Michael Socrates Moran Touches Tony Kushner’s Epic with Genius

by Barry David Horwitz

When I saw the very first production of Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” back in 1991, at the old Eureka Theater in San Francisco, I walked out of the theater dazed and wondering. What had I just seen? It was more than I could comprehend.

In the many years since, I have seen many “Angels,” including the 25^th Anniversary performances at Berkeley Rep. But I can honestly say that Director Michael Moran has created a new “Angels” for our time. And the best play of the year.

Moran has reconstructed the Pulitzer Prize-winning epic that depicts the 1980s AIDS crisis, the corruption of the Reagan era, and the debate between religion and government. Designer Mark Thomas offers a stunning empty center pit set, surrounded all round by a rectangular playing platform, like a giant sand box. The actors stroll, act, and freeze in place as the action shifts and scenes intermingle continually.

Moran makes it crystal clear what is happening and how each scene works. It’s a visual and sensual joy every minute.

The gay couple of Prior (sympathetic J Jha) and Louis (pitch perfect Dean Linnard) draw us into their crumbling love. Prior has AIDS and tortured Louis finds he cannot take the challenge of an afflicted lover. Prior lies in the grave-like pit, calling out for help. But Louis is too busy struggling with his Jewish “guilt” and his gay “shame”–both beautifully depicted by Linnard.

Only the ever-present angel (touching Lisa Ramirez) descends to hear Prior’s cries of real pain—as a single feather floats lazily down. Beautiful projections of clouds float by, adding depth to the modernist setting. Moran realigns Tony Kushner’s scenes so that Reagan’s impending fascism becomes the present debate over lies and dictatorship in 2024.

Arch-right wing lawyer Roy Cohn (powerful Victor Talmadge) manipulates the egos in Reagan’s 1980s Washington. The real Roy Cohn served as fixer for Joseph McCarthy, and also trained Trump in lies and law-breaking. Talmadge distills Cohn’s fury and self-hatred, as he talks to three or four people on the phone at the same time. An octopus rich in comedy and horror.

Across Manhattan, a naïve Mormon couple, Harper (superb, elegant Emily Whelan) and Joe (mesmerizing, intense Edric Young) have their own sexual and religious conflict. Their world shifts in tandem with Prior and Louis’ conflicts—in fact, Prior meets Harper in their mutual hallucination—a stunning scene of recognition and realization. “Threshold of revelation.”

As the Angel, Ramirez weaves in and out of their lives announcing danger and hope. As the nurse Belize and travel agent Mr. Lies, James Mercer II gives a smart, sharp edge to every conversation on slavery, history, and Antarctic tourism. The interplay of imaginary and realistic roles connects the plague and crisis of the past to today’s plagues and fake “populism.”

Erin Mei-Ling Stuart plays a tortured Mormon mother adrift in New York. Each character grips us profoundly. Director Moran’s finely selected details propel the show forward thrillingly.

This is a superb production of our greatest play. Don’t miss Oakland Theater Project’s magnificent achievement. They fulfill Kushner’s sub-title brilliantly: “A Gay Fantasia on National Themes.”

“Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (Part I: Millenium Approaches)” by Tony Kushner, directed by Michael Socrates Moran, set design by Mark Thomas, costumes by Arielle Powell, lighting by Kevin Myrick, sound by Ray Archie, projections by Sarah Phykitt, choreography by Bear Graham.

—Oakland Theater Project, playing at Marin Shakespeare Company, San Rafael, California. Info: oaklandtheaterproject.org – to October 26, 2024.

Cast: J Jha as Prior, Dean Linnard as Louis, James Mercer II as Belize, Lisa Ramirez as the Angel, Erin Mei-Ling Stuart as Hannah, Victor Talmadge as Roy Cohn, Emilie Whelan as Harper, and Edric Young as Joe.

Banner photo: Edric Young & Emilie Whelan. Center: Lisa Ramirez, J Jha, & Dean Linnard. Photos: Ben Krantz