RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#1
Posted: 4/30/26 at 11:30pm
https://www.instagram.com/rentwestend/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=233ea2a7-866b-40d8-bcf7-f5c32155d8f6
It will be the first time the musical has been performed in the west end since 2007. Sonia Friedman and Chris Harper are producing this revival so possible broadway prospects in the future?
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#2
Posted: 5/1/26 at 2:04am
And that was Rent Remixed which doesn't count at all. (I am a big Kylie Minogue fan, and loved the concerts William Baker conceived/directed for her with Steve Anderson doing the concert mixes of her songs. But how on Earth they were then able to do their first musical theatre piece--and it was a completely reworked Rent is beyond me. I do remember Luke Evans being pretty good--the cast in general wasn't the issue.)
I saw Rent for the first time when I was 18 on a trip to London when I was living in Dublin a bit right after high school--so Summer of 1999. I wasn't too excited for Rent (and had missed its first tour back in Vancouver, but felt I really should see it.) And remember really liking it--and the audience was packed from what I remember. So was surprised that it closed October of that year, only having run for a year and 5 months...
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#3
Posted: 5/1/26 at 4:15am
Just when I wished this had been washed into obscurity.
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#4
Posted: 5/1/26 at 8:45am
Hoping for Tom Francis…
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#5
Posted: 5/1/26 at 9:47am
Tom Francis would be an incredible Roger.
I don’t care what people say about Rent, it is what got me into theatre and I will forever love it. I welcome a revival at this point.
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#6
Posted: 5/1/26 at 9:50am
steven22 said: "Hoping for Tom Francis…"
YES! I've been saying for a while now that I'd love to see him as Roger, and Casey Likes as Mark...
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#7
Posted: 5/1/26 at 9:52am
I know why some people might be tired of RENT, it was on Broadway for so long. We had a dreadful movie with much of the original cast who were too old. We had the final performance filmed. We then had an off broadway revival that felt surprisingly stale. However, if you try and forget the legacy and the overexposure and just listen to the OBC recording again carefully I do think it’s hard not to recognise the show was groundbreaking, has some amazing performances and iconic songs. It also has been extremely influential in shows afterwards such as spring awakening, next to normal and Hamilton.
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#8
Posted: 5/1/26 at 9:53am
“How we gonna pay?”
Chris Harper will provide you your salary. :)
Stand-by Joined: 5/30/19
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#9
Posted: 5/1/26 at 11:12am
- Tom Francis as Roger
- Justin Cooley as Mark
- Jasmine Amy Rogers as Joanne
- Isa Briones as Maureen
- Joshua Boone as Collins
- Maleah Joi Moon as Mimi
I don't know if they can sing but Jorgeous for Angel?
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#10
Posted: 5/1/26 at 12:06pm
binau said: "I know why some people might be tired of RENT, it was on Broadway for so long. We had a dreadful movie with much of the original cast who were too old. We had the final performance filmed. We then had an off broadway revival that felt surprisingly stale. However, if you try and forget the legacy and the overexposure and just listen to the OBC recording again carefully I do think it’s hard not to recognise the show was groundbreaking, has some amazing performances and iconic songs. It also has been extremely influential in shows afterwards such as spring awakening, next to normal and Hamilton."
I have my own reservations about Rent, but today's young broadway audience barely had object permanence for any period of the original run. Why not give a full fledged Broadway revival? Worse shows have been given one for lesser reasons.
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#11
Posted: 5/1/26 at 1:11pm
Tom Francis has already played Roger in the Hope Mill production in Manchester in 2020. The whole thing was filmed and streamed for anyone who wants to see it.
Here is Tom’s “One Song Glory”
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#12
Posted: 5/2/26 at 7:37pm
Jordan Catalano said: "Tom Francis has already played Roger in the Hope Mill production in Manchester in 2020. The whole thing was filmed and streamed for anyone who wants to see it.
Here is Tom’s “One Song Glory”"
I’m personally hoping this revival is a remounting of the Hope Mill production…it really captured the gritty and raw feeling that rent provided at the time, and made it feel even more relevant. Not to mention Luke Sheppard directed it and since he just won the Olivier for Paddington, it makes sense for him to follow up with that…
also to the above user that said “today's young broadway audience barely had object permanence for any period of the original run” I absolutely agree with you…I think a lot of younger theatre kids (especially ones who’s first exposure was Wicked or Hamilton) do not understand that without Rent, we wouldn’t have Wicked or Hamilton or most of the Broadway shows that we have right now…hell even some revivals like Cats: The Jellicle Ball seem to take a lot of cues from Rent in terms of what musical theatre can be, the way it sounds and the kinds of stories that it can tell. So a revival can introduce this show to a new generation of theatre fans not only to this show but also the impact that it had on the art form.
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#13
Posted: 5/2/26 at 10:14pm
Does anyone have the tea on this one night only concert on Broadway they keep teasing?
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#14
Posted: 5/2/26 at 10:49pm
Very curious as well
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#15
Posted: 5/3/26 at 12:44pm
It's weird this is happening in London when it was created here, debuted here, and ran for years here before the West End premier. It's strange they are getting a full revival and we get a one night concert, which will probably be impossible to even acquire a ticket to. Is Rent more popular in London than New York? Hmm.
Updated On: 5/3/26 at 12:44 PMRENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#16
Posted: 5/3/26 at 12:57pm
Sutton Ross said: "It's weird this is happening in London when it was created here, debuted here, and ran for years here before the West End premier. It's strange they are getting a full revival and we get a one night concert, which willprobably be impossible to even acquire a ticket to. Is Rent more popular in London than New York? Hmm."
Didn't Rent never play any sort of long run in London? Which is why they trotted out Rent Remixed to shake it up (badly)?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#17
Posted: 5/3/26 at 1:04pm
It ran for a year and half in the West End before bringing it back 8 years later for their horrible "remix" version.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/05
RENT Will Return to the West End to Celebrate 30th Anniversary#18
Posted: 5/4/26 at 2:04pm
malcs98 said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Tom Francis has already played Roger in the Hope Mill production in Manchester in 2020. The whole thing was filmed and streamed for anyone who wants to see it.
Here is Tom’s “One Song Glory”"
I’m personally hoping this revival is a remounting of the Hope Mill production…it really captured the gritty and raw feeling that rent provided at the time, and made it feel even more relevant.Not to mention Luke Sheppard directed it and sincehe just won the Olivier for Paddington, it makes sense for him to follow up with that…"
The filmed version of the Hope Mill production was fine. It would need a lot of work if they chose to go that route. The socially distant staging was awkward for Rent - understandable given the circumstances, but really awkward.
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