Religious faith

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.