The Tony-Winning rock musical Rent ignites Fairfield County’s Music Theatre of CT’s 39th MainStage Season

Rent
Music Theatre of Connecticut Mainstage • 509 Westport Ave, Norwalk, CT 06851
September 27 -October 12, 2025
Click here to purchase tickets

Rent

Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) MainStage, Fairfield County’s award-winning professional theatre company, opens its 39th season with the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical, Rent. Based loosely on Puccini’s La Bohème, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The production runs from September 26 through October 12, with performances on Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. There will be one Sunday evening performance at 7 p.m. on October 5.

Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages. The physical and emotional complications of HIV/AIDS pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

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Rent stars Jacob Heimer (B’way- Beautiful) as Roger, Joe Tolentino (Regional- Rent w/ director Adam Pascal) as Mark, Cedric Leiba Jr. (Tour- RentMiss Saigon) as Angel, Darrick Penny (Regional- Rent w/ director Adam Pascal) as Tom, LaDonna Burns (Nat’l Tour- Rent, MTC- Ghost, CT Critics Circle Award Winner) as Joanne, Olivia Fenton (Ivoryton- Hank Williams: Lost Highway, MTC- Moon Over Buffalo) as Maureen, Gabriela Gomez (Disney Cruise- Aladdin) as Mimi, Matt Mancuso (Valley Shakespeare- As You Like It, MTC- Ghost) as Benny, and the ensemble cast includes Sadie Seelert (B’way- Mary Poppins), Leeanna Rubin (Nat’l Tour- Annie), Carlos Pérez (SToNC- The Little Mermaid), Charles Romano (Legacy- Sweeney Todd).

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Rent is directed and choreographed by Chris McNiff with music direction by David Wolfson. The production team also includes stage management by Theresa Stark, fight & intimacy direction by Dan O’Driscoll, scenic design by Marty Marchitto, lighting design by Scott Borowka, prop design by Claudia Ruck, costume design by Diane Vanderkroef, and sound design by Jon Damast.

Ticket prices range from $45–$60 plus fees and can be purchased online at www.musictheatreofct.com/rent or over the phone at (203) 454-3883. MTC MainStage is located at 509 Westport Ave, Norwalk, CT.

Special Performances:

  • Saturday, September 27 at 8 p.m. – Opening Night
  • Sunday, October 5 at 7 p.m. – Norwalk High School Theatre Company Benefit

MTC MainStage extends its heartfelt thanks to its season sponsors: The Burry Fredrik Foundation, The Schnurmacher Foundation, and the State of Connecticut DECD/COA.

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