Angels In America

Part Two: Perestroika

Written by Tony Kushner

Directed by Elizabeth Carlin-Metz

Repertory Term XV

Set in New York in the 1980’s, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika depict a nation on the brink of a new millennium, corrupt and broken, but with a determination to “get it right.” An angry angel and an unwilling gay prophet challenge America to examine itself politically, socially, and spiritually, and to step into the new century with the courage to act with justice, compassion, and freedom from prejudice. Struggling against the fear of chance and change, all of the characters do battle with the deep psychological and societal forces that breed fears of loss and abandonment, illness and death, self and other. Despite their fears, they force themselves to pursue a “painful progress” toward the hope of inclusion and respect for all of America’s citizens, regardless of sexuality, race, or faith. “The great work begins.”