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21st out of 450 books
—
512 voters
Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches (Angels in America #1)
by
Tony Kushner
Pulitzer Prize-winner for Drama, 1993. The first part of Tony Kushner's epic drama of America in the 1980s. "A vast, miraculous play.... provocative, witty and deeply upsetting.... a searching and radical rethinking of American political drama."--Frank Rich, The New York Times ¶"Daring and dazzling! The most ambitious American play of our time."--Jack Kroll, Newsweek
Paperback, 136 pages
Published
May 1st 1993
by Theatre Communications Group
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Its like doing lines of cocaine while at a Prince concert then going home and reading Foucault.
or
Angels in America is a grandiose, surrealistic bombast of a play dealing with almost every contemporary American facet of being gay in the U.S. during the late 80's to early 90's. Politics, law, Aids, family, religion are all included. Kushner examines these elements and the nature of Power in the states, how it is used in these relationships, and the effect it has on the gay community externally and...more
or
Angels in America is a grandiose, surrealistic bombast of a play dealing with almost every contemporary American facet of being gay in the U.S. during the late 80's to early 90's. Politics, law, Aids, family, religion are all included. Kushner examines these elements and the nature of Power in the states, how it is used in these relationships, and the effect it has on the gay community externally and...more
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As a former reader of plays submitted to a nationally recognized theatre, I remember reading this play well before it was ever staged. I didn't care for it a whole lot at the time, but I suspect it has gone through a few rewrites to get where it is today.
What I liked, now, about this script is the very theatricality of it. Kushner understands theatre and writes to it exceedingly well.
The characters are well defined and the 'forwards,' the moments in the play which keep the reader/audience wantin...more
What I liked, now, about this script is the very theatricality of it. Kushner understands theatre and writes to it exceedingly well.
The characters are well defined and the 'forwards,' the moments in the play which keep the reader/audience wantin...more
ROY: Your problem, Henry, is that you are hung up on words, on labels, that you believe they mean what they seem to mean. AIDS. Homosexual. Gay. Lesbian. You think these are names that tell you who someone sleeps with, but they don't tell you that.
HENRY: No?
ROY: No. Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only: where does an individual fit into the food chain, the pecking order? Not ideology, or sexual taste, but something much simpler: clout. Not who I fuck or who fucks me, but wh...more
HENRY: No?
ROY: No. Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only: where does an individual fit into the food chain, the pecking order? Not ideology, or sexual taste, but something much simpler: clout. Not who I fuck or who fucks me, but wh...more
4 likes · like · see review
Kushner’s epic work is inspired holy writ to me, imagining some of the most moving enactments of Law and Grace. The HBO movie adaptation is excellent, but it leaves out a few lines and scenes here and there. All who loved the movie should read through the play as well. The play is on its surface about AIDS and 80s politics. A ballet of relationships of erstwhile father-figures, friends and lovers dance through the stresses of illness, addiction and identity. There are angels, ghosts and prophets...more
The master. Have read this and part II twice, watched the mini series, seen a small stage version. Australian writer Robert Dessaix once said Angels in America was one of the few texts that elevated AIDS to art. I agree in this case, though Kushner's work is so much more: truth, beauty and an elegy for modern, fearful America. Here's my 2009 interview with the playwright.
http://www.stevedow.com.au/default.as...
New York playwright Tony Kushner writes about angels, but he is not so sure there is a...more
http://www.stevedow.com.au/default.as...
New York playwright Tony Kushner writes about angels, but he is not so sure there is a...more
I failed to see theater play last season (really can't explain why/how). It was such a surprise and courage to put it on the repertoire here in one quite homophobic society. Anyway, recently I've listened an interview of Tony Kushner when I found out that now is the 20th anniversary of the premiere of “Angels” which reminded me that I could at least read the play if I missed the to see it.
