Learn about the production history of 'RENT'

Jonathan Larson's legenadary musical is back in the West End to mark its 30th anniversary, starring Gaten Matarazzo.

Summary

• RENT is celebrating 30 years with a return to the West End
• The musical premiered on Broadway in 1996
• It first came to London in 1998
• RENT has played all over the world and been performed in 26 languages

How do you measure, measure a year? Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical RENT is in fact celebrating 30 years with a very special West End revival at the Tom Stoppard Theatre (until recently, the Duke of York’s Theatre) this autumn. The production will be directed by the Olivier-winning Luke Sheppard, inspired by his acclaimed staging for the Hope Mill Theatre, and the cast features Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo.

This seminal musical centres on a group of bohemian friends in New York’s East Village, navigating art, love, and life. The show is teeming with unforgettable songs by the late, great Larson, including “One Song Glory”, “Light My Candle”, “Out Tonight”, “La Vie Bohème”, “Take Me or Leave Me”, and “Seasons of Love”. Get to know the show’s production history ahead of your trip.

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New York Theatre Workshop (1996)

RENT had its premiere at the 150-seat New York Theatre Workshop in 1996, following readings and workshops, starring Anthony Rapp, Tony Hoylen, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Pat Briggs, Mark Setlock, Sarah Knowlton, Shelley Dickinson, and Michael Potts. This new Off-Broadway work became a total sensation, with The New York Times critic Ben Brantley hailing it as “the future of the American musical”, and quickly sold out.

Broadway premiere (1996)

RENT transferred to Broadway just a few months later, moving to the Nederlander Theatre. Several new actors joined the cast, including Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, and Fredi Walker. The show was just as sensational in its Broadway home, where it ran for 12 years and 5,123 performances. RENT was nominated for 10 Tonys and won four, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. It also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

North American tour (1996)

Right after its Broadway opening, RENT also embarked on the first of many US tours. The Angel Tour began in Boston in 1996, with some Broadway cast members joining for certain parts of it (including Rapp and Rubin-Vega). The Benny Tour then began in San Diego in 1997, at the LaJolla Playhouse, which was run by the show’s original Broadway director Michael Greif. Subsequent tours ran from 2005-10. The tour casts featured the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, Aaron Tveit, Caissie Levy, and Karen Olivo.

UK premiere (1998)

British audiences got to experience RENT when it came to the Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End. Several Broadway actors reprised their roles, joined by new cast members such as Krysten Cummings, Bonny Lockhart, and Jessica Tezier. The show ran for a year and a half, and was then revived at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2001 and 2002. RENT was nominated for three Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, Best Actress, and Best Performance in a Supporting Role.

Australian premiere (1999)

RENT was a smash in its first Australian production, which toured from Sydney to Melbourne. The cast included Justin Smith as Mark, Christine Anu as Mimi, and Rodger Corser as Roger. The show has proved to be enduringly popular in Australia, with subsequent productions across the years, including a Sydney revival in 2025.

RENT has also played in numerous other countries, including Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Canada, Brazil, Russia, China, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Cuba – and it has been performed in 26 different languages.

RENT movie (2005)

This iconic stage show was turned into a Hollywood movie musical in 2005, directed by Chris Columbus. Six of the original eight Broadway cast members returned for the film – Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, and Taye Diggs – joined by Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms. The movie was pretty faithful, but had a mixed response from critics and audiences.

West End revival (2007)

This Duke of York’s Theatre production was a heavily revised one, so was titled RENT Remixed. Directed by William Baker, it moved the action to the present day and changed elements of the plot and song order, however it was negatively reviewed by critics. The cast featured Oliver Thornton, Luke Evans, and Denise Van Outen.

Hollywood Bowl (2010)

RENT alumnus Neil Patrick Harris directed a special three-night revival at the Los Angeles venue in 2010, with an all-star cast that included Vanessa Hudgens, Aaron Tveit, Skylar Astin, Wayne Brady, Telly Leung, Tracie Thoms, Collins Pennie, Gwen Stewart, and Nicole Scherzinger.

Off Broadway revival (2011)

RENT had its first Off Broadway revival, helmed by original director Michael Greif, and again this one attempted to reinvent the show – to a generally negative response. The cast at New World Stages included Adam Chanler-Berat, Annaleigh Ashford, Nicholas Christopher, Brandon Victor Dixon, and MJ Rodriguez.

20th-anniversary concert and tour (2016)

RENT’s landmark birthday was celebrated with a special concert at the Blackpool Opera House, ahead of a 20th-anniversary tour, which included a stint at the St James Theatre (now The Other Palace) in London. Directed by Bruce Guthrie, the company was led by Lucie Jones as Maureen and Layton Williams as Angel.

RENT: Live (2019)

American broadcaster Fox aired a live TV special performance of RENT in 2019. The cast included Jordan Fisher, Brennin Hunt, Tinashe, Vanessa Hudgens, Brandon Victor Dixon, Kiersey Clemons, Mario, Valentina, and Keala Settle. There was some unforeseen drama, as Hunt (playing Roger) broke his foot during the dress rehearsal, so the final broadcast was partly live and also featured pre-recorded footage.

Hope Mill Theatre revival (2020)

The Manchester theatre’s production was meant to run in July but was delayed by the pandemic until the autumn, and featured social distancing measures. Nevertheless it was hugely well received, and was filmed for broadcast. Luke Sheppard’s production starred Blake Patrick Anderson, Tom Francis, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Dom Hartley-Harris, Alex Thomas-Smith, Millie O’Connell, Jocasta Almgill, and Ahmed Hamad. It won Best Regional Production at the WhatsOnStage Awards.

West End revival (2026)

RENT is once again now hitting the West End, with Sheppard (a recent Olivier Award winner for Paddington The Musical) providing a must-see new staging for the Duke of York’s Theatre. This production celebrates 30 years since the Broadway premiere.

Gaten Matarazzo, best known here as Dustin Henderson in Netflix’s Stranger Things, but also an experienced Broadway actor with credits such as Sweeney Todd and Dear Evan Hansen, will play Mark, with further casting including Travis Ross as Roger, Bella Brown as Mimi, Billy Nevers as Collins, Lazy Violet as Maureen, Olivier Award nominee Danielle Fiamanya as Joanne, Jeevan Braich as Angel, and Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Benny.

The show features choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), costumes by Gabriella Slade (Tony winner for SIX), and set design by David Woodhead (Titanic).

Main photo credit: RENT 2026 (courtesy of the production). Inset: RENT movie, RENT: Live, RENT at Hope Mill Theatre (Photos courtesy of the film, Fox, by Pamela Raith)