CORRECTION’ APPENDED April 16, 2009 ‘ ‘

Jacques C. Smith got caught in the cliche trap.

… CORRECTION’ APPENDED April 16, 2009 ‘ ‘

Jacques C. Smith got caught in the cliche trap.

‘Carpe diem, you know, seize the day and don’t count on tomorrow,’ he rattled off describing the theme of the musical ‘Rent,’ the Pulitzer and Tony award winner that gave voice to the ’90s.

The national tour that arrived in Pittsburgh Tuesday isn’t a tired cliche, though, despite its 13 years in existence and oft-heard ‘No day but today’ tagline.

‘The themes of this show still resonate today,’ said Smith, citing the themes of homelessness, sickness, hurting finances, love and life as universal.

Rent follows an ensemble of eight lovers and friends living in the East Village of New York City and dying from AIDS. It’s a period piece — complete with denim shirts as costumes and payphones as props — set ‘at the end of the millennium,’ as described in the show’s 11 o’clock number.

Belting out those words in harmony at the Benedum Center are original cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, who play the songwriter Roger and the filmmaker Mark.

Their characters are roommates, evicted from the apartment that acts as the show’s main setting by their friend-turned-landlord Benny, played by Smith.

When the show first opened shortly after the unexpected death of its writer, Jonathan Larson, Rapp and Pascal were in their mid-20s.

They reprised their roles in 2005 in the movie version of the show, and now they’re back again for this national tour.

‘Rent’ is old repertoire for Smith, too. He first took over the role of Benny from original cast member Taye Diggs in 1997.

When asked how many different signature maroon-with-a-blue-stripe shirts he’s worn through the years, Rapp offered a cool, ‘Oh, only three or four.’

Pascal, now 38, plays opposite 24-year-old Lexi Lawson as Mimi, the Latina dancer and party girl clad in black leather, lace and shiny, stretchy neon blue pants.

‘She’s brand new to the show,’ said Rapp, putting his arm around Lawson like he was her uncle welcoming her into a circle of siblings at a family reunion.

Lawson, who left this season of ‘American Idol’ to join the touring cast, said she’s ‘fulfilling her dream’ of playing Mimi and that she knew all of the musical’s songs with the exception of one or two before she started.

Besides Lawson and a few other cast members, many of the cast members knew one another from working on ‘Rent’ years before. They’re a close group, said Smith.

‘Adam and Anthony are the big draws. However if the rest of the cast didn’t pull their weight, I don’t think people would be as pleased as we’ve seen over the course of time,’ he said.

‘And I hope we don’t look like we’re all 10 years old,’ he added.

Smith said even after all these years the show’s audiences on the road are usually mixed with people who’ve never seen it live before as well as long-time fans.

The Pittsburgh opening-night audience was a warm one, cast members said, though it wasn’t as raucous as in Los Angeles or in Smith’s hometown, Chicago, the cast’s previous stop.

‘We’ve never had a city not ‘moo’,’ he said, referring to a song performed by Maureen (Nicolette Hart) near the end of the first act. She encourages the audience to join in and ‘moo’ with her.

‘When you feel the constant give and take with the audience, it’s like a rock concert,’ he said. ‘We feel that energy. It’s a constant dialogue. When know when people are clapping, when people are laughing and when they’re screaming.’

The audience Tuesday night, full of Rentheads ‘- or fanatics of the show ‘- ‘mooed’ on cue. They also offered screams of approval at the first notes of the show’s act one closer, ‘La Vie Boheme,’ for Maureen’s first appearance onstage and during original cast member Gwen Stewart’s soprano solo that rattles the rafters in the classic ‘Seasons of Love.’

Supplementing these moments, Rapp’s vocals are crystally clear as ever, and Pascal’s nasally rocker vibe still hearkens back to the original CD recording.

This reporter didn’t notice many people singing along in the audience, despite their willingness to ‘moo.’

‘Would you hope for people to sing along? If they can sing on pitch,’ said Smith, his growling baritone voice cracked into a laugh. ‘I don’t mind it as long as you aren’t bothering the person sitting next to you. If you all are vibing that way, that’s great.’

The tour was part of the PNC Broadway Across America series and hosted through the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

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Correction: In the Tuesday night performance reviewed, Caren Tackett played Maureen. The Pitt News regrets the error.