Rent Tickets

Rent in London

Get ready to live “La Vie Boheme” as smash hit rock musical Rent returns to London. This landmark revival of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer and Tony-winning musical, about a group of bohemian friends grappling with addiction, illness and artistic endeavours in 1980s New York, celebrates the show's 30th anniversary. Don't wait “Another Day” - tickets are on sale now.

What Is the Musical Rent About?

Set over the course of a year, Rent follows a group of impoverished artistic friends living in the East Village, New York City, in the 1980s. Roommates, musician Roger and filmmaker Mark, are struggling to pay the rent to their former friend-turned-landlord, Benny, while each is dealing with a turbulent love life. Mark has recently been dumped by his girlfriend, activist and performance artist Maureen, for another woman, straightlaced lawyer Joanne; Roger is struggling with HIV and has fallen for wildcard addict and stripper Mimi. Maureen and Joanne struggle to find balance in their fiery relationship, while anarchist university professor Collins, meets drag queen and drummer Angel, who handles her HIV positive status with unrelenting optimism and kindness.

As the year unfolds, the friends fall in and out of love, protest the incoming gentrification of their city, battle with addiction, and face the tragedy of the AIDS crisis, all while trying their best to keep making art and living their bohemian lives as if there’s “no day but today”. Now a modern classic, Rent features iconic songs “Seasons of Love”, “La Vie Boheme”, “Today 4 U” and “Take Me or Leave Me”. 

The History of Rent

Rent is loosely based on the 1896 opera La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini. The musical began life at the New York Theatre Workshop in the early 1990s. The show opened off-Broadway in 1996, but tragically, writer and composer Jonathan Larson died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart condition the day before the show was due to open. The production opened as planned in tribute to Larson and was a sell-out success, transferring to Broadway later the same year.

Rent was groundbreaking at the time, earning a Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Musical, and running in New York City for 12 years, making it one of the longest-running Broadway musicals. The show premiered in London in 1998, earning an Olivier nomination. The musical has toured extensively internationally and was adapted into a film in 2005,  featuring many of the Broadway production's original cast. This new production celebrates the show’s 30th anniversary.

Rent West End Cast

• Mark - Gaten Matarazzo

Gaten Matarazzo stars as Mark, making his West End debut. Matarazzo is best known for his role as Dustin in Netflix smash hit Stranger Things, but is no stranger to musical theatre, having performed in productions since he was a child. His stage credits include Sweeney Todd on Broadway, Into the Woods at the Hollywood Bowl, Dear Evan Hansen, Godspell, and Parade.

Further casting is to be announced.

The Creative Team of Rent

Rent has a book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. Larson (1960 – 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright. Larson died unexpectedly the day before Rent opened, but has posthumously been awarded a Pulitzer Prize and three Tony Awards for his work. Rent is Larson’s best-known work; other musicals include Supurbia and Tick, Tick... Boom!, an autobiographical rock-musical which was staged following Larson’s death, and later adapted into an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning movie-musical for Netflix, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and starring Andrew Garfield.

Tickets for Rent at Duke of York's Theatre

This “exhilarating, landmark rock opera” (New York Times) comes to London for the first time in over a decade to celebrate the show's 30th anniversary. Hopeful, funny and with a rock-infused score, you won’t want to miss Rent, so don't wait 525,600 minutes to see this huge revival of the groundbreaking Grammy and Olivier-nominated, Tony and Pulitzer-winning show. Today is 4 booking tickets for Rent - secure yours today!