The musical “Rent” makes its second entrance into Des Moines since 1999 Tuesday to show the crowd the life that aspiring twenty-something artists lead.

“Rent” has largely been called an offshoot of the musical “La Boheme,” and the musicals are similar in the way that both of them show the hope that poverty-stricken youth hold while faced with a devastating illness.

There are also a couple of differences that set “La Boheme” and “Rent” apart, mainly the way that, “[Rent] is more geared to inspire, move and touch people on a very intense level,” said Matt Caplan, who currently plays Mark, an aspiring documentary filmmaker, in the musical.

“When Jonathan [Larson] wrote the script, he knew that he was not writing for the traditional stage,” Caplan said. “This film touches upon other subjects besides AIDS. There is poverty, homelessness and a love triangle exhibited in the show.

“These situations truly exhibit the bohemian lifestyle of these artists and its issues and consequences,” he added.

This musical did not receive attention until after Jonathan Larson, the script writer, died of an aortic aneurysm on Jan. 25, 1996, only 10 days before his 36th birthday and a few days before the musical premiered off-Broadway.

“John’s death contributed to the attention that the show received and was a vehicle for it.” Caplan said, “It also caused the preservation of the script and its entirety, which will never be lost.”

The success of “Rent” is largely due to those who worked with Larson and have stayed with the show since its creation.

“The success of `Rent’ is due to creative people and the preservation of the feel it had while on Broadway,” Caplan said.

Indeed, Larson was not writing for the traditional stage and “Rent” is by no means a “normal” musical. Its youthful, inter-city humor and five-piece rock band definitely set it apart. The music itself is different in the way that it covers many different genres.

“The band plays everything from rock and R&B to techno and is meant to cater to an artistically receptive audience,” Caplan said. “The music is from a passionate artist and it is important for people to take notice of that.

“[Reaching new] people and getting music out to is part of what the show is about and they cannot deny that the music carries the true message of it,” he added.

The setting for rent is split between three different areas – an apartment in an East Village tenement, a restaurant called the Life Cafe, which is an actual restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village, and a Christmas Eve scene.

The response to “Rent” varies greatly from city to city because of the Larson’s writing mentality.

“The cities usually surprise us every time,” Caplan said.

“Usually, if we are not in a bigger city, the dry city humor manages to disconnect the audience.”

For Caplan, “Rent” is his first big break on a serious production.

“I started out [performing] in numerous local plays in community theater and then took over Mark in `Rent,'” he explained.

Caplan predicted that an infinite amount of tours and community theaters will pick [the script] up in different ways in the future and that it will keep the feel of the 1990s.

He also said that show-goers should watch for a “Rent” revival 20 years from now.

The cast in “Rent” changes quite often, as people come and go due to contracts and other commitments.

“Due to nature, we are always in a different place and the only consistency is the crew and the creative team,” Caplan said.