Loosely based on the Italian opera La Boheme, Rent is a rock musical that tells the story of a group of young adults trying to make it in Manhattan. Set in the 1980s, the show follows a film maker, a singer/songwriter, an exotic dancer, a drag queen, a lesbian lawyer, a performance artist and a gay anarchist who, under the threatening shadow of HIV and AIDS, are forced to deal with death, disease and paying rent in a turbulent New York City. Centered around several themes including political activism, love, violence and homosexuality, the widely acclaimed musical is a celebration of the bohemian lifestyle.