More catch-up reviews. I remember when the Broadway production of this revival cleaned up at the Tony Awards, and so I was intrigued when I saw that the London production, with most of the same cast, was filmed for National Theatre Live. Angels in America is a beast of a theatrical piece, so this is part one of two.
In mid-80s New York City, politics, love, disease, and God all collide. Prior Walter is terrified that his HIV diagnosis will ruin his relationship, and as the virus progresses, he’s revisited by spirits and angels. Shark lawyer Roy Cohn, a coarse opportunist who rubs elbows in high GOP circles, educates his wide-eyed Mormon clerk on “every man for himself” morality.
That summary only really scratches the surface of the play, in which characters from seemingly-separate plots get tangled up in one another and it can be hard to tell the difference between premonition and hallucination. Most of the characters are some flavor of unlikable, almost daring you to be put off by them: pushy, weak-willed, unfeeling, devoted to appearances over truth. Some wear all their fears on their sleeve while others push them down to their detriment, some are morally bankrupt while others are grasping for something to believe in. But they’re also wildly complex, and they start to unpeel themselves like onion layers over the course of the marathon play (on its own, Part I is over three-and-a-half hours.)
This is my third encounter with Angels in America, having already seen the HBO miniseries from 2003 and the recent remote-filmed series of scenes from the play. I feel like, either I’ve never come to the material fully prepared to digest it or maybe it’s not quite for me. I like this production but don’t love it, despite plenty to recommend it. While there are scenes and sections that draw me in, other parts leave me cold, and I can’t connect to it as well as I’d like to.
That said, the production is definitely something. The design contrasts cold city scapes and desolate hospital rooms with the shock of heavenly visions, which range from frightening to comforting to grotesque. When the Angel finally makes her appearance, I love the design and puppetry that goes into realizing her character.
The cast was the biggest thing that drew me to this recording. Unfortunately, Andrew Garfield doesn’t quite work for me as Prior. The performance is very camp and frequently shrill, and while Prior as a character is genuinely dialed to eleven a lot of the time, his personality feels noticeably “performed” in Garfield’s hands. It’s hard for me to feel the truth in it. However, most of his costars are excellent and feel more lived-in in their roles. Former History Boy Russell Tovey is probably my favorite, playing the conflicted, repressed Joe, and I also find Nathan Lane’s performance as Roy really effective. I’m not familiar with James McArdle, who plays Prior’s boyfriend Louis, but he gives a strong performance, as does Denise Gough as Joe’s troubled wife Harper. The supporting players, appearing in multiple roles, all turn in nice work, especially Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, most prominently as Prior and Louis’s friend Belize.
Warnings
Strong thematic elements, sexual content, language (including homophobic slurs,) and drinking/drug use.
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