Rent more than measures up
Published on 9 October 2026
How do you measure 30 years of RENT? We’ve measured the days since its West End debut; 10,376 days, which is 14,941,440 minutes in case you were wondering - but that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.
Here’s to Sondheim. To Larson. To RENT’s electric and energetic West End return, fittingly at the Tom Stoppard Theatre adjacent to Sondheim’s Into The Woods at the Noel Coward Theatre. As a lifelong mentor and idol to Larson, we truly have Sondheim to thank. The rock musical is back in a new revival marking its 30th anniversary, starring Stranger Things star, Gaten Matarazzo, as Mark.
Since the show's original debut on 29th April 1996, RENT remains more relevant than ever. At its core, the story follows Mark, a struggling and uninspired filmmaker (played by Gaten Matarazzo) and his roommate and musician Roger (played by Travis Ross). Roger, diagnosed with AIDS, has a mission to find his spark once more and does so by attempting to write the perfect final song. Buried in the world of struggling art and lack of inspiration is the innate need to survive the harsh New York winter. They had coasted by living rent-free in their old friend’s building. The old friend, Benny, has since married into a wealthy family and purchased the land; now he demands a year of rent from the people he used to call his friends.
The rest of the gang include Collins (played by Billy Nevers), Angel (played by Jeevan Braich), Mimi (Alexa Lopez), Maureen (played by Lazy Violet) and Joanne (played by Danielle Fiamanya) as they navigate their own friendships and relationships against the backdrop of the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, with support groups and seeking solace in each other.
With a large group of such eclectic characters, who all have complex layers and stories to tell, it was crucial to have a cast you would truly believe; each with their own personalities to offer to the role. Admittedly, my only reference and first encounter with RENT is the 2005 film, starring Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Jesse L. Martin and Wilson Jermaine Heredia; all of which originated their roles on Broadway - so I stand by the fact, it is still a great first introduction to the musical. The cast never impersonated these roles or star names; they were each a great original take. Not to mention, the vocal talent of this cast alone in most places, better. Sorry Adam Pascal, there’s a new Roger in town and his name is Travis Ross, with the rock and roll voice of dreams.
As a Stranger Things fan myself, I was excited to see Gaten Matarazzo return to his musical theatre roots in his West End debut. Matarazzo has already starred in multiple Broadway shows including Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Les Miserables and Dear Evan Hansen. Matarazzo slipped into Mark's shoes all too easily, with the sweet, harmless, nerdy side of the character he already does so well, but also the part of Mark that feels narcissistic and difficult to watch; as he films his dying friends in support group community spaces. Larson’s writing criticises the whispering narcissist living within struggling artists, as seen with Mark’s at times tone-deaf actions, using his friends’ battle with AIDS as a hook for a documentary, selling protest footage or filming a homeless person’s encounter with the police. Matarazzo portrayed Mark as a challenging unreliable narrator, really asking the audience to sit with the question - who has the right to tell these stories? The people struggling to live are unlikely to think art is a priority, but their stories need a platform to make change. Clearly 30 years later, poverty and homelessness is not going away anytime soon.
The staging at the Tom Stoppard, has made RENT feel more intimate than ever. An incredible rock band positioned on the stage, silhouetted behind an industrial set, a raised square platform with a revolving center so audiences positioned in the on-stage seats could connect with the action. The projection and AV, though likely to be very modern and high-tech, oozed with 90s nostalgia, imperfect vision of the cast’s faces close up on multiple screen monitors. The staging perfectly made you feel a part of the gang, grinning at Angel’s sweet and pure optimism, and (spoiler) bawling your eyes out when Collins lost him. I highly recommend tissues at the ready for Act 2, my mascara suffered for this exact mistake.
RENT is the show to see in the West End, with a limited run, the generosity of the vocal talent and star-casting that truly works, it is a no-brainer for musical fans and newbies alike to get tickets. There’s no day but today to get your tickets. See RENT showing at the Tom Stoppard Theatre until 29th May 2027.
