RENT rehearsals begin ahead of West End return

Award-winning musical RENT has officially begun rehearsals for its West End return. Take a look at the cast and creative team coming together on the first day of rehearsals as director Luke Sheppard and Hope Mill Theatre’s Joseph Houston reflecting on the emotional moment.

The upcoming West End production of RENT has shared an inside look at the cast and creative team coming together for their first day of rehearsals. This new staging of Jonathan Larson’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical arrives at the soon-to-be-renamed Duke of York’s Theatre just in time to celebrate 30 years since RENT first premiered on Broadway,

Director Luke Sheppard addressed the company, reflecting on the years of work behind getting the show to this point, commenting that ‘this is such a privilege to be in this room full of incredible people, and there’s no better bunch to make this show with.’

The video also offers a sneaking glimpse of the production’s model box: a moody, atmospheric rendering of a New York fire-escape-lined set, alongside reference photography of New York storefronts pinned to the rehearsal room walls, giving an early look at the world the creative team is building for the revival.

RENT begins performances on 26 September 2026.

Watch: The cast and creative team of RENT come together for their first day of rehearsals

About the production

It has been 30 years since RENT first premiered on Broadway. This highly anticipated revival is the first major West End revival in of the musical in nearly 20 years. The original Broadway production transferred to the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1998 and ran for around 18 months before heading out on a UK tour and making a brief return in 2001. This new staging boasts a new generation of talent, including:

Gaten Matarazzo as Mark
Travis Ross as Roger
Billy Nevers as Collins
Lazy Violet as Maureen
Danielle Fiamanya as Joanne
Jeevan Braich as Angel
Alexa Lopez as Mimi Marquez
Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Benny

The company is completed by Baylie Carson, Laura Delany, Ryesha Higgs, Montoya Holloway-Johnson, Rhys Hopkins, Shem Omari James, Hannah Macpherson, TJ Matara-Holloway, Ryan Nixon, Leah Vassell, James Wilkinson-Jones and Kevin Yates.

Olivier Award wining director Luke Sheppard leads a creative team that includes choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves, set design by David Woodhead, costume design by Gabriella Slade and lighting design by Howard Hudson.