Rich@DallasVoice.com<\/a><\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cSeasons of Love\u201d and, later, through the televised Rent: Live.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019s connecting to the show in a much deeper way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was one of the very few in the cast that was not born during the time of Rent,\u201d he said of his role in Circle Theatre\u2019s current production. \u201cSo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Circle Theatre opened Rent on April 23, and it runs thorugh May 16 as part of the theater\u2019s Season 2026: Iconic.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking with Landon on this iconic role has been a true gift,\u201d Storms said. \u201cHe 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 \u2014 Landon has made the role his own in a way that feels both fresh and completely bespoke.heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blanton had his doubts, but when the director reframed the intention, he got it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmbodying her was kind of terrifying,\u201d the young actor said of this iconic role. \u201cFirst, 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\u2019t supposed to play this.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Garret and the team talked about how we\u2019re making something new.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through that discussion, they embraced a freedom to move past the previous generations of the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey helped me realize this was not about those [past productions],\u201d he explained. \u201cIt was about the people in this story, and not so much what came before.\u201d<\/p>\n
By diving into the text, Blanton discovered that Angel is, at her core, a fearless artist who takes care of her people \u2014 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 \u201chalf-ass approach\u201d in favor of going full out.<\/p>\n
Storms added, \u201cSurrounded 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 \u2014 it\u2019s a performance that glows loudly and proudly while deeply honoring the character we all know and love.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Landon-Blanton-Headshot.jpg\")
Landon Blanton is Angel in Circle Theatre\u2019s production of Rent<\/p>\n
Plus, Blanton had his own way to relate to Rent\u2019s story.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cGarrett told us they were living an epidemic, which we\u2019re all familiar with,\u201d Blanton noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThough it\u2019s 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\u2019t doing their job.\u201d<\/p>\n
This became key to the actor in finding truth to his role.<\/p>\n
Plus, Blanton gets to add another queer character to his resume.<\/p>\n
And Angel isn\u2019t the butt of a joke or a symbol of queer pain and struggle. She\u2019s the emotional core and caregiver to all the other characters.<\/p>\n
This made an impact on Blanton \u2014 particularly the portrayal of Angel\u2019s romance with Tom, played by Ralphael Agee.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so important to find stories like this where you get to see what a true relationship looks like,\u201d Blanton said. \u201cThey are based on actual feelings that feel authentic without being a punchline.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s no stranger to queer POC storytelling. Rent marks yet another notch for Blanton following roles in Dallas Theater Center\/Stage West\u2019s Fat Ham (as understudy) and Circle\u2019s premiere of A Strange Loop last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just am so beyond grateful to do work like this where I get to provide that safety and comfort\u2026 to bring something meaningful,\u201d he said. \u201cSo 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.\u201d <\/p>\n