Rent is getting a West End revival with this Stranger Things actor in the leading role
Not that strange
Stranger Things is no stranger to the West End with its own theatrical adaptation at London’s Phoenix Theatre in December 2023, and is still running well into 2026. Clearly that’s not enough razzle dazzle for the show as one of its stars is heading to London town for a revival of hit show Rent.
Gaten Matarazzo is set to star as Mark Cohen in the West End revival of the rock musical which is returning to the stage to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The show will be heading to Duke of York’s Theatre in September, with Matarazzo joining the likes of star-spangled likes of Christina Baranski, Kiera Knightly, and Michael Sheen who will be keeping him company in performances of Hayfever, The Lives of Others, and Amadeus respectively.
Rent follows the lives of a group of artists who are navigating life in New York’s East Village under the shadow of the HIV / AIDS crisis. The broke bohemians struggle to survive, create art, and continue to pay rent under the toll of their lives in the 90s. The play and its music, lyrics and book were written by Jonathan Larson, and was loosely based on the 1896 opera La Bohème.
Currently, there’s no word on further casting, with actors playing the other main characters – Mark’s roommate Roger Davis, Mark’s ex-girlfriend Maureen Johnson, Maureen’s new girlfriend Joanne Jefferson, Mark and Roger’s former roommate Tom Collins, Tom’s love interest Angel Dumott Schunard, Roger’s fling Mimi Marquez, and Mark and Roger’s landlord and ex-roommate Benjamin “Benny” Coffin III – all yet to be announced.
The musical was first performed in 1993 off broadway, with Jarson dying suddenly of an aortic dissection the night before it opened. It later moved to Broadway in 1996, receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Musical amongst other awards. It ran for 12 years making it one of the longest running shows on Broadway. The last time it was in London, it ran in the St James Theatre from late 2016, concluding on 28th January 2017.
Matarazzo is best known for his role as Dustin Henderson in Netflix’s Stranger Things, and whilst Rent will mark his West End debut, he’s no stranger to the limelight, aching starred on Broadway in the recent Sweeney Todd revival, as well as playing Jared Kleinman in Dear Evan Hansen.
Luke Sheppard is directing the production, having staged a version of it at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester in 2020. He has since worked on & Juliet and the Olivier Award-winning Paddington, making his CV one of the glitzy-est in the biz.
Producers Chris Harper and Sonia Friedman said: “We are absolutely delighted to be bringing ‘Rent’ back to the West End in this bold new production."
“Jonathan Larson’s musical remains as powerful and resonant as ever, and Luke has found a way to honor its legacy while making it feel thrillingly fresh for today’s audiences. We cannot wait to share this production and all that we have planned for it. It promises to be a truly special theatrical event.”
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