It is hard to be critical of something you are in love with, whether it be a person, place or, in my case, this musical. The Broadway touring company of “RENT” was in town this weekend, making a five-show appearance at the Madison Civic Center. I went twice. And a fair amount of UW students also in attendance would agree with me — “RENT” was spectacular.

It’s no surprise that Jonathan Larson’s rock musical would strike a chord with college students. It strikes a chord with anyone who lives to see the day when someone they love dies, leaves them or loves them back.

It strikes a chord with anyone who lives. And that was its purpose from the start. These are characters that could be any American in today’s society, battling to survive day-by-day, pay their rent, hold on to relationships and make a difference in the world. Living for today, “no day but today.”

Those words were splashed across the backs of t-shirts everywhere in the Oscar Meyer Theatre this weekend. Anticipation was high, and this musical delivered. When the lights flashed out and their story began, the collective cast of “RENT” had an energy about them that flowed to the audience.

They laughed, they cried, they got angry and they beamed with joy, feelings that the audience could feel simultaneously.

Guy Olivieri, playing narrator Mark Cohen, added a quirky and humorous vibe to his character, the not-so-long-ago dumped, aspiring documentary filmmaker. He thrived on this vibe but was also able to transition to the reality of some of his scenes, with a seriousness that showed through.

The audience could not help but laugh with him in “Tango: Maureen,” but a few scenes later, his power and voice were shown in “Goodbye, Love.” This balance between comedy and intensity was essential for Mark’s character, and Olivieri completed the task.

Kevin Spencer was astounding as Roger, the HIV-positive rock musician who is numb to love as a result of the suicide of his HIV-positive girlfriend. Making his theatrical debut in “RENT,” this Canadian guitar player/drummer/vocalist portrayed exactly what Roger should be in this show — a sexy and talented, yet lost and cautious musician in New York City, dealing with a fate he did not ever imagine.

He wanted to write “one great song” before he died, and he succeeded. Spencer’s voice belting Roger’s songs, including “One Song Glory,” consumed the theatre, and the audience could feel his pain, his joy and his hope.

The role of Mimi, the HIV-positive junkie who falls in love with Roger, was split cast. And although Mimi Friday night gave a quality performance, the actress playing Mimi Sunday was absolutely stellar. Her voice uttered Mimi’s often heart-wrenching dialogue with grace, and her beautiful tone fit perfectly with Spencer’s rock edge in their duet, “Without You.” Her energy and her power could not be matched in this production.

Alison Burns as Maureen Johnson also blew the crowd away with her strong vocal talent and exuberant personality. Her sassiness suited her character, and her signature monologue, “Over the Moon,” got the whole crowd mooing.

Her contagious energy rivaled only her stylish character, prancing around in her black leather cat-suit, mooing a protest with a bright yellow star sown to the crotch of her jeans and of course, the signature mooning during “La Vie Boheme.” Burns was a trip, and the audience could not help but love her.

Bruce Wilson, Jr. as Tom Collins, the computer-age philosophy teacher who falls in love with Angel Schunard (played by Justin Rodriguez), an HIV-positive drag queen and street musician, emotionally drew in the audience to his losses.

Rodriguez as Angel flew across the stage in his zebra-striped tights and patent-leather platform heals, but his death scene pulled at the heartstrings of everyone in the building in yet another display of wonderful acting talent.

Joanne, played by Bridget Ann Mohammed, had the attitude and spunk that kept up with Burns’ Maureen. And Benjamin Coffin III, played by Matthew S. Morgan, had the stuck-up, self-centered aura that Roger and Mark’s landlord ought to have.

This show really did not fall short anywhere, with even the company members adding their own style to the production.

This production thrives off its simplicity. No major set design and scene changes complicate the story. The lighting, noticeable in pieces such as “Light My Candle” that had dimmed the illumination to emphasize the romantic meeting of Roger and Mimi, is subtle and deliberate.

And the music is what draws people back time and time again; the music that captures hearts, that makes the audience sing along, ever so softly when they think no one is really listening. The music is this show. The actors who sing that music bring the story to life.

“RENT” is the fourth-longest-running show in Broadway history, and it is not going anywhere. With talent like what was seen in the touring production this weekend here in Madison, the poignant and lasting message that Jonathan Larson wanted for his masterpiece is still being received around the world.

There really are no words to describe the feelings felt at the end of this show — friendship, love, living life in the moment — no musical compares to the vision that is “RENT.”