Imagine your heart being ripped out, but also placed back simultaneously. That is exactly what it feels like when you see “Rent.”

“Rent” is set in Manhattan’s Lower East Side during the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The plot involves a group of friends and artists who struggle to create without selling out. The show takes place over the course of a year, or as made famous by the show, 525,600 minutes. The music, lyrics, and book are all written by Jonathan Larson.

The show is currently on it’s 20th anniversary tour, as the show first opened on Broadway in 1996. Recently, the show came to the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore, Md. and I was lucky enough to see it.

Going into the show, I had high expectations. Even though this was my first time seeing the live show, I have been a huge fan of the show since freshman year. I have seen the movie, and listened to the whole album over and over and over again. My senior quote is even from the show. Luckily, my high expectations were met, and the show was fantastic. There are two main reasons that the show is amazing: the music and its powerful message.

The entire show is written in music. There is never a moment when a cast member is not singing. The music ranges from rock to ballads to typical showtunes. The variety in the music makes for an exciting score and can keep the audience entertained since they never know what they are going to hear next. Some of my favorite songs from the show are, “Another Day,” “Rent,” “I’ll Cover You,” “I Should Tell You,” and “What You Own.”

Since the whole show is sung, there is never a dull moment. The music is intoxicating and is what draws me into the show every time. Once you start listening, it is hard to stop and you become enthralled within the show. It fascinates me how a show that is completely sung can still have impact and send an extremely powerful message.

“Rent” sends a dynamic and impactful message in the show, as it deals with AIDS/HIV, death, complicated relationships, and poverty. Some of the characters within the show have AIDS, and they try to live every day like it is their last, a message that everyone should listen to and apply to their life. A motif throughout the show is “No Day But Today,” reminding audiences the entire show to live life for the moment and to forget regret.

The show is also about being yourself and celebrating the things that make you different. The song and scene of “La Vie Boheme” is all about celebrating things that are not traditional and make people unique. The characters themselves are not considered mainstream, and they accept and celebrate themselves for who they are, despite society telling them that they are outcasts.

The last lesson of “Rent” is to simply love. To “measure your life in love,” as mentioned in a song, is one of the best messages of all.

“Rent” is a great reminder to audiences to live life in the moment and to never stop creating and doing what you love no matter what.

Adriana Guidi is a Perspectives Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.