About the Show

Jonathan Larson’s musical about young artists facing love, loss and survival in New York.

Set in New York’s East Village, RENT follows a group of young artists, musicians and friends as they navigate relationships, financial insecurity and creative ambition while living through the HIV/AIDS crisis. Inspired by Puccini’s La Bohème, the musical centres on filmmaker Mark and his circle as they attempt to define their lives on their own terms while confronting illness, addiction and loss.

This new West End production is directed by Luke Sheppard, whose theatre credits include & Juliet and Paddington The Musical. The production stars Gaten Matarazzo as Mark, known for his role in Stranger Things. Music, lyrics and book are by Jonathan Larson. The creative team also includes choreographer Tom Jackson Greaves, set designer David Woodhead, costume designer Gabriella Slade, lighting designer Howard Hudson and musical supervisor Bill Sherman.

The production runs at Duke of York's Theatre from 26 September 2026 to 13 February 2027. Age guidance is 14+, with content warnings including themes of HIV/AIDS, bereavement, drug use, suicide, sex and sex work, strong language, smoking, haze and strobe lighting.

Critic Reviews (7)

"RENT is a soul-stirring act of creation, and so too is this exhilarating revival."
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"His hurtling, 30th anniversary staging of Rent is glorious, with an ensemble of astonishing voices anchored by Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo as our charming narrator, Mark."
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"This rousing, faithful revival by Paddington director Luke Sheppard more than earns its keep."
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"This is a hugely enjoyable revival of a musical that is standing the test of time, even as it conjures stories from the past."
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"In an act of directorial empathy that I wouldn’t have thought possible, Sheppard has shifted from the love letter to London that is his Broadway-bound Paddington to recreate Rent from the ground up."
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“And while the characters are, perhaps necessarily, compressed into types, the cast makes you care.”
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"At the end of the day, the big question facing a revival like this is whether it can fundamentally justify its own existence. Rent manages that, and then some."
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