In what is probably the most ambitious season that Artistic Director Matthew Wiener has offered, Actors Theatre of Phoenix has opened with one of the most anticipated productions, Angels in America: Part I-Millennium Approaches. There are two caveats about this production. First, it's a sad commentary on our audiences that a play this important can only be mounted eight-and-a-half years after it burst upon the stage and gave a voice to a new way of thinking about homosexuality, religion, politics, death, patriotism, and love. A work this seminal deserves support, but that may not happen in this community. Second, in another sad commentary on Phoenix, the production is only that of Part I. Part II-Perestroika, now normally played in repertory with the first, will not be produced by ATP this season. While Part I is absolutely powerful, one can't help but sense that something is missing as the amazing final image tears apart the set. Of course, this is the same way that the original Broadway productions were presented, so we can only hope that Phoenix will support Part I, and we will be able to see Part II next season.
There's a reason this play won four 1993 Tony Awards, five 1993 Drama Desks, and the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Every once in awhile, a script comes along that redefines everything, such as Salesman, Virginia Woolf, and Fool for Love. Tony Kushner's self-described "Gay Fantasia on National Themes" set in the Reagan era of 1985-1986 was one of the first plays to feature AIDS without being driven by disease. His incorporation of such varied characters as a repressed homosexual Republican Mormon, his pill-popping wife, a young Jewish man dealing with the dying of his lover, Ethel Rosenberg, and real-life McCarthy henchman and closeted AIDS victim Roy Cohn gives a panoramic breadth to the piece. The synchronicity of the piece tosses away staid ideals including physical interconnectivity for such spiritual connections as the moment in which the fevered AIDS dreams of a dying man intersect with the hallucinations of a woman on Valium. Kushner does this while adhering to the dramatic conventions of time that help to keep the piece from becoming obscure. This is a play of political poetry, and of religious realignment. Everyone is suffering here, but redemption is coming.
Mr. Wiener doesn't direct more than choreograph. Emotionally and physically, the production glides from tragedy to tragedy, while always hinting at salvation in its many twists. He has cast the show brilliantly, and let the talented actors bring their own strengths to the piece. He has nurtured the cast, but he has also challenged each one, for the parts they play, while suited to their unique offerings, does ask them to stretch. The brilliance of Jon Gentry's casting as Roy Cohn is in the fact that he's an ideal choice, yet it's not the kind of character we've ever seen him conquer. The same can be said in varying degrees for every performer.
Mr. Gentry's blustery performance is remarkable. His explosive characterization is in line with the author's intention for this multifaceted and contradictory historical figure. Mr. Gentry recognizes the power, cruelty, and intelligence of Cohn while never allowing him to become too stereotypical. Rusty Ferracane is a subdued Joe Pitt, but the seething torment in his conflicted ideologies and desires is always just below the surface. It's a perfect show of subtlety, as you'd expect from Mr. Ferracane. Christopher M. Williams gives the hyper-intellectual, hyper-guilty Louis Ironson a vulnerability that saves the character from falling either into villainy or elitism. Oliver Wadsworth's Prior Walter is instantly recognizable, yet consistently surprising in its presentation. He is able to pluck heartstrings and tickle funny bones with equal efficiency. I found myself drawn the most to Natalie Messersmith's lonely housewife, Harper Pitt. Her growing delusions are played with delight and abandon, while the painful arguments with her increasingly distant husband are devastatingly played. Beyond these characters, all are required to play smaller roles, and there are few times where they remain recognizable, delivering equally impressive performances even to the smallest of parts.
The ensemble is at the level of the leads. Cathy Dresbach stretches like silly putty in portraying such disparate characters as a Rabbi, Ethel Rosenberg, and Joe's mother in Salt Lake City. Regi Davis is delightful in all of his roles. The golden-voiced Lillie Richardson is great in all of her characters, but she is truly resplendent as The Angel.
Jeff Thomson's stark set is supported by fast rolling furniture that keeps the pace of the show brisk, while the finale is as remarkable and as strangely filmic as the script demands. Paul A. Black's lighting is masterful, moving colors and shadows into focus with each of the scripts moods. Susan Johnson-Hood's costumes are spectacular, while David Temby's sound design is quite effective. Alan Ruch's original music for the production delivers even more of a filmic feel, and fits perfectly the scenes for which he has written.
Will we be seeing Part II? I can only hope. I still fear that the Phoenix community will not support this wonderful effort as they should. I thank Mr. Wiener, his cast, his crew, and his company for their daring, and I honor them for their success.
Production Details:
Angels in America: Part I-Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner
Actors Theatre of Phoneix
The Herberger Theater Center Stage West, Phoenix (For a map to location, click this
link)
(602) 252-8497
September 21st - October 7th, 2001