Directed by Mike Mazur, Chico State’s spring production of the Broadway musical "Rent" played from May 5 to May 9 at Laxson Auditorium.

"Rent," which takes place in the Alphabet City neighborhood of Manhattan, follows the lives of a group of friends over the course of one year in their Bohemian lifestyle full of drugs, AIDS and unpaid rent.

Songs such as "La Vie Boheme", "We’re Okay" and "Tango Maureen" add to the cheerful and carefree feeling that is prevalent throughout the play. Along with the energetic, upbeat songs sung by an array of characters, the fun, risqué choreography makes the play stand out from other musicals.

Not only did the cast do upbeat songs, the cast also does great with capturing the feeling of the more somber songs such as "Seasons of Love" and "Light My Candle".

Along with the brilliant singing, the cast also did well at acting. Though there were many memorable performances in the show, Lauren Cipoletti probably was best while playing the flamboyant character of Maureen Johnson. Throughout the play, Cipoletti did not seem to hesitate to capture Maureen’s free spirit by portraying risqué behavior on stage.

While the cast sang well overall, the sound board operator did not do so well, subsequently ruining the effort of the actors. A few times, the instrumentals overrode the actors’ singing, making it hard to hear the lyrics to the songs. Other problems also occurred, including a couple incidents where the microphones seemed to be completely turned off and the audience could only hear loud white noise. Another time, instead of hearing the actors over the speakers, what sounded like directions to the various crews could be heard, once more interrupting one of the best parts in the story.

Although the sound crew messed up more than once, the actors were very professional about the interruptions and kept singing like nothing had happened.

Another disappointment about the play did not come from the actors or the sound, but the behavior of the audience. During songs, cell phone lights flickered, people climbed over rows in order to get to their seats easily and even clapped in the middle of songs.

Though there were many disturbances throughout the play, the cast did great, almost making it enjoyable despite the problems that occurred. I would still be hesitant to ever go see a Chico State production again and will probably not attend one in the near future.