Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes

Angels in America is a Pulitzer Prize winning two part epic play by playwright Tony Kushner. It premiered on Broadway in 1993 and deals with the themes of Homosexuality, AIDS, and spirituality in the United States at the end of the second millennium. The first part is entitled Millennium Approaches, and the second is entitled Perestroika. Named by literary critic Harold Bloom in his controversial list of the most important literary works of the century, The Western Canon (1994).

Set in New York City in the mid-1980s, Act One of Millennium Approaches introduces us to the central characters. Louis Ironson is a neurotic, gay Jew who lives with his lover Prior Walter. Until, that is, Prior develops AIDS - still a largely misunderstood virus - and Louis, unable to cope with the stress, moves out. Meanwhile, closeted (even to himself) Mormon, Republican lawyer Joe Pitt, is offered a major promotion by his boss: McCarthyist Roy Cohn. However Joe doesn't immediately take the job because he is worried about his valium-addicted wife Harper.

As the seven-hour play progresses, Prior finds himself being visited by ghosts and angels who proclaim him as a prophet; Joe finds himself struggling to reconcile his religion with his sexuality; Louis deals with his remorse and guilt at abandoning his lover; Joe's mother Hannah moves to New York to attempt to look after Harper; and Roy finds himself in hospital, his only companions being his black nurse Belize - an ex-drag queen and good friend of Prior - and the spectre of Communist Ethel Rosenberg.

The play is filled with moments of black comedy, tragedy, and spectacular dialogue. The play is deliberately performed so that the moments requiring special effects often show their theatricality. All of the actors play several characters, for example the actress playing Prior's nurse also plays the Angel of America. There are heavy biblical references and references to American society, as well as some amazing scenes including voyages to Antartica and Heaven, as well as key events happening in San Fransisco and at the Angel of Bethesda statue in Central Park.

It has generally been referred to as one of the most influential plays of all time.

In 2003, HBO Films created a miniseries version of the play. It was directed by Mike Nichols and was released on December 7. It was the most watched made-for-cable movie in 2003 and won the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries. Some scenes were, of course, edited or changed but the production was internationally acclaimed. Cast members Al Pacino, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeffrey Wright and Meryl Streep (the latter two of whom played several characters as a tie-in with the stage original) were all honoured with awards at the Golden Globes and other award ceremonies. Fellow cast members Patrick Wilson and Ben Shenkman were also nominated at the Golden Globes. James Cromwell also appeared.

The miniseries was nominated for 21 Emmy awards - including Best Miniseries, Best Director, Best Actress (for both Streep and Emma Thompson), Best Actor (Pacino), Best Supporting Actress (Parker) and Best Supporting Actor (Wright, Wilson, Shenkman and Justin Kirk). The ceremony is in September