Gaten Matarazzo to Make West End Debut in Rent 30th-Anniversary Revival

A ‘thrillingly fresh’ 30th-anniversary production of Jonathan Larson’s musical will open at the Duke of York’s theatre in London, directed by Luke SheppardThe Pulitzer prize-winning musical Rent will return to London this autumn in a 30th-anniversary production starring Stranger Things’ Gaten Matarazzo in his West End debut.The rock opera, based on Puccini’s La Bohème and set in New York’s East Village during the Aids crisis, ran for more than 5,000 performances on Broadway and won four Tony awards. Jonathan Larson, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, died aged 35 of an aortic aneurysm shortly before it opened in 1996. The musical also ran for 18 months in London, became a 2005 film and has had several major revivals including one directed by Luke Sheppard at Manchester’s Hope Mill theatre in 2020. Sheppard, who last month won an Olivier award for Paddington: The Musical, is staging the new revival, directly inspired by his Manchester production. Continue reading...

Gaten Matarazzo is no stranger to the theatre, having starred in several Broadway shows from a young age.

Gaten Matarazzo in December 2025Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo is poised to make his West End debut in a new revival of Rent.On Monday morning, it was announced that Gaten will play Mark Cohen in the new production, a role previously portrayed on stage by the likes of Anthony Rapp, Oliver Thornton and Neil Patrick Harris.The new production coincides with Rent’s 30th anniversary, and will run at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 26 September.Director Luke Sheppard enthused: “This is Rent in the hands of a new generation of performers who love and adore this piece, and with Gaten Matarazzo playing Mark, it promises to be a thrilling experience.”Rent centres around a group of struggling artists in New York’s East Village, and is loosely based on the Puccini opera La Bohème.Telling the story of a year in the group’s lives, the show explores themes including sexuality, addiction and HIV, and has become renowned for its soundtrack, including musical theatre staples Seasons Of Love, La Vie Bohème and Take Me Or Leave Me.Anthony Rapp previously played Mark in the film version of Rent as well as on BroadwayProducers Chris Harper and Sonia Friedman said they were “absolutely delighted to be bringing Rent back to the West End”, noting: “Jonathan Larson’s musical remains as powerful and resonant as ever, and Luke has found a way to honour 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.”More casting announcements will be announced in due course, with tickets for the production now on sale.Gaten is best known for his performance as Dustin Henderson in the hit Netflix sci-fi drama, a role he began playing when he was still in his early teens.However, he actually began his career as a child actor on Broadway, in the casts of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert and Les Misérables.Since his rise to fame in Stranger Things, the 23-year-old has also continued to act on stage in Broadway productions of shows including Dear Evan Hansen and Sweeney Todd.He is also due to appear in the new Lin-Manuel Miranda movie adaptation of the musical Octet, alongside the likes of Rachel Zegler, Jonathan Groff, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Amanda Seyfried and Tramell Tillman.MORE STRANGER THINGS:Netflix Has Already Decided The Fate Of Its New Stranger Things Spin-OffStranger Things Star Caleb McLaughlin Has His Say On 'Dumb' Fan TheoryNicola Coughlan Opens Up About Her Stranger Things Audition

EXCLUSIVE: Gaten Matarazzo, who excelled as fast-talking Dustin Henderson on smash-hit Netflix sci-fi horror drama Stranger Things, will make his London stage debut in an exciting revival of Jonathan Larson’s landmark musical Rent, which will premiere at the West End in the fall, Deadline can reveal. Matarazzo — who is a self-described “Rent-head,” according to Chris Harper, who’s […]