Gaten Matarazzo to star in Rent revival in London

Initial casting has been revealed for the new revival of Rent in the West End.

Broadway and Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo will make his West End debut as Mark Cohen in the show, which opens this autumn. Dates and venues were revealed today.

Mark Cohen is the central narrator of Rent, a struggling filmmaker living in New York City’s East Village who documents the lives of his bohemian friends as they navigate poverty, love, and the AIDS crisis in the early 1990s.

The role was originated by Anthony Rapp in the Broadway production in 1996, who also reprised it in the 2005 film adaptation and the 2009 national tour. Other notable performers to take on the role include Neil Patrick Harris in the LA run, Skyler Astin at the Hollywood Bowl, and Jordan Fisher in Rent: Live in 2019.

It’s a busy year for Matarazzo, who was also recently cast in the new film adaptation of Dave Malloy’s much-loved musical Octet. 

Further casting for Luke Sheppard‘s production will be revealed in due course, with tickets for the show on sale today.

Sheppard said today: “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.”