Landon Blanton was hesitant to take on the role of Angel, traditionally portrayed as Latine. But director Garrett Storms helped him move past that concern.
(Photo by TayStan Photography)
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
For queer people of a certain age, the musical Rent is more than a show; it is a cultural touchstone that speaks to a distinct and tragic chapter of life during the AIDS crisis.
The show debuted 30 years ago followed by the film in 2005. For 23-year-old Landon Blanton, his connection to the Jonathan Larson Pulitzer Prize-winning play came through his time in choir, singing “Seasons of Love” and, later, through the televised Rent: Live.
Now he’s connecting to the show in a much deeper way.
“I was one of the very few in the cast that was not born during the time of Rent,” he said of his role in Circle Theatre’s current production. “So I only knew it through choir and TV. I never really saw myself playing Angel or being in the show. But when auditions came around, there seemed to be no other character for me.”
Circle Theatre opened Rent on April 23, and it runs thorugh May 16 as part of the theater’s Season 2026: Iconic.
Blanton has stepped into the heels of Angel Dumott Schunard, the street-drumming, upbeat drag queen who serves as the emotional anchor to the motley crew of artistic characters living in New York. Rent is based on the opera La Boheme — only here, the 20-somethings, a mix of queer and not, band together as a chosen family against the travails of living with AIDS, completing their art and defying gentrification.
Blanton struggled to see himself in the role primarily because Angel is traditionally portrayed as a Latine. But director Garret Storms put Blanton at ease.
“Working with Landon on this iconic role has been a true gift,” Storms said. “He is delivering a performance that is passionate, curious, debilitatingly charming and absolutely beautiful.
The best part of all is that this Angel belongs to him — Landon has made the role his own in a way that feels both fresh and completely bespoke.heritage.”
Blanton had his doubts, but when the director reframed the intention, he got it.
“Embodying her was kind of terrifying,” the young actor said of this iconic role. “First, this is a classic show, but then it was me, a Black actor taking on a role usually played by a Latin actor. I just felt like I wasn’t supposed to play this.
“But Garret and the team talked about how we’re making something new.”
Through that discussion, they embraced a freedom to move past the previous generations of the show.
“They helped me realize this was not about those [past productions],” he explained. “It was about the people in this story, and not so much what came before.”
By diving into the text, Blanton discovered that Angel is, at her core, a fearless artist who takes care of her people — a trait he strives to embody in his own day-to-day life. To play her, he had to step into that same fearlessness, shedding any “half-ass approach” in favor of going full out.
Storms added, “Surrounded by an incredible cast, band, creative and production team, Landon embodies the spirit of Rent with an infectious warmth and enamoring vitality. Tender, riotous, gleeful, and full of spark — it’s a performance that glows loudly and proudly while deeply honoring the character we all know and love.”
Landon Blanton is Angel in Circle Theatre’s production of Rent
Plus, Blanton had his own way to relate to Rent’s story.
He may have never experienced the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but he had a bridge to the material through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Garrett told us they were living an epidemic, which we’re all familiar with,” Blanton noted.
“Though it’s not exactly the same, we do know what it looks like to have a crisis; we know what it looks like when the government isn’t doing their job.”
This became key to the actor in finding truth to his role.
Plus, Blanton gets to add another queer character to his resume.
And Angel isn’t the butt of a joke or a symbol of queer pain and struggle. She’s the emotional core and caregiver to all the other characters.
This made an impact on Blanton — particularly the portrayal of Angel’s romance with Tom, played by Ralphael Agee.
“It’s so important to find stories like this where you get to see what a true relationship looks like,” Blanton said. “They are based on actual feelings that feel authentic without being a punchline.”
He’s no stranger to queer POC storytelling. Rent marks yet another notch for Blanton following roles in Dallas Theater Center/Stage West’s Fat Ham (as understudy) and Circle’s premiere of A Strange Loop last summer.
“I just am so beyond grateful to do work like this where I get to provide that safety and comfort… to bring something meaningful,” he said. “So many things are against us right now, so I think I can help people step out of reality for a minute but also explore truth and art.”
For tickets, visit CircleTheatre.com.
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