Nearly a decade after he co-produced the Broadway hit "Rent," former Honolulu resident Kevin McCollum says he's still sold on the musical's spirit of hope and the bond within its unorthodox family of characters looking for a voice.

So he eagerly put on a movie producer's hat to mount the Sony/Columbia screen version of "Rent," which opens Wednesday in theaters across the country.

Calling from Los Angeles while on the way to a party after a full day of meetings, McCollum recalled his history with the musical.

"I was 33 when 'Rent' first opened, so I must be 43 now," he said. "... For me, there was always something special about doing 'Rent' and what it conveyed.

"It captures my entire belief system about theatrical sensibility. It shows how powerful theater can be. It's how we build our families; however nontraditional a family might be, the most basic sentiment is to love each other, no matter what lifestyle, whatever the socio-economic dynamics."

Jonathan Larson, who wrote the music and lyrics, lived the bohemian life documented in "Rent" while striving to write the great musical of his generation. He died of an aortic aneurysm on the eve of the musical's first preview.

The work won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for drama, four Tony Awards, three Drama Desk awards, the Obie Award and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.

"I can only think wonderful things about 'Rent,' something I've been so proud of, having known Jonathan Larson, and being able to carry out his vision," McCollum said.

"Rent" maintains a rock opera posture as it retells Puccini's "La Boheme" against the gritty backdrop of New York's East Village, where bohemians — the straight and the gay, the strong and the ill — live, love and struggle together through their art, while facing daunting contemporary obstacles such as AIDS and poverty.

"I so wanted to have a lasting record of Larson's work, available long after we stop producing the show; and my business partners and I have always felt that a film should be part (of his legacy)," said McCollum, who worked with Larson's family to execute the screen transition.

Remarkably, director Chris Columbus ("Almost Famous," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Home Alone," "Mrs. Doubtfire") managed to corral seven of the nine original stage cast members to recreate their roles for the movie (see box).

"I don't know how he did it, but obviously, he grew up in New York, understands the stage, and was looking for any emotional lineage from the original company. When you see who's in it, you know that many have gone on to greater things — a reflection on the power of their talent," McCollum said.

The film already has drawn more viewers to the play.

"Over the past six months, since the film has been advertised, the (Broadway) show has sold a lot more tickets," he said.

The bottom line, McCollum said, is that "Rent" as a movie will be seen by millions worldwide and give Larson, the accolades he deserved. "I made a promise to his family that we would make that transition from stage to film, to tell the story of real-life people — artists and musicians — who are not afraid to know the meaning of love."

McCollum attended school and discovered theater in Honolulu, where he lived for 14 years.

"As a kid, I was doing musicals, so theater has been in my blood," he said. "But ('Rent') also brings back memories of the time when my mother (Sue McCollum, a KGMB Radio staffer who was active in Honolulu community theater, and died in Paris in 1976) was diagnosed with cancer; she became an actress again, though her time was short. Maybe that's why I look for material that's fragile, yet powerful. Stuff that speaks from the heart."

McCollum, who lives in New York, has plenty on his plate. Besides the movie "Rent," he's co-producing a new holiday musical based on Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Boston.

He's also co-producing a new show, "The Drowsy Chaperone," which has just opened in Los Angeles en route to a Broadway run next year.

A Tony Award-winning producer for 2004's "Avenue Q," McCollum has been involved in the Las Vegas launch of "Avenue Q" at the Wynn Broadway Theatre in Las Vegas.

All this while his New York hits continue — "Rent" at the Nederlander Theatre, "Avenue Q" at the Golden Theatre.

"I'm exhausted," he said. "The 'White Christmas' shows are full-production attractions, with sort of a franchise mentality: I help a local presenter put it on in a city ... then they take over and bring it back every year. It's like building your own Radio City Music Hall annual holiday tradition."

In 2002, McCollum produced a historic on-Broadway limited-run of "La Boheme," directed by Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge"). "More than 250,000 saw it," McCollum said, "including some kids I overheard saying it was an Italian opera based on 'Rent.' "

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.