Angels in America is a show about grief. The grief we feel when the future we envisioned is ripped from us. The grief we feel when relationships fall apart, when our world changes in an instant, when people and structures fail us. The story features Prior, a young gay man living in 1980s New York as he is diagnosed with AIDs. His partner, Louis, leaves him and finds interest in Joe, a closeted Mormon who is navigating marriage to the valium-addicted Harper.
Angels in America also confronts contentious figures from American history, fictionalizing both Roy Cohn, a ferocious lawyer, and Ethel Rosenberg, a woman Cohn had a hand in killing. Tony Kushner does not hold back in telling an authentic story that is raw and unforgiving. Kushner allows for his characters to experience the full breadth of human emotion, even if the characters themselves refuse to recognize this. It is important to remember that none of the cast of characters are perfect. Some should be villainized for their actions. Others deserve empathy. Some may deserve both.
As a dramaturge, I like to envision my work as a bridge that connects the script to all those who interact with it. When researching this show, it was very interesting to dig into the lives of the characters - from learning more about 1980s pop culture, to investigating the influences of Judaism and Mormonism on the show, to understanding the federal response to the AIDs crisis. While Kushner wrote and premiered both parts of the play in the early 90s, and the recency undoubtedly helped Kushner ground the story in the AIDs crisis, the themes and relationships are timeless.
Please use this site as a digital archive for the Community Players Theatre's Production of Angels in America. Please note that some content includes mention of death, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination. Reader discretion is advised.
Sincerely,
Krista Peters, dramaturge