A charmed life is what South African native Heinz Winckler is living.

By John Benson | March 16, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

A former law student with a passion for music, Winckler traded in his law books for sheet music when in 2002 he became the first South African “Idol.” From there the pop singer-guitarist released three albums — “One Step Closer,” “Come Alive” and “Moment of Truth” — before his career started to sputter last year.

While a 2005 stateside audition for musicals “Hairspray” and “Rent” didn’t yield any work, Winckler did receive a surprise call last year. Producers wanted to know if he was interesting in playing the role of Roger in a national touring company of “Rent.”

Naturally, Winckler, who could relate to the notion of playing a young and creative struggling artist attempting to survive in the harsh world, jumped at the opportunity. The national touring production of “Rent” comes to Youngstown Tuesday for a show at Powers Auditorium.

“It’s very unexpected in a way, but something I’ve always dreamed,” said Winckler, calling from Grand Rapids, Mich. “What I find is I have a big dream, but I can’t always know exactly how I’m going to get there. When this came along, it seemed like the right thing to do.

“So I took a leap of faith to do the best job I can and hope that the next step will be out of this. Whether it’ll be a record label deal or another role I can play in a musical or whatever, we’ll see what happens.”

Even more surreal is the fact Winckler had relatively no theater training growing up and his only musical resume credit is the role of Tony in a short Toronto run of “West Side Story.”

What he may lack in experience, the 29-year-old makes up for in natural stage presence and musical talent. In fact, he feels as though his interpretation of Roger is somewhat unique.

“The cool thing about this show is they always want whoever they cast to bring something new and fresh to the role, but still be true to the character that was written by Jonathan Larson,” Winckler said. “So what I think is different from the way I sing this role compared to what other people have done is offer a gritty rock voice.”

A rock musical based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Boh√®me,” “Rent” offers a full-frontal view of straight, bisexual, and transgender characters living on the fringe in a world defined by poverty and AIDS.

“Rent” was in the news recently with the announcement after 4,300 shows since its 1996 debut, the Tony Award-winning production will end its run this spring as the seventh-longest-running Broadway show. Winckler and his cast mates are banking on this news providing a resurgence of interest in their touring production of “Rent.”

“I’m hoping it has a positive kickback for us, especially since our tour runs through the end of June,” Winckler said. “So I’m hoping it creates more buzz.”

He added, “And I’d say to the people who have seen ‘Rent,’ the show has been getting very positive reviews. I think I’m part of a very strong singing cast, and people are really enjoying the sound we’re creating.”