BASED on Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent updates the story to deliver a powerful message - the past is gone, the future hasn’t arrived and the moment is all we have.

And through the story of a group of friends living under the shadow of AIDS and drug addiction and the threat of imminent homelessness, it packs a hefty emotional punch.

As the show opens Mark and Roger are living in an apartment in the East Village, both trying to find their creative voice and both nursing heartache – Mark has broken up with Maureen, a performance artist (a stand-out performance from Lucie Jones), who has left him for a woman, Joanne (Shanay Holmes) while Roger, who is HIV positive, is alone and determined to stay that way following the suicide of his girlfriend April.

So when Mimi knocks on the door in search of a match to light her candle, Roger is reluctant to acknowledge the instant connection that’s sparked.

Meanwhile their landlord and former roommate Benny has reneged on a promise to let them live in the apartment and is back to demand last year’s rent, and their friend Tom Collins has fallen in love with HIV positive drag queen Angel - a mesmerising performance by Layton Williams.

This is a musical of two parts, the first act an assault on the senses – high voltage energy coming off the stage in waves and brought to a brilliant conclusion as the cast celebrates life, however difficult , in Viva La Vie Boheme. The second act sees a shift in mood as Angel’s health deteriorates and Mimi and Roger split – Philippa Stefani’s Without You was unforgettable and just brilliant – the song and the performance that will stay with me – because it felt so heartbreakingly real.

Living life to the max is the message – there is no day but today the final refrain as Mimi and Roger are reunited – and it brought the Malvern audience to its feet.

Rent runs at Malvern Theatres until Saturday, November 26. To book, call the box office on 01684 892277 or visit Malvern-theatres.co.uk