Thirty years after they originated the roles of Mark and Roger in Jonthan Larson’s award-winning musical RENT, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal are reuniting for a special anniversary celebration. The event will be a part of Musical Con 2026, the world’s largest musical theatre fan convention
Two of the original stars of RENT are due to make an appearance at this year’s Musical Con. Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal originated the roles of Mark Cohen and Roger Davis in RENT, which on Broadway in 1996 before transferring to London’s Shaftesbury Theatre in 1998. Both actors also reprised their roles in the 2005 film adaptation, which reunited much of the original cast. The pair is due to appear together at ExCeL London on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October 2026.
Musical Con co-founders Shanay Holmes and Chris Steward commented on the news, saying:
RENT has an extraordinary legacy and continues to mean so much to audiences around the world. To welcome Anthony and Adam to Musical Con, 30 years after they originated these iconic roles on Broadway, is incredibly special. As we celebrate five years of Musical Con, we couldn’t think of a more exciting way to mark the occasion than bringing the original Mark and Roger together in London to celebrate RENT.
30 years of RENT
The Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical will honour its 30 year history at Musical Con, with Pascal and Rapp set to perform live on stage, talk about the show, and reflect on their extraordinary journey with RENT over the past three decades. Fans will also be able to meet the pair through dedicated Meet & Greet experiences.
The duo recently reunited in New York this past August at The Festival in Kingston New York, where most of the original Broadway company took to the stage for a performance. Pascal and Rapp performed alongside Taye Diggs (Benny), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi), Fredi Walker-Browne (Joanne) and Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Angel), running through the show’s biggest numbers before closing, fittingly, with “Seasons of Love.”
Three decades on, the anniversary has underlined just how enduring Jonathan Larson’s musical remains, with fans and original cast members alike continuing to celebrate its legacy on both sides of the Atlantic. The West End is preparing for the arrival of a major new anniversary production set to open at London’s Tom Stoppard Theatre from 26 September 2026. Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo will star as Mark Cohen.
About Musical Con
Now in its fifth anniversary edition, Musical Con is a two-day convention bringing together musical theatre performers, shows and fans, packed with live performances, panels, interviews, workshops, exhibitions and competitions. Alongside Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, the event will feature a host of further stars and fan favourites, with the full weekend programme to be announced in the coming weeks.
Founders Chris Steward and Shanay Holmes have built a reputation for innovative, thematic events including West End Musical Brunch, West End Musical Drive-In (the first live musical theatre event in the country during lockdown), and West End Musical Celebration, which reopened theatres with a week-long run at the Palace Theatre. They were recently honoured with the Lord Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Industry, and have previously won Best Producer and Best Production at the Black British Theatre Awards for their West End Musical concert series.
The Tom Stoppard Theatre (formerly the Duke of York's Theatre), London
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