KUSHNER’S PLAY IS A RAVISHING SENSUAL PLAYGROUND FOR IDEAS
Hos scrip
Steve Cramer revisits Angels in America, Parts 1 & 2 at the Citz, and finds a compelling night of theatre
heory without practice. like sex without low.
is a pretty barren al'l'air. But a combination. in
both cases. is problematic in a secttlar age. This seetns to be the bottotn line of Tony Ktrshner’s mighty. epoch-defining epic. a sprawling theatrical poem of the 90s. which despite a brave and admirable lilm version. can only he truly l‘elt in the theatre. For. like theatre at its best. Kushner‘s play is a ravishing. sensual playground for ideas.
In it. we meet Prior (Mark Iimerson) and Louis (Adam Ley'y) a gay New York couple ol' the mid 80s whose happiness is brought to an end when l’rior discoyers he is HIV positiy'e. l'nable to stay the course becattse ol‘ the first ol‘ many destructiy‘e choices of the mind over the body (and y'ice-y'er'sa) in the play. Louis departs. He l'inishes up in a relationship with Joe (.lo Stone-l‘ewings). a repressed gay man troubled by his Mormon Republicanism. who abandons his l‘ragile. agoraphobic wil'e Harper (Kirsty Bushcll). This brings his deyout mother (Ann Mitchell) to town. Meanwhile the wicked .\'Ic(‘arthyite reactionary and real-life ligure of Roy (‘ohn ((ireg Hicks). a prophet of the .\'eo (‘onsery'atiye darkness which began enshrouding the world in the 80s. also lies dying ol' AIDS. and is attended by his endlessly patient nurse Beli/e (()bi Abili). the only character without a declared religion. but the richest in grace. ()h. and there's an Angel ((iolda Roshcuy'el). but tnore of her later.
Taking place over two nights and nigh on eight hours. there might still be room for shock in some quarters at the play's l‘rankness in dealing with se.\. politics and sexual politics. it. the ladies who tutted away in l‘ront ol' me are anything tojudge by. That they returned again the next night. as it to be really sure they were shocked. might be testament to the play's
power. Ange/s takes us on a journey into the many subjectiyities ol' the characters. but also allit‘ttts that
each indiy'idual mind is part of the collective whole of
human experience. as the characters bump into each other in their dreams. sharing them. then departing. The play also concerns itsell~ with language. the baseline ol‘ human consciousness and existence. about which the characters are all in denial. l‘rom (’ohn‘s’ t'c‘ltlsal ol‘ the term ‘homosexual' as a label to Harper‘s sarcasm at the concept of ‘unspeakable beauty '. All the characters speak incessantly. but made words. Most. too. are in the midst ol‘ a struggle between the imposed language ol religion and their own subjectiy‘ities and spiritual needs. The ('hristians witness angelic apparitions. because their religion allows them Gods in
human form. Their journeys are about l‘inding l’orms ol‘
the narratiy'e closure ('hristianity ol't‘ers within their subjectiyities. The Jewish characters. on the other hand. lind. instead ot sul'l'ering and closure. pain. guilt and learning l‘or the next phase.
Daniel Kramer‘s production of this slightly rey‘ised test seems to liberate his actors to tremendous el‘l‘ect. All the perl'ormances are strong. while Soutra (iilllt()ttt"s endlessly diycrse and inycntiy'e set works wonders with its sweeping locales. ncy‘er tnore so than in the moment where (‘ohn‘s subjectiy'ity is rey'ealed by a backdrop illustrating the monstrous. paranoid individualist apocalypse he sees in those around him. At this point. and throughout. Hicks is a riy'eting presence. while brayura performances l‘rom Buslrell and AM“ are underpinned with astute obsery‘ation. (lo. and lind redemption or knowledge. but most ol‘all. lind praxis.
Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 12 May 0000.
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