BWW Reviews: ANGELS IN AMERICA PART 1: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES is Outstanding at The Ringwald Theatre

To describe Angels In America Part 1: Millennium Approaches at The Ringwald Theatre in one word would be outstanding. This production of Tony Kushner's play is filled with passion, heart, truth, and is a truly moving piece of theatre.

Kushner's show is story about people making sense of the world and their roles in it. It is a character driven show inviting the audience into the lives of a few specific people and following them. The show is political, comical, emotional, and will make the audience think.

From the moment the show starts, the eight-person cast has the attention of the audience with their talented performances. Bailey Boudreau, who absolutely radiates while he is on stage, plays Prior Walter. The passion that he gives through his entire performance really makes the audience feel every emotion that his character is going through as his disease progresses. Boudreau is a truthful actor who can without words convey deep emotion and connect with the viewers. It is difficult not to watch the fantastic Meredith Deighton while she is on stage as Harper Pitt. She makes smart acting choices in bringing her character to life and takes the audience on a journey with her endearing character. Deighton is a brilliant actress and stand outs during the entire show.

Travis Reiff is wonderful as Roy Cohn and gives his all during his entire performance. He is very bold on stage and demands attention, but in a good way that makes the audience like his character even at the most unlikable of times. Brenton Herwat and Matthew Turner Shelton are both strong as Joe Pitt and Louis Ironson respectively and truly show the inner turmoil of their characters well. Chris Jakob, Jamie Warrow, and Cara Trautman round out the cast and it is impressive to watch them take on multiple roles to fill in the ensemble parts along with the other cast members. There is a great chemistry within this cast, which makes the play even more of joy to watch. This cast is just phenomenal and works wonderfully together. They really are a solid cast that put on a fantastic performance of this play.

Angels in America is visually appealing as well. Joe Bailey did a fantastic job directing this production. The minimalistic concept works so well and really lets the emphasis be on the talented group of actors and Kushner's intelligent dialogue. The use of space in the theatre was very clever and really added to the performance keeping it fresh and moving from start to finish.

Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches is a long show of over three hours, but this production captivates the audience that time flies by. It is an outstanding piece of Michigan theatre and should definitely not be missed!

Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches is currently running through March 10th at The Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale. For more information and tickets, visit www.theringwald.com.

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