Angels in
America
Part Two: Perestroika
National Theatre Live
BAM Rose
July 27, 2017
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| Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live |
In
the National Theatre Live screening of Angels
in America Part Two: Perestroika, director Marianne Elliott transports the
audience into a world where tenacious characters face their fears and obstacles
with the sense of endurance they are prepared to carry forward into the next
millennium. In Part One the set was
split into sections where one scene followed another in linear fashion. In Part Two Ms. Elliott opens up the space so
that the scenes overlap, unfold, and weave into one another. This complements the way Tony Kushner breaks
down the structure he sets up in Part One.
The story opens and becomes much more visceral and imaginary. However, just when you are soaring in the
avant-garde, he hits you with the human needs of the characters that bring you
back to the truths of the events and frailty of human existence.
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| Denise Gough & Andrew Garfield Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live |
My
post from July 22 discusses Angels in
America Part One: The Millennium Approaches.
The cast masterfully leads the audience through four and a half
hours of emotional extremes in Part Two.
Nathan Lane’s portrayal of the ill and dying Roy Cohen evokes layers of
pity, despair, compassion, and disdain.
He is riveting. Andrew Garfield
carries the audience through the complexity of Part Two, delivering the
audience safely to a state of calm and understanding. His performance is astounding, impactful,
vulnerable, and truthful. Susan Brown
rises in Part Two as Hanna Pitt / Ethel Rosenberg. She creates these two characters as enduring
and persistent with an inner sense of compassion and acceptance.
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| Russell Tovey & James McArdle Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live |
The
angels are portrayed as dark and foreboding.
Puppeteers (listed as Angel Shadows) create the wings of the lead angel
(played by Amanda Lawrence) and move her around the stage. These Angel Shadows also roll in the sets and
props, shifting and connecting the action of the scenes. The scene where Prior Walter wrestles with
the angel is powerfully staged and emotionally enthralling. As Act III wraps
up, Tony Kushner unravels the characters and events and makes clear and
profound statements about forgiveness and the desire for life.
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| Nathan Stewart-Jarrett & Nathan Lane Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live |
Watching
Angels in America offers a
retrospective view of a very dark time of our not too distant past. This perspective is very different from the
way it framed the events of the day when it was first experienced in 1991, when
the millennium was approaching. Both
ways, the message of hope is pervasive and valuable. Thinking about how we as a country managed to
move into the new millennium with a sense of optimism calls for a pause to the
fatalistic sense of the present. When
did we abandon our sense of continuity and the inevitability of forward
movement? Prior Walters asks the angels
for a sense of hope to propel him forward in his choice, which is to live. Perhaps this is what we need to get a
stronger sense of how to face the day.
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| Andrew Garfield Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live |
As
I said before, the National Theatre Live is an invaluable opportunity to
experience high quality theatre that most of us, until now, have only been able
to read about. Take advantage of these
affordable broadcasts and broaden your exposure. Check out their website (ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk)
for
Domenick Danza
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