"Angels in America"

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"Angels in America", the of these two men offer a point- Pulitzer Prize and Tony award counterpoint saga about the winning play by Tony Kushner, search for human meaning examines the possibilities for beyond selfishness, competition spiritual regenerafion during the and narcissism, qualities that siege of AIDS along with the seemed to dominate the morally devolufion of altruism and social wizened 198O's. In the first play commitment that characterized neither man seems likely to be the Reagan era. The Jewish left, redeemed. Prior is deserted by the City of Manhattan, the his lover, Louis, who cannot face money grubbing yuppies of the the physical deterioration and 198O's, former drag queens, a anguish promised by the virus, By Mary Ann Jimenez domestic drug addict, closet gay and Cohn denies his gay sexual Arts and Media Editor men, the henchman of the orientation, infuriated at the McCarthy hearings, Ethel doctor who gives him the AIDS Rosenberg, repressed Mormon diagnosis. Cohn rages through mothers, feckless lovers and his last days, still attempting to loyal friends—all are the subject manipulate everyone around of Kushner's play. him to serve his egoistic ends. Now touring in a Louis meets Cohn's assistant, Joe national company, the two Pitt, who is unhappily married separate plays that make up to a Valium addict. Harper, and Angels in American, part one, has closeted his gay sexual "Millennium Approaches" and orientation from everyone, part two, "Perestroika" tell the including himself. Both Louis story of two men enduring the and Joe betray their needy ravages of the AIDS virus during partners by beginning an affair the mid 198O's. The first. Prior with each other, while Harper Walter, is an entirely sympa- and Prior writhe through their thefic, somefimes foolish former personal torments with only the drag queen; the second is the solace of drug and fear-induced thoroughly evil Roy Cohn, a hallucinations. In one of these character based on the real-life hallucinafions they meet, and the lawyer who assisted and playwright offers us a vision of encouraged the persecution of human decency, encased in politically suspect artists and human frailty, as these two politicians during the McCarthy guileless characters connect in a hearings. Cohn also was surreal landscape. As the first primarily responsible for the play ends, Roy Cohn is visited by conviction and execution of the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg on who tells him that his time is up; charges of espionage. The stories Prior is visited, in a stunning

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theatrical moment, by an Angel, Prior, who acknowledges that the leftist Louis, who sees Cohn who literally bursts from the God "walked out on us" too. as the "polestar of human evil", ceiling to tell him that he's a Kushner offers indeter- is enlisted by Belize to help Prophet and their work together minacy as the most compelling obtain the unused drug from is about to begin. This ending aspect of human existence, Cohn's room after his death. seems to offer Prior and the underlining the role of chance Belize urges Louis to say audience a spiritual destination and the unexpected in human Kaddish for him, "It isn't beyond earth, out of reach of the relationships. Even the humans easy...it's the hardest thing. terrible human struggles and Forgiveness. Which is maybe suffering that both have where love and justice finally witnessed thus far. The Angel meet." As Louis reluctantly seems poised to save Prior, to stumbles through the Hebrew offer a meaning that his life prayer for the dead, Ethel apparently does not have, to Rosenberg appears to join him. rescue him from us, the Kushner avoids the scene's disappointing and feckless potential sentimental pitfall, human world. (while leaving the message of The second play," atonement intact) by having her Perestroika" turns this idea of end the prayer with "You spirituality on its head as the sonofabitch." Prior's Angel becomes his Prior rejects the still tormentor—appearing in the emptiness, the cessation of middle of the night, flailinghi m heaven and death and demands with largely unintelligible "more life", in spite of the angel's speeches set in stentorian warning that " You have not seen cadences, full of pomposity what is to come." She cannot and utterly deprived of wit. Prior meets in heaven allay their understand how he can refuse "SUBMIT, SUBMIT, TO THE boredom by playing cards, for her offer of surcease. "What will WILL OF HEAVEN," she orders. the only pleasure in Heaven, the grim Unfolding of these Prior crawls frantically away where "everything is known" is Latter Days bring That you or from this fierce Angel and begs the possibility of an unknown any Being should wish to endure her to leave him alone. When she future that a card game offers. them? Death more plenteous calls him a "Prophet" he cries "Perestroika" shows us how its than all Heaven has tears to out, "I'm not a prophet—I'm a characters are interconnected mourn it...,"she warns. Yet Prior sick, lonely man." The Angel is in unexpected ways. Louis has no qualms. "I want more life. bereft, for God has left heaven, meeting Joe leads to Joe's re- I can't help myself I do. I've lived "bored with his angels, pressed Mormon mother from through such terrible times, and bewitched by humanity" in Utah meeting, and ultimately there are people who live whom he had unleashed the succoring. Prior. Cohn's mani- through much much worse, "Sleeping Creation's potential pulations and deviousness but.... You see them living for change." Humans (infected secure him a stash of the anyway." Prior reminds us of the with "the virus of time")have experimental drug AZT; upon proved more interesting to God profound courage of persons his anguished and unrepentant with AIDS when he tells the than the angels, who represent death. Prior's best friend and stasis and entropy. Beguiled by Angel "We live past hope. If I fellow former drag queen Belize, can find hope anyway, that's it, time and its possibilities for who is also Cohn's nurse, take change and indeterminacy, God that's the best I can do." The the remainder of the drug for angel hurls Prior out of heaven has deserted the angels; no one Prior. One of the most moving knows where God is, including and back to his feverish sick bed scenes in the play occurs when where he wakes with the words

