Before he leaves Maui to move to New Mexico, Jesie Rocetes is directing and choreographing the ProArts Playhouse production of the Tony Award-winning rock musical “Rent,” opening on Friday.

“It’s been a blast,” said Rocetes, about directing a show for the first time since his college days.

Transposing Puccini’s “La Bohème” opera’s 1830s Parisian bohemians to the lower Manhattan of the mid-90s, “Rent” was one of the longest-running shows on Broadway, grossing over $280 million.

Opening to both critical and audience acclaim in 1996, ardent reviews included The New York Times and Variety. Winning best musical, best book, best original score and best performance by a featured actor in a musical, “Rent” became a cultural phenomenon, spawning ardent fans known as “Rentheads.”

“They just see the show over and over, the same as the fans for ‘Rocky Horror,'” said Rocetes. “It really hits hard. It really hits deep. People, if they like the show, look into the lore of it, and learn about Jonathan Larson and about the resilience of the show and how it was put on after his death and all that.”

With music and lyrics by Larson, the hit musical follows a group of impoverished young artists in New York’s East Village struggling with love, poverty and the AIDS epidemic. Larson tragically died at 35 from an aortic dissection the night before the first public preview.

Rocetes recalled being awed as a teenager seeing the movie version of the show.

“I saw it on my 13th birthday at the theaters at Ka’ahumanu (Center),” he said. “It sparked the whole musical theater love in me, seeing an alternative type of musical theater style. At the time, all I knew was classical theater. But seeing this alternative rock music really switched the script on me, and I was hooked.”

Sponsored by Wave of Harmony Foundation with music directed by Vania Jerome, the ProArts production features a cast of 15, including P T Mahoney, Kailee Ka’eo, Josh Pellitier, Charles Cook, Aida Rose, Makanapo’okela Gabin, Sicily Mathenia and Brock Kaho’ohanohano Ambrose.

They are accompanied by a six-piece band with Vania Jerome on keyboards, Prem Brosio and Francisco Ballestero on guitars, Ashton Yarbrough on bass and Perry Gragas on drums.

“The named characters, that’s a solid eight of them,” he said. “The rest of the ensemble get to explore all the other characters of New York, from being life-support group members to homeless people on the street. We have someone playing a model at one point and someone playing a nurse at another time. It’s very busy even for the non-lead characters.”

As a Baldwin High School student, Rocetes did a bit of directing with Linda Carnevale. “I was very young and still learning,” he said. “But I would say officially this is my very first time as an adult to direct something at this capacity.”

As an actor, he has performed in Maui productions of “Little Shop,” “Rocky Horror,” “Come From Away,” “Spring Awakening” and “Kinky Boots.”

“I pretty much live at ProArts,” he joked.

“Rent” might not be suitable for some audiences. The production contains strong language and themes relating to drug use, addiction, illness, suicide and suggestive content. The play is recommended for teen and adult audiences.

“I feel like when people come and see the show, I hope they at least get a great sense of community,” Rocetes said. “‘Rent’ is all about friends, family, chosen families. So I just hope when people come and see the show, they come in and feel friendship and community.”

“Rent” will open at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the ProArts Playhouse. The show will continue on Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

Additional shows will be at 7:30 p.m. March 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 and 28, and at 2 p.m. March 22 and March 29. “Rent” will also be performed at 7:30 p.m. April 2, 3 and 4 and at 2 p.m. April 5.

Tickets are $26 to $47 at proartsmaui.org or (808) 463-6550. Teens get $5 off any seat.