BUTLER TWP — The Musical Theatre Guild’s Production of “RENT” opened Friday night at the Succop Theater with a pair of friends setting the tone for the show.

Mark Cohen (Brad Griffiths) was the aspiring camera man who was documenting the actions and antics of his friends.

His friend Roger (Joel Fitzpatrick) was struggling to write a song and contemplating how much time he had left.

The first act contained several standout performances beginning with the energetic “Rent” by the ensemble cast. It was a tightly knit group that moved well together and sounded great. They all seemed connected and enjoying the performance.

Fitzpatrick’s solo, “One Song Glory” was a sad lament at wasted time and wasted opportunity which was followed by the duet with Mimi (Nicole Uram) that was at times tender and at times comical.

Their voices sounded good together and their chemistry in all their duets was credible. His somewhat metal sounding voice and her clear as a bell vocals complimented each other. The moving, “I Should Tell You” found them more vocally matched producing a different sound, but equally compelling. Uram’s powerful voice was a delight.

Griffiths and Fitzpatrick tuned it up for “What you Own” when they paired up in the second act. Griffiths was able to push himself and offered up a commendable performance.

The supremely talented Brady Patsy did not disappoint as Tom Collins. His steady voice and ability to inhabit the persona of the role drew the audience in as he grew his relationship with Angel (Joseph Fedore). The duo exhibited a connection in their duet, “I’ll Cover You” where Fedore dished out more of his inner diva.

Patsy showcased his vocals in the reprise of “I’ll Cover You” in the second Act with a powerful offering of grief and loss. Fedore rocked the high heels and strutted his stuff most notably in “Today for You B” which had the audience laughing.

Another duo who broke out their own set of pipes was Whitney Reudiger as Joanne and her partner Maureen, played by Lindsay Pingor.

Pingor wowed the crowd with her rendition of “Over the Moon” a bizarre retelling of a dream and utilized all of her assets when she shot the moon in one scene. She has a great set of lungs, and not only hits the notes, but can hold them as well. Both gals dug deep for the “Take Me or Leave Me” number that exploited their ranges and sass.

Reudiger’s gift at comedy was seen in “We’re OK,” where she handled several telephone conversations at the same time. She and Griffiths teamed up in the comical and overdramatized “Tango: Maureen.” The pair had great synergy and portrayed the situation well.

Will Scantling, who portrayed Benjamin Coffin III, a role with little opportunity, exhibited admirable vocals and his portrayal of the friend on the outside was believable.

Great dancing and wonderful harmonizing was offered up by the rest of the company. Most notable were their efforts in “Santa Fe” in Act 1 and their ensemble opening of Act 2 with “Lessons of Love” and amazing look at what we do with the time we have.

There was laughter, tears and a few heavy sighs but at the end of the night, the mostly full auditorium quickly rose to give the cast members what they deserved: generous applause for a job well done.

“RENT” was directed by Brent Rodgers with Karen O’Donnell as music director.