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of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz "Millennium Approaches " you no decency, sir?" the ques- and greets his loyal companions. implies, but of humans: of life, fion asked of Joseph McCarthy Relationships recon- of change, pain, forgiveness, by Joseph Welsh during the figure at the end of the play; reconciliation, love, courage, McCarthy hearings is the everyone reconnects but Joe, loyalty, and above all, "living question Louis asks Joe at the whose inauthenficity and lack of beyond hope." God is hiding in end of their relafionship; it is also courage leaves him the only the tenacious human spirit, the quesfion Kushner is asking atomisfic character outside the Kushner seems to be saying. We those embracing empty mater- quantum universe Kushner has may not see him now, but his ialism and greed as their created. As the play ends, it is reappearance and our re- lodestar, as well as those five years later; we see Louis, generation depend on human politicians and policy makers Belize, Prior and Joe's formerly interconnecfion, not on a world who have turned away from the repressed mother, Hannah, (who outside of human existence. The AIDS epidemic. has been transformed into an Angel may have offered a false Finally Kushner asks the aware and empathetic New promise of spiritual salvafion, audience to reflect on our ca- Yorker),all enjoying a beaufiful but Prior is truly a prophet, for pacity for decency and spiritual day in Central Park. Prior, who he sees the potenfial for change growth. "Perestroika" means has been given longer life with and spiritual meaning in the rebuilding; abandoned by God AZT, is blind in one eye and human spirit—we are the and ideology ("It's all too much lame. He has refused to take the "fabulous" creatures, not the to be encompassed by a single repentant and more mature Angels of our feverish dreams. theory now," Louis says at the Louis back as a lover, but their Kushner does not waste end of the play),life is wholly bond seems deeply forged time decrying failed or even inductive. To live it we must nonetheless. Louis and Belize are missing Gods in "Angels", for make a great leap of faith. The arguing about Israel and the his characters find God in the Hebrew word for blessing, Palestinians. Prior, who has collective. The playwright Kushner writes in a preface to developed a sustaining friend- models human relafionships on the play, is translated as "more ship with Hannah, breaks the quantum physics, where all life." "Angels" reminds us that circle of the play to speak directly things are connected and in embracing life with courage and to the audience. In the eloquent continuous motion, where faith in each other is our greatest and deeply moving perorafion, change is the rule and causality spiritual challenge. Q Kushner offers a valedictory for is nondeterministic and dy- those who have died and will die namic. Separafion and fixity are of AIDS. "This disease will be illusions, the particle universe the end of many of us, but not teaches us that all is change and nearly all and the dead will be movement. As Harper reflects commemorated and will strug- during her flightt o San Francisco gle on with the living, and we are to begin a new life, "Nothing's not going away. We won't die lost forever. In this world there's secret deaths anymore. The a kind of painful progress; world only spins forward. We Longing for what we've left will be citizens. The time has behind, and dreaming ahead." come. Bye now," Prior waves to "Angels in America" the audience." You are fabulous reminds us that the most creatures, each and every one. important spiritual realm is here And I bless you: More Life. The on earth; the challenges of living Great Work Begins." an authentic life in the face of The Great Work is not horror draw on and nourish our the work of the Angels, as deepest spiritual strength. "Have

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