Theatre News

Rent with Gaten Matarazzo announces further West End cast

The Stranger Things star makes his West End debut

| London |

8 July 2026

rent cast — Cast portraits by Oliver Rosser

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

As already confirmed, 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 earlier this year.

Jonathan Larson’s show follows a community living in New York City’s East Village as they navigate poverty, love, and the AIDS crisis in the early 1990s. Inspired by La Bohème, it premiered Off-Broadway in 1996 before transferring to Broadway, where it became a defining rock musical of its era, winning the Pulitzer Prize and multiple Tony Awards.

The “bold new production”, directed by the WhatsOnStage and Olivier Award winner Luke Sheppard (who previously oversaw the five-star revival seen at the Hope Mill Theatre in 2020 and 2021, which has “inspired” this version), will run at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 26 September 2026.

Joining Matarazzo will be Travis Ross as Roger, Bella Brown as Mimi, Billy Nevers as Collins, Lazy Violet as Maureen, Danielle Fiamanya as Joanne, Jeevan Braich as Angel and Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Benny. Further casting is to be announced soon.

The cast of Rent, photos by Oliver Rosser

Alongside Sheppard, the show has choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves, with set design by David Woodhead, costume design by Gabriella Slade, lighting design by Howard Hudson, audio production and sound design by Paul Gatehouse, video design and cinematography by George Reeve and Nathan Amzi, make-up and hair design by Jackie Saundercock, UK casting by Pearson Casting and US Casting by Jim Carnahan.

The musical supervisor is Bill Sherman and the musical director and associate musical supervisor is Katy Richardson, the intimacy director is Asha Jennings-Grant, the associate director is Priya Patel Appleby and the dialect coach is Joe Trill.

Booking for the show has also extended until Saturday 27 March 2027 at the soon-to-be Tom Stoppard Theatre. Matarazzo is currently scheduled to appear until 10 January 2027.