Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo is set to make his West End debut in a 30th-anniversary revival of the Pulitzer prize-winning musical Rent, opening at London's Duke of York's Theatre this autumn. Directed by Luke Sheppard, the production promises to be a 'thrillingly fresh' take on Jonathan Larson's rock opera.
A Celebrated Musical Returns
Based on Puccini's La Bohème and set in New York's East Village during the Aids crisis, Rent originally ran for over 5,000 performances on Broadway, winning four Tony awards. Larson, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics, tragically died of an aortic aneurysm at age 35 just before the show opened in 1996. The musical also enjoyed an 18-month run in London, was adapted into a 2005 film, and has seen several major revivals. Sheppard previously directed a critically acclaimed production at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre in 2020, which directly inspires this new staging.
From Hope Mill to the West End
The Hope Mill Theatre, founded in 2015 with a modest £10,000 loan by couple Joseph Houston and William Whelton, has become a powerhouse for musical theatre. Sheppard's original Rent played to socially distanced audiences during the pandemic and was streamed online. Now, major West End producers Chris Harper Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions, in association with Hope Mill, are bringing the revival to a larger stage.
Matarazzo, best known for playing Dustin Henderson in Netflix's Stranger Things, will portray Mark, a film-maker documenting his friends' lives. He has previously appeared in US productions of Sweeney Todd, Dear Evan Hansen, Godspell, and Into the Woods. His Stranger Things co-star Sadie Sink made her own West End debut earlier this year in Romeo and Juliet.
Creative Team and Vision
Further casting for Rent is yet to be announced. The creative team includes choreographer Tom Jackson Greaves, known for the National Theatre's current Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and costume designer Gabriella Slade, who collaborated with Sheppard on Paddington: The Musical and the immersive revival of Starlight Express.
Producers Harper and Friedman expressed their excitement about the 2020 version, describing it as 'immediate, emotional, and utterly alive.' They added: '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.'
Sheppard said: 'Directing the show at the Hope Mill theatre was a transformative experience, and we were overwhelmed by the audience response. The opportunity to reimagine that production on a larger scale is a dream come true, bringing West End audiences up close to the heartfelt emotion and raw energy that powers this seminal musical. This is Rent in the hands of a new generation of performers who love and adore this piece.'
A Gateway Show
Rent, featuring iconic songs like 'Light My Candle,' 'Out Tonight,' and 'Seasons of Love,' is often considered a gateway show for musical-theatre fans. Sheppard noted in 2020 that it 'always celebrated inclusion, so it reaches very widely across sexuality and gender identity, touching people in specific ways.' The plot also tackles gentrification and the challenges of making a living in the arts.
Performances at the Duke of York's Theatre begin on 26 September. Additionally, Larson's work will be celebrated this summer in the UK premiere of The Jonathan Larson Project, featuring lesser-known songs from his archive at the Library of Congress, running at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 9 July to 22 August.
