Summary
Angels in America, Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, is a landmark work of American theater that confronts the AIDS crisis and gay life in the 1980s. First performed in 1991, this epic two-part drama explores themes of identity, politics, religion and social change through an interconnected cast of characters in New York City. Renowned for its ambitious scope and theatrical innovation, Angels in America has been widely produced and adapted, most famously as an Emmy Award-winning HBO miniseries in 2003 starring Al Pacino and Meryl Streep. With its blend of realism and fantasy, along with its frank examination of sexuality and American society, Kushner's masterpiece continues to resonate as a vital piece of contemporary drama.
Plot
Set in New York City in the mid-1980s, Angels in America follows several interconnected characters as the AIDS crisis intensifies. Prior Walter, a gay man with AIDS, is abandoned by his boyfriend Louis as his health deteriorates. Meanwhile, Joe Pitt, a closeted gay Mormon Republican, struggles with his sexuality and marriage to his Valium-addicted wife, Harper. Joe begins a relationship with Louis, while Harper retreats into drug-fueled fantasies.
Roy Cohn, a powerful conservative lawyer based on the real-life figure, is diagnosed with AIDS but insists he has liver cancer to protect his reputation. As Roy's health declines, he is nursed by Belize, Prior's ex-boyfriend. Prior begins experiencing visions of an angel who proclaims him a prophet. The angel tells Prior that God has abandoned Heaven and instructs him to halt human progress to restore the divine order.
As the characters' lives intersect, they grapple with identity, faith, and politics against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic. Joe's mother, Hannah, arrives in New York City and forms an unlikely friendship with Prior. Roy eventually dies, haunted by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg. In an epilogue set in 1990, Prior rejects the angel's message and chooses to keep living and fighting, despite his illness. The surviving characters gather at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, looking toward an uncertain but hopeful future.
Themes
Impact of AIDS on individuals and society
Politics and power in 1980s America
Exploration of sexuality and identity
Religious faith
Spirituality
Personal transformation and growth
Interconnectedness of human experiences
Visions and hallucinations as metaphors
Setting
Angels in America is set primarily in New York City between October 1985 and February 1986. This era marks the height of the AIDS crisis in America, as well as the conservative political climate of the Reagan administration. The urban setting serves as a microcosm for the broader social and political tensions gripping the nation at the time.
Specific locations within New York City—including Central Park, various hospitals, and the characters' homes and apartments—play an important role. While much of the action takes place in New York City, the play also features scenes set in Salt Lake City, Washington, DC, and even fantastical locations like Heaven. These diverse settings allow Kushner to explore themes of religion, politics, and identity from multiple perspectives. The contrast between gritty realism and supernatural scenes with surreal, dreamlike qualities creates a sense of magical realism throughout the work.
Characters
Prior Walter: A gay man with AIDS who experiences prophetic visions. Struggles with his illness and relationship with Louis.
Louis Ironson: Prior's boyfriend who abandons him after his AIDS diagnosis. Grapples with guilt and starts a relationship with Joe.
Harper Pitt: Joe's wife, a Mormon woman addicted to Valium. Experiences hallucinations and struggles with her crumbling marriage.
Joe Pitt: A closeted gay Mormon and Republican lawyer. Married to Harper but begins an affair with Louis.
Roy Cohn: A powerful, unethical lawyer based on the real Roy Cohn. Refuses to admit he has AIDS and manipulates those around him.
Belize: A former drag queen and nurse. Prior's ex-boyfriend and close friend who cares for him and later becomes Roy's nurse.
Hannah Pitt: Joe's mother, who moves to New York after he comes out to her. Her rigid beliefs are challenged as she forms new relationships.
The Angel: A messenger from Heaven who proclaims Prior a prophet. Delivers a message for humanity to stop progressing.
Quick facts
Angels in America was commissioned by the Eureka Theatre in San Francisco in the late 1980s.
The play is subtitled “A Gay Fantasia on National Themes."
The two parts, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, premiered separately in 1991 and 1992.
Each of the eight main actors plays multiple roles, often crossing gender and race.
Angels in America won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.
A famous scene involves an angel crashing through Prior Walter's bedroom ceiling.
The character of Roy Cohn is based on the real-life lawyer and McCarthyist of the same name.
Meryl Streep played multiple roles in the 2003 HBO miniseries adaptation.
Angels in America has been adapted into an opera by composer Peter Eötvös.
A 2018 Broadway revival starring Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane won three Tony Awards.
About the Author
Tony Kushner is an acclaimed American playwright and screenwriter whose work often explores complex themes of politics, sexuality, and identity. His groundbreaking play Angels in America, a two-part epic about the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, earned him numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1993.
Born in New York City in 1956, Kushner spent his formative years in Lake Charles, Louisiana, before returning to New York to pursue his career in theater. In addition to his theatrical works, Kushner has made significant contributions to cinema. He co-wrote the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's 2005 film Munich, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Kushner's other notable works include A Bright Room Called Day, Slavs!, and adaptations of classic plays by Brecht and Corneille.
