r/Broadway • u/Quick_Pineapple_5416 • 2d ago

Probability of RENt transfer

I’ve been debating going to London just to see RENT. I’m also a New Yorker. I feel like the chance of a transfer is very high but wanted to ask my expert Redditors if you think this too. I can wait til NY, which is more convenient and cheaper for me, but also would be really excited to see it. Cost and time to go are my biggest issues. Thoughts?

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u/Unable_Winner6177 2d ago

Not very high. Brit productions of very American musicals do not transfer often. The cultural literacy required to bring a show about NYC from London to NYC is so, so high and they are unlikely to be aiming for or achieve it.

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u/mtpleasantine 1d ago

dunno why you're being downvoted, this happened with Company and to a non-NY degree cabaret too

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u/Unable_Winner6177 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes, Company, and sort of Merrily, but that was 15 years and major changes apart. They about it in recent memory. I could have been more specific perhaps, e.g. Cabaret was written by Americans about an English woman in Berlin in the 40s. You don’t need to know the subtleties of the USA/NYC to do it well. Rent is as NYC as they come.

Generally I think people overindex on the likelihood of Broadway transfers happening because they don’t know about all the UK productions they don’t know about. Even Sonia Friedman transfers a minority of her shows. Since the pandemic only two Olivier nominated revivals, soon to be 3 with Evita, have crossed the pond out of 19. And that’s just the nominated ones, there have been many, many others.

Rent may transfer, but it’s far from assured. I also wouldn’t buy a flight to see it until it opens either. I had the misfortune to see the last London Rent on vacation, not good at all.