British director Luke Sheppard, who just last month won an Olivier Award for Paddington: The Musical, will be at the helm once again – the second time he has directed the musical.
“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,” he said in a statement.
Rent was written and composed by Jonathan Larson, who tragically died the day before its premiere in 1996. The show was groundbreaking – it put the stories of LGBTQ+ people during the HIV/Aids epidemic front and centre, tackled social taboos and gave a voice to those who are often marginalised.
Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda made an Oscar-nominated film in 2021 about Larson’s life, Tick Tick … Boom!
The show’s producers, Chris Harper and Sonia Friedman, say the adaption stays loyal to Larson’s music.
“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,” they said in the announcement.
Matarazzo already had an impressive body of theatre work. As a child he performed in productions of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Les Misérables. In more recent years, he’s starred in Dear Evan Hansen and Sweeney Todd.
The star has done some other television work, including voice acting and roles behind-the-scenes.
However it was Stranger Things, which began in 2016 when Matarazzo was 13 years old, that catapulted him into the sci-fi fandom relm.
The series, which had five seasons, was a cultural phenomenon and remains one of Netflix’s most-watched shows.
Rent will open at London’s Duke of York Thatre on 26 September 2026.