather pants. The attitude of each character was accurately reflected in his or her costume, each of which retained a distinctively artistic look.

“Rent” is a rock opera, making it different from most musicals in that there is hardly any dialogue, except what’s used to set the scenes. Therefore, the music was extremely important in conveying the show’s emotions, and “Rent” is one of the best shows to do that. It’s a hard feat to live up to the sounds of the original cast, but this traveling company certainly held its own in light of the famous music that many people recognize.

Mark Cohen and Roger Davis, two of the main characters, were played by Harley Jay and Declan Bennett, respectively. Warren G. Nolan, Jr. played their ex-roommate Tom Collins, and Michael Ifill was the landlord attempting to evict Cohen and Davis from the premises. Chante Carmel Frierson and Tracy McDowell played lovers Joanne Jefferson and Maureen Johnson. The cast was rounded out by Krystal Brown as dancer and drug addict Mimi Marquez and Melvin Bell, III as transvestite Angel Schunard, the heart of the show.

Many of the cast members were starring in one of their first touring shows, and that was most visible in the beginning. It took a while for the cast to warm up to Stephens Auditorium and for the audience to really loosen up and have fun with the material and the music. About five songs in, the actors started not to look so stiff in their roles – which had kept them in contrast to the material – and once they started, they were on a roll with the show.

One area in which the cast members didn’t exhibit their inexperience was the music. In a show that’s so highly dependent on good singers, “Rent” didn’t disappoint. Some songs were funny and obscene at the same time, some were emotional and others were simply showstoppers. Audience members responded to such highly charged numbers as “Out Tonight,” “La Vie Boheme” and the perennial “Seasons of Love.”

The energetic music only enhanced the attitude of the show, until it all culminated in one extremely emotional moment. It summed up the “no day but today” message of the entire show, as the characters struggled with the devastating effects of AIDS.

In the end, “Rent” was a show that was dynamic, making its mark loud and clear. It was completely different from any other type of musical, and that made it more appealing to a younger generation than to others. However, the heart of the show and the story of love was the same.