Rent revival casts Travis Ross and Bella Brown alongside Gaten Matarazzo
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The West End revival of Jonathan Larson's musical "Rent" has announced the full principal cast joining "Stranger Things" star Gaten Matarazzo, who will play Mark. Travis Ross will take on the role of Roger and Bella Brown will play Mimi, with the rest of the ensemble drawn from established West End and touring performers. The casting news signals the shape of a high-profile staging of one of musical theatre's most enduring works.
Alongside Ross and Brown, the cast features Billy Nevers as Collins, Lazy Violet as Maureen, Olivier Award nominee Danielle Fiamanya as Joanne, Jeevan Braich as Angel and Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Benny, with further casting to be revealed. Directed by Luke Sheppard, the production begins previews at the Duke of York's Theatre — soon to be renamed the Tom Stoppard Theatre — on 26 September, with opening night on 8 October, and has been extended to 27 March 2027 due to popular demand. "Rent", which follows young artists in New York's East Village and was inspired by Puccini's "La Bohème", first premiered in January 1996, the night after Larson died suddenly aged 35.
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Rent, the musical by Jonathan Larson, is a long-running story about a group of young, struggling artists living in New York's East Village, dealing with love, poverty and illness. It first opened in January 1996, just a day after Larson himself died unexpectedly, and it went on to become one of the most celebrated works in modern musical theatre.
A new production of the show is being staged in London's West End, with a cast now confirmed. The headline roles include Gaten Matarazzo, known for his part in the television series Stranger Things, alongside performers Travis Ross and Bella Brown, supported by a wider ensemble drawn from West End and touring theatre backgrounds.
The casting matters because it points to a major, closely watched theatrical event: a well-known television actor taking on a demanding stage role in a beloved musical, at a venue undergoing its own change of identity. The show's popularity ahead of opening has already led producers to extend its run into 2027.
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Originally published by Variety as “‘Rent’ West End Revival Reveals Cast Joining Gaten Matarazzo: Travis Ross as Roger, Bella Brown as Mimi and More”.