The man who helped make Kylie Minogue sexy is revamping the hit musical Rent for the West End.

William Baker, who was the Australian's creative director for more than a decade will direct former Sugababe Siobhan Donaghy and Leon Lopez, who played Jerome Johnson in Brookside, in the updated version of the American tragedy.

The award-winning show, a version of Puccini's Bohème set in New York in the early days of Aids, was a massive hit in the States more than a decade ago, winning Tony and Pulitzer Awards.

Despite opening hysteria and good reviews, the British productions never achieved the same adulation.

But now the show has been re- orchestrated and reworked by Baker in a bold change of career direction for a man known as a fashion designer and stylist.

He said it was a natural use of his skills. "I'm approaching it in the same way I would approach a Kylie show or tour," he said.

"The original was very much for the MTV generation, I was interested in making it appeal to the iPod generation.

"Things have changed a lot in the 15 years or so it has been around. And I was never a huge fan of rock music. Rent is always held up as a rock opera but this is going to be more of a pop opera."

He admitted he was terrified at the prospect, but added: "It's a musical...it's not as terrifying as if I was doing something like Hamlet."

The story is based on a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive in the East Village of New York under the shadow of Aids in the Eighties.

It was one of the first Broadway shows to feature gay, bisexual and lesbian characters.

The 1998 British premiere was described by The Guardian's Michael Billington as "a touch sentimental and self-admiring but full of melodic invention". Rent will open at the Duke of York's Theatre from 2 October. Tickets, priced £30, will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

• The National Theatre's production of The Seafarer starring Ciaran Hinds and Conleth Hill is to transfer to Broadway. The play, by Conor McPherson, follows other National hits, including The History Boys, Coram Boy, Democracy and The Pillowman to New York. It opens at the Booth Theatre on 15 November.