Review: ANGELS IN AMERICA at SECOND GENERATION THEATRE

Playwright Tony Kushner's magnum opus may very well be what he subtitled "A Gay Fantasia on National Themes." Better known as ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART ONE: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES, this pivotal piece of theatre was written during the height of the AIDS crisis in America when maudlin stories of dying young men were plastered everywhere. But why refer to this piece as a "fantasia" and what did it really mean. In lesser hands, the fantasia connotations could lead to ideas of raunchy drag show , but Kushner has fashioned a gripping account of one man's gut wrenching struggles with AIDS and how those around him cope with the illness. While sometimes blurring the borders of reality and fantasy, Kushner's fascinating play is underscored by the politics of the Reagan eradication mixed with religious ideologies.

Buffalo's Second Generation Theatre is presenting an intense staging that succeeds on almost all accounts. Prior Walter is newly diagnosed with HIV, his boyfriend Louis struggles to cope with the diagnosis, meanwhile a Mormon couple made up of a closeted Republican attorney Joseph and his mentally unstable wife Harper each fight their inner demons. The non-fictional character of Roy M. Cohn, best known as the mentor to Donald Trump, provides a backbone as the caustic New York attorney whose acrid personality and penchant for lying and cheating puts a new face to the seldom told story of a professional with AIDS.

When the play first debuted in 1990 society was still clearly grappling with mysterious and poorly understood diagnosis of being HIV+, let alone what being afflicted with AIDS meant. The Reagan administration did little to provide research funding for the new disease, and new and experimental treatments like AZT were all but impossible to get. Kushner's play holds up brilliantly over the years. The often gruesome details of this devastating time in the gay community enfolds as a true to life encounter. Prior is physically and mentally beaten down and coupled with a distant boyfriend while Harper finds little support of her mental illness from her gay husband. The fantasy sequences that Kushner writes for Prior and Harper may at first be considered hallucinations due to disease, but allow each character to abstractly escape reality.

The large cast is anchored by the brilliant portrayal of Prior Walter being given by Ben Michael Moran. Mr. Moran's journey from the sharp tongued drag queen to the withering dying man is full of pathos, humor and heart breaking reality. His characterization is that of a desperate man who yearns for love and is all but abandoned due to his diagnosis. Moran is instantly likable, making his descent all the more difficult. He effectively conveys physical pain and loneliness simultaneously and humanizes one of the many who suffered a similar fate. His nuanced embodiment of this dying man made me hope that PART TWO can be staged sometime soon for him to continue on Prior Walter's journey.

Anthony J. Grande is Prior's boyfriend Louis, the young Jewish man who struggles with both accepting and witnessing the horrors of HIV. Grande often lacked the intensity needed for this complex role. Louis's struggle with loving someone but being unable to cope with adversity requires much more inner turmoil than Mr. Grande expressed, and the intricacies of Kushner's script seemed to plague him during the second act when he must express his frustration on matters of racism and discrimination.

Steve Copps turns in a great performance as Joseph, torn between his Mormon upbringing, his sham marriage, his wife's neuroses and his sexuality. Copps finely expresses Joseph's struggle with all aspects of his personal and professional life, clearly uncomfortable in living a life that he considers a lie. Kristin Bentley is given the fascinating role of Harper Pitt, his wife. Ms. Bentley shines as the woman who barely treads water, pops pills and lives a life full of unknown demons. Her portrayal allows her to break free as she wills herself out of confrontations and escapes to far away places with the imaginary Mr. Lies ( the hysterical Dudney Joseph Jr.).

David Oliver as Roy Cohn is playing this role at a time when Donald Trump's behavior as President could only have been Cohn's greatest dream. Kushner's writing for this despicable character sheds so much light on what a life of cheating, manipulation and blatant "false truths" will get you. When Cohn is diagnosed with AIDS, his attempt to rationalize the exact wording of his lifestyle to his doctor is a master class in double speak, proving that words mean nothing and everything at the same time. Mr. Oliver starts out somewhat shaky in his difficult opening scene, but as the 3 act play progresses, his command of the stage and all the situations surrounding him only make the audience vilify him more.

Kristen Tripp Kelley plays many roles, but her gentle compassion as the nurse caring for Prior is also a lovely foreshadowing as the dramatic angel that greets him at the play's conclusion. Mary McMahon is believable as the Mormon mother who refuses to face the reality of possibly having a gay son, as well as a husband who was a bad father. Dudney Joseph Jr gives a fine and often hilarious performance as Prior's former lover and fellow drag queen, Belize. Jacob Albarella inhabited his many roles with a strong conviction, best seen as Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz.

Director Greg Natale uses the surprisingly large stage of the Smith Theatre well, properly focusing the action and not allowing the story to become melodramatic. The pacing was sometimes inconsistent, and with a 3 hour and 15 minute duration, one can hope that some tightening will occur as the run progresses. Costume design by Lindsay Salamone was simple but evocative and complemented by the excellent wigs designed by Mary McMahon.

ANGELS IN AMERICA continues to be an important story to be told, shedding a glimpse into the horrors of a newly found plague, of which future generations may never fully comprehend the gravity. But it also opens up a myriad of discussions regarding the political agendas that were portended in the 90's and how little America has progressed politically and socially, while medical treatments and prevention of HIV have made strides that the earliest AIDS victims could never have dreamed.

ANGELS IN AMERICA runs through March 24, 2019 at Shea's Smith Theatre, Contact sheas.org for more information.

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