Surprisingly, The Original is not always better

I love Rent, and I first had seen this version, but then I listened to the 2005 version and found it much better. All the cast is the same except Tracie Thoms takes the role as Joanne and Mimi is played by Rosario Dawson. I was surprised that their version of the two characters much better to the ears. Mimi has been played sweet and rock like, and I found that the sweet fit the role better, let it be for you to decide, but the only difference is the roles of Joanne and Mimi which I found to be better in the 2005 recording.

great stories told through songs

RENT is one of the all time great shows to grace the Great White Way, and the album has become a classic in its own right, the thing I love about the album is that its not just the biggies (La Vie Boheme, Seassons of Love) but virtually every sound bite from the production, and you can easily follow along with the story through the music.

Amazing..

This has to be one of my favorites. Although I never got to see the original production, a friend of mine made me listen to the complete soundtrack (not just excerpts). I was absolutely blown away. Jonathan Larson is a genious, the voices in it are amazing, and there are songs still choke me up even after this ammount of time. It't an incredibly moving peice and even if you haven't seen the stage production and are just a theater buff, this is one that I would highly recommend.