Gaten Matarazzo makes West End debut in Rent revival
Gaten Matarazzo makes his West End debut as Mark in Rent, which officially opens at the Tom Stoppard Theatre on 8 October. The Stranger Things actor plays Mark, a filmmaker, in Jonathan Larson's musical Playbill.
Rent is a Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that opened Off-Broadway more than 30 years ago. It follows young artists in New York and is loosely based on Puccini's opera La bohème. This London production is a revival, meaning a fresh staging of a show first seen elsewhere WhatsOnStage.
Performances began in late September at the newly rechristened Tom Stoppard Theatre on St Martin's Lane. The staging keeps the in-the-round layout from its first run at Hope Mill Theatre during Covid. That means the audience sits around the action, close to the performers.
There is also seating on the stage itself. The band plays live. Conductor Katy Richardson leads the musicians from a balcony above the set.
Luke Sheppard directs the revival. The cast includes Travis Ross, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Matarazzo, Billy Nevers and Jeevan Braich. David Woodhead designed the stylised industrial set and Gabriella Slade designed the costumes, with choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves and lighting by Howard Hudson.
Matarazzo is best known as Dustin in Stranger Things. He has described himself as a "theatre kid" performing from the age of 11 The Guardian.
The show runs 2 hours 45 minutes. It is listed at the Tom Stoppard Theatre, at 104 St Martin's Ln, London WC2N 4BG, with bookings currently to 29 May 2027 ATG Tickets.
For fans, this means a chance to see a screen familiar face in a tight, close-up theatre space. Expect proximity rather than distance. The room goes quiet, and everyone is in it together.
