Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème unfolds in 19th century Paris. Puccini carries opera-goers to the Latin Quarter, a haven for students and artists. In the background, Christmas bells chime as people meander through medieval streets. The opening scene focuses on a tiny garret, where two struggling artists -- painter Marcello and poet Rodolfo -- try to stay warm.

Add 160 years, some rock 'n' roll and a few hip costumes. What do you have?

You have RENT, a musical based on La Bohème, that hit Broadway in 1996.

The Center for Performing Arts will host the show at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Eisenhower Auditorium. A free, artistic discussion will be held one hour before the show for all ticketholders.

"RENT breaks the standard rules of Broadway," said Anne Cohen (senior- telecommunications), who saw the show in New York and Philadelphia. "It's like rock stars taking over Broadway."

The show won four Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but they were awarded posthumously to creator Jonathan Larson, who died suddenly at age 35 of an aortic aneurysm the night before RENT's Broadway debut.

Despite a heavy-hearted opening night, RENT went on to become one of the decade's most successful musicals and to find a young niche audience.

"I think everyone's story with RENT is that you know it, you love it and you have to go see it," Cohen said.

Much of the story's action unfolds in the Life Café, a real site in New York. The café is where the touring cast that will perform Wednesday met Larson's family.

"They were telling us stories about what Jonathan went through as a starving artist back in the day," cast member Justin Rodriguez said.

Larson, who was once quoted as saying he was "the future of American musical theater," spent years waiting tables and catering.

A Las Vegas native, Rodriguez has spent a year touring in RENT. He moved to New York and auditioned for the musical, which became his first.

"I just showed up to an audition with no musical theater under my belt," he said. "I've always been a singer, but I've come to realize that I love acting."

He returns to Penn State after having performed in RENT here last year.

"I love State College. Last year, we just kind of hung around and did a lot of shopping," he said.

Rodriguez plays Angel, a street musician with a gentle heart and an advanced case of AIDS.

"He is used as a tool of spreading love," Rodriguez said. "After his death, a lot of things go bad. Angel's friends find strength through memories of what he said."

Angel and the other characters struggle with drugs, broken romances and financial devastation.

"You feel like the issues these people are dealing with are so real," Cohen said. "For some reason, the play is hopeful. It is not extremely depressing. It is not a downer."

Ticket sales thus far have been particularly strong among students.

"I am thrilled that it is coming to Penn State," Katie Brunner (freshman-pre-medicine) said. "My friends have seen it and loved it."