I was hooked instantly. I wasn't surprised a bit this won Pulitzer Prize! Such an imaginative and poetry li...more
I was hooked instantly. I wasn't surprised a bit this won Pulitzer Prize! Such an imaginative and poetry li...more
Tony Kushner, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches (Theatre Communications Group, 1993)
I thought Millennium Approaches was going along like a house on fire for the first two-thirds of its length. It's character-driven, it's funny despite its heartbreaking subject matter, it handles an historical figure in such a way as to make him larger than life. (I will admit up front that, despite my mother having suggested I do so for something like twenty years now, I have not read Citizen Cohn, her fa...more
I thought Millennium Approaches was going along like a house on fire for the first two-thirds of its length. It's character-driven, it's funny despite its heartbreaking subject matter, it handles an historical figure in such a way as to make him larger than life. (I will admit up front that, despite my mother having suggested I do so for something like twenty years now, I have not read Citizen Cohn, her fa...more
WOW. Saw this on Broadway and will never forget it.
Tony Kushner’s Angels in America is shamelessly ambitious: spanning ages, religions and time itself, unwinding the rich tapestries of the world his characters inhabit in anticipation of the impending millennium. Over two plays Millennium Approaches and Perestroika (1992), Kushner reigns in this sprawling epic through two devices: building clear storylines in which his characters are offered arcs which tie the script together in its complex and interlocking structure, and through couching all the...more
Summary: This is truly an epic work. It deals with so many themes of what it means to be gay in America in a fantastical, yet richly honest and real way which I imagine is very hard for a writer to achieve. It deals with controversial themes such as politics, disease, religion and family without seeming preachy, which the play never does. It is both devastating and humorous. The audience member or reader cannot help but be totally absorbed by the unique characters woven into this fantastic tale....more
In an odd way, this play felt to me like the grown-up version of Rent (yes, the Jonathan Larson musical) - not only because it has similar themes (HIV/AIDS, queer issues, leaving the one you love) but because both have an element of.. joy in togetherness; friendship; love without boundaries.
Obviously, Angels in America is a lot more complex & sophisticated than Rent. It's full of political, religious, & societal themes; none of the characters are 100% good or 100% evil, not even the ones...more
Obviously, Angels in America is a lot more complex & sophisticated than Rent. It's full of political, religious, & societal themes; none of the characters are 100% good or 100% evil, not even the ones...more
Jul 23, 2012
Mark
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
death-and-dying,
drama,
family,
glbtq,
humor,
illness,
paranormal,
re-read,
religion,
relationships,
sex,
romance-star-crossed-or-otherwise,
theatre-arts,
history
Harper: It's terrible. Mormons are not supposed to be addicted to anything. I'm a Mormon.
Prior: I'm a homosexual.
Harper: Oh! In my church we don't believe in homosexuals.
Prior: In my church we don't believe in Mormons.
~ Act 1, Scene 7
I re-read this play, as well as Part II, about once a year or so, just . . . because. It remains one of the most powerful pieces of dramatic literature I've ever read, and I feel lucky that I've been able to see it live on stage. The play is multi-layered, explorin...more
Prior: I'm a homosexual.
Harper: Oh! In my church we don't believe in homosexuals.
Prior: In my church we don't believe in Mormons.
~ Act 1, Scene 7
I re-read this play, as well as Part II, about once a year or so, just . . . because. It remains one of the most powerful pieces of dramatic literature I've ever read, and I feel lucky that I've been able to see it live on stage. The play is multi-layered, explorin...more
I was totally turned off by the cover of this book, and the title didn't appeal to me either, but because this book is listed in Spark Notes under the "A's", it's part of my reading project.
