Angels in America
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Summary
A quarter-century after it shook up the theatrical landscape with the force of an 8-point earthquake, Tony Kushner’s two-part, 7 ½-hour, Pulitzer-Prize winning epic “Angels in America” (aptly subtitled “A Gay Fantasia on National Themes”) has finally returned to Broadway, once again rattling our bones and consciousnesses. Far from a period piece, it feels sadly all too timely in the Age of Trump, reminding us keenly of the dangers of personal prejudices and political intolerance. (These warnings have only intensified since the production debuted last year at London’s National Theatre.)
In its structure, the play remains the theatrical equivalent of a 24-course tasting menu, with items that are alternately bitter, sweet, salty, and sour, some which glide smoothly into our insides and others that feel indigestible. (If “Angels” has one primary fault, it feels as if Kushner believed it was the only play he would ever pen, with a few sections that feel unnecessarily dense or digressive.)
Entrusting this first major revival to the Tony Award-winning British director Marianne Elliott (“War Horse,” “The Case of the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”) has yielded many extraordinary dividends. Working with the brilliant scenic designer Ian McNeil and lighting designer Paule Constable, who have created an ever-changing landscape of neon-lit rooms, Elliott keeps our eyes as engaged as our ears. Unsurprisingly, there are some magnificent visual set pieces that few other directors might even attempt. Perhaps Elliott’s one misstep is her innovative treatment of the main angel (played at my performance by the stunning Amanda Lawrence). While it is undeniably arresting, the choice also feels unnecessarily fussy.
Equally intriguingly, Elliott and her mostly splendid cast (all but one of whom appeared in the National’s production) bring out the humor in Kushner’s text more fully than I recall in any prior production, with the quips flying almost as frequently as the quivers. (In some ways, it feels appropriate that the production is at the Neil Simon Theatre.) In a few cases, the laughter occasionally dulls the pain we’re supposed to feel from Kushner’s unhappy array of characters, but it also helps the play’s length feel less than arduous.
Straddling the line most effectively between hilarious and heartbreaking -- not to mention terrifying -- Nathan Lane delivers perhaps the most masterful performance of his long career as the rabidly conservative and deeply closeted lawyer Roy Cohn. He reaches depths of both anger and despair that feel almost unfathomable, and while he uses his signature comic timing to maximum effectiveness, he also eliminates almost every trace of his trademark persona, transforming himself into one of the most hated (and yet ultimately pitiable) men in American history.
His top-billed co-star Andrew Garfield, as the AIDS-stricken “queen” Prior Walter, doesn’t always pull off this same act of prestidigitation. Yes, his flamboyant, fierce portrayal of Prior (who is uncannily fond of movie quotes) may be the most entertaining work that one will see on stage this season, but it can sometimes feel as painted on as Joan Crawford’s “Jungle Red” nail polish in “The Women.” Garfield is, however, marvelously effective in the part’s more reflective moments, especially as he faces his mortality.
The remainder of the supporting cast (save one) is consistently stunning. Lee Pace (the only newcomer) is not just physically perfect as the impossibly handsome Joe Pitt, but also precisely captures every facet of this naïve, uber-Republican Mormon, who struggles mightily to reconcile his homosexuality with his ingrained beliefs. Denise Gough is a revelation as his Valium-addicted, neglected wife Harper, constantly engaging in escapist flights of fancy, but determined (in her own way) to remain grounded. James McArdle never shies away from the obnoxiousness of the ultra-neurotic Louis Ironson (who leaves Prior briefly for Joe), while always exposing the character’s vulnerability, and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett is strikingly sassy yet consistently clear-eyed as the wise African-American nurse Belize.
I do wish Elliott had re-cast Susan Brown, who comes off in every way as far too British to effectively play Joe’s seemingly hard-as-nails Mormon mother Hannah. (Costume designer Nicky Gillibrand’s choices don’t help matters either; she looks like Julie Walters or Brenda Blethyn is some BBC series). And while Brown fares slightly better in the small but pivotal role of Cohn’s arch-nemesis Ethel Rosenberg, as well as some smaller cross-gender roles, she does little to erase the memories of the amazing Kathleen Chalfant (who originated these parts on Broadway) or the extraordinary Meryl Streep (who rightly picked up every award possible for her work in Mike Nichols’ HBO miniseries).
In the end, however, we must all pay homage to Kushner for not only daring to begin this “great work” but bringing it to a satisfying yet morally awakening conclusion -- one that reiterates that we don’t need messages from angels but only our own hearts and minds to clearly see the world in front of us.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://angelsbroadway.com
Cast
Nathan Lane, Andrew Garfield, Lee Pace, Denise Gough, James McArdle, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Susan Brown, Amanda Lawrence
Open/Close Dates
Opening 3/25/2018
Closing 7/15/2018
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 2/23/2018
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
877-250-2929
Theatre Info
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
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