Angels in America Brings Life’s Nuances to Life
by Kate Antognini

Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: The Millenium Approches, a deeply moving and daring play of epic proportions that deals with many hard issues from AIDS to loyalty to abandonment, is brought to life by the Oberlin Theater and Dance Department this weekend.
It is almost impossible to summarize Kushner’s play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1993, as it deals with so many different themes and characters. One might say that the relationships of the two main couples, one gay and one straight, are at the heart of the play, bringing together all the bits and pieces.
The play closely follows these couples along as they try to cope with changes in their lives caused by disease and identity issues. The historical context of the play, which is set in 1985 at the height of the Reagan era, deeply affects the characters, as they meet and are influenced by figures such as Roy Cohn and Ethel Rosenberg. Kushner brings all this together into a rich tapestry of drama, rumination and even light-hearted comedy. Although Angels in America is about painful issues, Kushner never loses sight of his sharp wit and light touch. The script is full of little comedic gems.
The cast succeeds phenomenally in breathing life into the play’s complicated characters. These were not easy, one-dimensional roles. Perhaps that is why college students rarely tackle this play. Often while watching college plays, it is hard to forget that what is being seen are actors performing on a stage. But in this case, the audience becomes immersed in the lives of the various characters and found them to be very believable.

Roy Cohn, played by fourth-year John Zajac, is a successful New York City lawyer and a prominent figure in the McCarthy era. His cause of death — AIDS — was originally kept a secret. In the play, Cohn struggles with his sexual identity when he learns he has AIDS. Worrying about the implications of being tagged a homosexual, Cohn desperately tries to persuade his doctor and himself that homosexuals are not simply “men who sleep with other men.” Zajac skillfully animates Cohn’s character with slightly manic gestures and speech patterns without being overbearing. In addition, he is very believable as a middle-aged man down to his posture and small mannerisms.
Sophmore Andrew Campbell as Prior Walter and junior Ben Stuber as Louis Ironson also do a fine jobs. They are a gay couple whose love and commitment for each other are put to the test when Prior is diagnosed with AIDS. Louis, who fears death and loss, withdraws from his dying lover to brew in his own self-loathing.
Equally good are junior Katie Gass and senior Roger Barker as the straight couple, Harper and Joe Pitt. Harper is an unhappy housewife with emotional problems who feels abandoned by her workaholic lawyer husband. Meanwhile Joe is struggling to accept his homosexuality, something not easy for a Republican Mormon.
Finally rounding out the cast are sophomore Caren Blackmore, sophomore Bacilio Mendez, junior Ruth Benedict Mercer, Kathleen Reid (OC ’87) and senior Ann Schapira, each playing multiple character roles that give the play much of its spice and charm.
The set design is simple yet effective. Senior Ariel Emmerson chose a slightly stark backdrop for the play. In most scenes only a black wall stands behind the central prop on the stage.
“The concept is very minimal,” Emmerson said. “I really wanted the stage to be a void.”
Part of her challenge was to convey the scenes that involve fantasy or hallucination, which are major elements in the play. Much of her energy went into creating these special effects.
Another problem the production team faced was whether they should change one of the play’s backdrops in response to Sept. 11th. It shows the skylines of New York City, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco transposed on to one another with the twin towers standing tall in the center. Although Emmerson contemplated changing the set, she eventually decided to let it be.
In addition, director and professor of Theater Jane Armitage said that she was surprised to learn that none of the cast knew anybody who had AIDS. Thus one of her tasks was to educate the cast about the AIDS crisis. For Armitage, who had several friends who died of AIDS, directing Angels in America was a very personal undertaking. She pointed out that even a tolerant and world-aware campus like Oberlin can learn something from the play.
“AIDS is an extremely important subject and an ongoing global problem that we haven’t really done anything about,” she said.

Angels in America will be showing in Hall Auditorium on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m.