I was surprised to discover this book was actually a play in two parts - of which only part one was contained in this book, so the small novel became even smaller at this point, and I read it in a day. The writing was very well done and I could easily picture the characters in my mind as I read the dialog. I...more
I was surprised to discover this book was actually a play in two parts - of which only part one was contained in this book, so the small novel became even smaller at this point, and I read it in a day. The writing was very well done and I could easily picture the characters in my mind as I read the dialog. I...more
I read Parts One and Two of this play for a class that I'm taking, and didn't like both. I will admit that the subject matter made me uncomfortable (gay relationships on many levels, but one man is LDS); however, even beyond that, I thought the plays played in to too many stereotypes that are already held about homosexuals and Mormons. Rather than moving the conversation beyond these stereotypes, Kushner simply keeps the audience there. Neither play really ended (which also might be Kushner's in...more
When I first heard that we were reading Angels in America I knew that it was an HBO mini series. I had no idea who wrote it but I knew that the show got very good reviews. Not only did I think of the HBO mini series, but I also thought of Danny Glover and Angels in the Outfield. When I was little I was obsessed with Angels in the Outfield. I thought that Angels in America would be somewhat related to Angels in the Outfield, but it turns out I was wrong. Angels in the Outfield was about a basebal...more
Amazing, smart, compelling. I can't think of enough descriptors. This play about, I guess you could say-AIDS, has so many levels. It is about America-racism, sexism, corruption, politics, religion, marriage, homophobia, even anti-communism wrapped in heart-wrenching personal stories. I heard about this play about the time it and Part Two, Perestroika were first produced together in Los Angeles, but somehow I have never seen it. I even missed it when it came out as a made for TV movie that got ra...more
Powerful stuff. I really like Kushner's ideas on history/religious culture as exclusionary and entrapping modes of community. America, he says, is new, lacks any such nationally unified culture. What institutions do stand in place can be shaken apart, aligning an American community (rather than having a fractured gay community, Jewish community, legal community, etc.) across suffering and common suffering/the existential human experience. It reminds me of Shelley's Prometheus Unbound. Both imagi...more
Kushner's social commentary is considered one of the best plays of the twentieth century, and it is easy to see why. Kushner's dynamic characters and compelling story lines draw the reader in, but his theatrical innovation is what really keeps you hooked. The split scenes are a work of art and it is up to the plays reader to stage in it their mind. The play clocks in at almost 3 hours (and that's just part one) but it never lags and Kushner's snappy dialogue keeps the plot and the characters alw...more
After initially reading this as a college student more than 10 years ago, I find myself revisiting Angels in America at a very different point in my life. Now, living on the other side of Millennium, at the same age as Prior when he begins the play, the play still holds a remarkable amount of currency for me, if not much more. Presidents change and cultural anxieties come and go, but the American cultural landscape has not changed all that much from the time Kushner set pen to paper more than 20...more
I saw the infamous Charlotte Rep production in...1995, I think, and it more or less changed everything-- what classes I took in college, where I went to college, and what kind of theatre I wanted to commit my life to. I'm in the midst of a reading of the play at North Carolina Stage Company (Nov 9-11, 2007), so I'm going to post something I wrote for that here:
I first saw Angels in America at Charlotte Rep in, I think, 1995. It was one of those rare, actually life changing events, and a real tur...more
I first saw Angels in America at Charlotte Rep in, I think, 1995. It was one of those rare, actually life changing events, and a real tur...more
I saw a brilliantly acted, produced, directed and designed performance of this play, but the script just wasn't able to hold up. There are some wonderfully subtle moments that are developed but they are almost instantly destroyed under brutally obvious exposition. The angel bursting through the wall at the end is the final "fuck you" to any audience member who prefers character development to nonsensical spectacle. Ideas do not have to be shoved down our throats for us to understand... or maybe...more
This play has won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. After reading it, I can see why. Angels in America is daring in its scope, its portrayal of America, and its subject matter. I couldn't stop reading, despite several times where I did not quite "get it". This is going to take another read through on my part to fully appreciate what the play is about and its symbolism, as well as watching it played out in front of me, I think. Still, incredibly engrossing and quite recomme...more
When my professor asked to read this book I wasn't terribly excited. I had seen the show many years ago and it was just ok.
But I guess I have changed so much in the last 5 years that everything seem just different now. When reading the book I feel love and compassion for Prior and I understand better what is happening. I understand better many things and what the author was trying to say.
"Love is never ambivalent" is such a great line.
You can add "Love is not always pretty".
I strongly recommend...more
But I guess I have changed so much in the last 5 years that everything seem just different now. When reading the book I feel love and compassion for Prior and I understand better what is happening. I understand better many things and what the author was trying to say.
"Love is never ambivalent" is such a great line.
You can add "Love is not always pretty".
