Sydney Opera Host to host sing-a-long showtunes version of 'Rent'

Tony Award-winning musical Rent is arriving at Sydney Opera House for a short season.
For one-night-only, the Joan Sutherland Theatre will host a sing-a-long version of the famous production.
The same director for the new Australian Guys & Dolls production will handle this iteration of the long-running show.
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Dress up in your finest bohemian garb, strut your cultured-self down to Sydney Opera House and belt out some of the most iconic showtunes in Broadway history with hundreds of other musical fanatics. That’s what the scene will be when the Joan Sutherland Theatre plays host to a special one-night-only sing-a-long performance of Jonathan Larson’s stage-show smash, Rent.

The day-to-day story of life in New York City’s East Village has more than a few Tony Awards under its belt, lifted by an electrifying, relatable and unpretentious script that has carried Rent’s popularity since it first opened on Off-Broadway in 1996.

Iconic songs including “Seasons of Love,” “Take Me or Leave Me,” and “La Vie Boheme” are all on the cards for the Sydney Opera House performance, which aims to be as immersive as possible so every guest is encouraged to dress up and get into the politically-charged spirit. We are in a cost of living crisis, after all, and Rent is famously appropriate for such a trying time as it prods at a class system that leaves behind those who are most in need.

The show itself remains unchanged and will be brought to life on stage by award-winning director Shaun Rennie and an all-local crew. The only difference is that subtitles will be visible inside the theatre, offering us every song lyric so we can belt out those tunes in real-time.

Rent the Musical opens on Saturday, September 27 but there will be only one sing-a-long night, set for Thursday, October 23. Tickets are only $49 each so make sure those pipes are clean and slink into the role of performer as Sydney Opera House does showtune karaoke.