Review: Why Rent at the Sydney Opera House still resonates after 29 years

• The musical Rent opened in Australia to critical acclaim almost three decades ago.
• This week, a new production mirrors the energy and social advocacy of the original.
• This is a big musical, demanding powerful performances from its cast – and it delivers.
• Our verdict: If you like your musicals loud and proud, this is for you.

Three decades ago, the musical Rent was a global phenomenon. When it first opened in Australia, it was celebrated for its gritty realism, exploration of love and loss, and its powerful message about community. 

Fast forward to 2025, and not much has changed.

Rent is a musical created by Jonathan Larson that focuses on the lives of young, struggling artists in New York who are dealing with poverty, HIV/AIDS, and their sexual identities.

The show opened Off-Broadway in 1996 and quickly became a global sensation, earning Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

It is now playing at the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House. It’s a story that speaks across generations, a story of resilience, love, and community in the face of adversity.

HIV/AIDS is thankfully now under a measure of control. A new generation can barely comprehend how this crippling phenomenon terrified communities all over the world.

Rent is, in a way, a timely reminder of that era.

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Rent’s surprising ancestry

The inspiration for Rent is a surprise – it is a contemporary reimagining of Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera La Bohème. Where Puccini’s work depicted struggling artists in 19th-century Paris facing poverty and tuberculosis, Larson set his story a century later in New York City’s East Village during the 1990s.

Here, bohemian lives play out against the backdrop of gentrification, poverty, and the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

The parallels are unmistakable. Mimi, the fragile yet passionate dancer in RENT, is modelled on Puccini’s consumptive seamstress of the same name. Rodolfo, Puccini’s poet, becomes Roger, an HIV-positive musician haunted by the past.

Both works are infused with characters who burn brightly in the brief time they are given. One of this musical’s most powerful songs is There is no day but today. In the HIV/Aids era, that was a way of life.

By channelling Puccini’s themes into a rock score filled with urgency and grit, Larson created a bridge between centuries of art – reminding audiences that stories remain timeless.

What’s different about Rent

To fully understand the significance of RENT, one must remember the cultural moment of its birth. In the early 1990s, HIV/AIDS was devastating communities, particularly among young artists in New York. Fear, stigma, and loss shaped daily reality.

For Larson, this was not abstract. He lost friends to this disease. He poured these experiences into his work, crafting characters like Angel, an HIV-positive drag artist, and Roger, who carries the virus while still searching for connection and meaning.

But unlike the opera, Rent is uplifting. Famous songs like Seasons of Love ask audiences to measure life not in years but in love. The rallying cry “No Day But Today” became an anthem for a generation navigating grief and resilience.

READ MORE: The ANASTASIA cast has been announced, featuring a lineup of theatre royalty

Global Phenomenon with a Tragic Beginning

Rent debuted at New York Theatre Workshop in 1996 and quickly transferred to Broadway, winning multiple Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama – a rare feat for a musical. Its journey, however, is underscored by tragedy. Jonathan Larson died suddenly on the morning of the show’s Off-Broadway premiere, never witnessing the global legacy of his masterpiece.

The Sydney production, directed by Shaun Rennie, continues that legacy with an electrifying cast.

Henry Rollo stars as Mark, the filmmaker narrator chronicling the lives of his friends. Harry Targett portrays Roger, the tormented musician, with Kristin Paulse as Mimi, a dancer whose passion masks her fragility. Calista Nelmes reprises her award-winning role as Maureen, while Imani Williams plays Joanne, her headstrong lawyer girlfriend.

Anchoring the show are Googoorewon Knox as Collins, the philosophical heart of the group, and Jesse Dutlow as Angel, whose vibrant spirit epitomises the resilience at the story’s core. Tana Laga’aia plays Benny, the former friend turned landlord whose ambitions clash with the bohemian ideals of the group.

Backed by an ensemble of powerhouse performers and a creative team led by music director Jack Earle and choreographer Luca Dinardo, this Sydney staging promises both authenticity and freshness – a production that honours Larson’s vision while igniting it anew for Australian audiences.

READ MORE: The ANASTASIA cast has been announced, featuring a lineup of theatre royalty

Why Sydney, Why Now?

The Sydney Opera House is a venue where grand opera meets contemporary theatre, and where the struggles of Puccini’s bohemians and Larson’s East Village artists can resonate in one space. For Sydney’s vibrant LGBTQIA+ community, and for all audiences touched by themes of belonging, loss, and renewal, this production is not only timely but essential.

As the world emerges from its own recent global crisis, Larson’s message feels especially urgent: art heals, love sustains, and community endures.

Whether you know Rent by heart or are discovering it for the first time, this season offers a rare opportunity. The music is iconic – from the rousing La Vie Bohème to the tender Take Me or Leave Me and the soaring Seasons of Love. The story remains gut-wrenchingly relevant. And the Opera House setting ensures the experience will be unforgettable.

For travellers, it’s the perfect way to connect with Sydney’s artistic pulse. For locals, it’s a chance to see one of the most important musicals of the past three decades brought to life with Australian talent.

Book now – because as RENT reminds us, there truly is “No Day But Today”.

RENT at the Sydney Opera House

Where: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House.
When: 27 September – 1 November.
Price: From $49.

Get tickets here.