I strongly recommend...more
I would have to call myself obsessed with this play (and it's counterpart), as well as behind the times since I have been wanting to read/see it since 2003 when HBO produced the miniseries. No matter, it was worth the wait for me. The scene when Prior imagines Louis has come to dance with him and then Louis vanishes out of his arms... makes me cry just remembering (and makes me watch the youtube clip a lot). I realize I am not unique in this assessment but Tony Kushner is a genius.
I think the qoute to start it off sums up much of Part One, and even more of Part Two...
"In a murderous time the heart breaks and breaks and lives by breaking." - Stanley Kunitz, "The Testing-Tree"
If limited for time, and you want more humor, I would go with Part One. For more heart-wrenching, characters dealing with the physical act of death, and hallucinations (although both are heavy on this), Part Two is for you. But if time is not limited, go for broke and hit up both.
"In a murderous time the heart breaks and breaks and lives by breaking." - Stanley Kunitz, "The Testing-Tree"
If limited for time, and you want more humor, I would go with Part One. For more heart-wrenching, characters dealing with the physical act of death, and hallucinations (although both are heavy on this), Part Two is for you. But if time is not limited, go for broke and hit up both.
Harper: I'm not addicted. I don't believe in addiction and I... I never drink and I never take drugs.
Prior: Well, smell you, Nancy Drew.
Harper: Except for Valium.
Prior: Except Valium in wee fistfuls.
Harper: It's terrible. Mormons are not supposed to be addicted to anything. I'm a Mormon.
Prior: I'm a homosexual.
Harper: In my church, we don't believe in homosexuals.
Prior: In my church, we don't believe in Mormons.
Fantastic!
Prior: Well, smell you, Nancy Drew.
Harper: Except for Valium.
Prior: Except Valium in wee fistfuls.
Harper: It's terrible. Mormons are not supposed to be addicted to anything. I'm a Mormon.
Prior: I'm a homosexual.
Harper: In my church, we don't believe in homosexuals.
Prior: In my church, we don't believe in Mormons.
Fantastic!
1993 Pulitzer and Tony Award: If you loved this play and would like to see an accessible and accurate version of it, I highly recommend watching HBO's miniseries with Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Emma Thompson - to name only a few of the powerhouse actors involved. Kushner also wrote the screen play, making a few changes, which are interesting to see after you've read the play. Beautiful script, beautiful production.
As a theatre major, I love this because of the visuals, the depth of characters, and the message that is imbedded in this show is so beautiful in the darkest sense that I can't help be drawn to it. As a human, though, I love it because it's raw. It's a raw and real show that really gets your mind reeling after watching or reading it.
Even if you aren't a big theatre person, read it. It's worth it.
Even if you aren't a big theatre person, read it. It's worth it.
I really enjoyed this book. It was one of the best, if not the best, book i read in my Play's class. I liked how this book contained everything from relationships, to different sexualities, to politics, and more. I especially liked how it was set in the mid 1980s in New York. It sort of allowed me to compare life now in New York and life in the mid 1980s according to this book.
I loved this play. I though it was very funny. I had to read it for my English Lit. II class in college. Honestly, if I was not required to read this play would have never even picked it up. But after reading "Millennium Approaches" I searched every where for the second part. After a year and a half I finally found it and I am anxious to read it.
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Tony Kushner is an award-winning American playwright most famous for his play Angels in America, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. He is also co-author, along with Eric Roth, of the screenplay of the 2005 film Munich, which was directed by Steven Spielberg and earned Kushner (along with Roth) an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
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“You have a good heart and you think the good thing is to be guilty and kind but it's not always kind to be gentle and soft, there's a genuine violence softness and kindness visit on people. Sometimes self-interested is the most generous thing you can be. ”
—
58 people liked it
“I just wondered what a thing it would be...if overnight everything you owe anything to, justice, or love, had really gone away. Free.
It would be...heartless terror. Yes. Terrible, and...
Very great. To shed your skin, every old skin, one by one and then walk away, unemcumbered, into the morning.”
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43 people liked it
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It would be...heartless terror. Yes. Terrible, and...
Very great. To shed your skin, every old skin, one by one and then walk away, unemcumbered, into the morning.”
