For any students who’ve wanted to tell their landlord to shove it, Jonathan Larson’s musical “Rent” gives them the opportunity to live vicariously.

But “Rent,” showing at the Des Moines Civic Center through April 4, is about a lot more than the rebellious nature of hip New Yorkers. Larson has given a poetic voice to many of the struggles young people can relate to on some level.

The plot follows a pair of struggling roommates: soulful Roger, who’s trying to churn out one great musical hit before his life is claimed by AIDS, and slightly nerdy Mark, an aspiring movie director who is never without his camera. The show follows a year in the lives of Roger, Mark and their friends as they attempt to keep from being evicted.

Character development is one area “Rent” is lacking — there are so many stars, it can be difficult to switch from one emotional sequence to another as quickly as required.

Though the sheer number of characters can be overwhelming, a relatable experience comes through in almost every story. And while trying to figure out who’s who and who’s sleeping with whom can be a challenge (especially without keeping an open mind to the possibilities), one of the beauties of this musical is its ability to convey real, raw emotion between lovers.

Any awkwardness about following the relationships of gay men, lesbians or people with AIDS melts away somewhere between Tom Collins’ (Marcus Paul James) first kiss with his cross-dressing lover Angel (played by understudy Dan Domenech), and his sob-inducing reprise of “I’ll Cover You,” when he bids farewell to an AIDS-stricken Angel.

James’ soulful singing was one of the biggest pleasures of the show. Although his character’s agony is designed to be touching, not every Tom Collins has lived up to the potential. James did so, with moving results. As James’ other half, Domenech merged easily from soft-spoken male to empowered female, although he never seemed to fully slip into the female persona and occasionally seemed awkward towering over James in his four-inch heels.

Another performance of note was that of Mimi, played by Jaime Lee Kirchner. Like Domenech, she could move with ease from extreme highs to extreme lows as she battled drug addiction, AIDS and a rocky relationship with Roger. From a distance, Kirchner’s resemblance to Scary Spice was uncanny, but unlike Spice, no one could question her singing ability.

Roger, played by Constantine Maroulis, did not have the appearance of the heartthrob his character has come to resemble. Although a thinner, ganglier Roger was not as fun to stare at, it did give Maroulis the ability to put a softer spin on his performance than usually seen.

Mark, played by Brian Gligor, stood out, a difficult feat for his character, who was designed specifically to blend into the chaos. Aside from a strong voice, his energy and his comedic timing were worth noting.

Maureen, played by Leslie Diamond, and her on-again, off-again love interest Joanne, played by Rebecca Jones, were frequent scene stealers, with one of the most entertaining scenes being Jones’ and Gligor’s heated “Tango: Maureen.”

The sets were simple — metal bars and brick made up the bulk of the set, but the complexity of the storyline kept the stage full of characters and activity. “Rent” differs from many musicals in that the band is directly onstage with the performers; however, rather than distracting, the band faded into the background and began to appear as a natural piece of scenery.

Larson created music—and a musical,— that manages to be complex, catchy and extremely risqu‚ all at once, giving both the stage and the audience an energy unlike run-of-the-mill musicals.