Angels in America
Two-part play examining AIDS and homosexuality in 1980s America.
The work is a complex, often metaphorical examination of AIDS and homosexuality in the United States in the 1980s, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays of the 20th century and of all time.
- type
- Play
- author
- Tony Kushner
- full_premiere
- 1992 at Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles
- awards
- Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play
Lore & Background
Part One, Millennium Approaches, begins at a funeral and follows Louis Ironson, who abandons his lover Prior Walter after Prior is diagnosed with AIDS. Other storylines involve Joe Pitt, a Mormon Republican clerk, his agoraphobic wife Harper, and the McCarthyist lawyer Roy Cohn, who discovers he has AIDS but refuses to publicly admit it. Prior experiences visions of angels and ghosts, culminating in an angel crashing through his ceiling. Part Two, Perestroika, continues with Prior's angelic encounters, Roy Cohn's decline in the hospital, and the unraveling of relationships. The plot includes supernatural beings and deceased persons, with multiple roles for several actors.
Reader's Guide
Angels in America is considered a turning point in the history of gay drama, American drama, and American literary culture, according to professor John M. The play won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. The play's exploration of AIDS, homosexuality, and political themes has cemented its lasting significance.
Did You Know?
- The play's two parts, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, are occasionally presented separately.
- Roy Cohn, a character in the play, is based on the historical figure who prosecuted Ethel Rosenberg.
- The play contains multiple roles for several actors, with some characters being supernatural beings or ghosts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Angels in America?
American playwright Tony Kushner is the author of Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. He composed it as a two-part work in the early 1990s.
What is Angels in America about?
The play centers on the experience of AIDS and gay life in 1980s New York, told through an ensemble of characters grappling with illness, politics, and personal relationships. Kushner layers in heavy symbolism and fantastical elements to explore broader American themes.
What major awards has Angels in America received?
It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. Many critics and scholars rank it among the finest dramatic works of the 20th century.
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