Angels In America @ Berkley Rep — Page 2

I took in Angels In America Part 1 at the Berkeley Rep this afternoon. In a word – outstanding! I thought it was riveting theater: well-acted and well-staged, a first-rate production with no disappointments. The 3-1/2 hours flew by. In general, the characters were realized as I remembered them from the ACT production in San Francisco 25 years ago. So no new revelations, but a certain comfort level like revisiting old friends, which allowed me to relax and just watch the action unfold.

Randy Harrison as Prior Walter was excellent and thoroughly convincing with a powerful performance. For anyone who was questioning his suitability for the role, you can just put that out of your mind. He was great. Going into this I was really intrigued that the original Prior, Stephen Spinella, would be playing Roy Cohn, and I had my own doubts about this. But he handles the role splendidly. In his first scene he was less forceful and manic from what I was hoping for, but this came out later and felt more explosive when it did. It’s a bit of a kinder and gentler Roy Cohn, but it humanizes him, and it works.

Benjamin Ismall as Louis was absolutely perfect, as was Bob the Drag Queen (Caldwell Tidicue) as Belize. Their scene with Louis’ achingly long monologue was hilarious and impeccably timed. I had only seen Bob the Drag Queen before in his hour-long drag act, and it was heartening to see the depth of his portrayal of Belize.

I thought all of the other characters were played strongly, though maybe not quite as memorably. I am not seasoned enough or knowledgeable enough to flesh out the nuances of their acting, but I didn’t find any weak link in the cast. One of my friends commented that in Act 1 Bethany Jillard as Harper Pitt seemed to just be reading her lines, but I don’t know about that. I think that might have been a conscious choice to help with her portrayal of being a little removed from reality. She certainly became much more expressive during her later confrontations with Joe and during her time in Antarctica.

The staging was simple but elegant. Scenes would slide in from the back or the wings, or occasionally through the floor of the stage. Projections were notably well done, and sometimes jaw-droppingly effective. I often don’t pay much attention to the lighting, but here I noticed it because it was so flawless. The whole production was just a joy to watch.

There were a few moments where I found myself questioning the choices that were made, but I don’t know if this was just because I had a preconceived notion of something different. For example, in the scene when Prior is putting on his drag make-up, I thought he looked way too glamorous. I thought he should look a little rougher around the edges. But that’s really a very very minor quibble, and maybe others wouldn’t agree with me.

The ending was great, staged beautifully. I’m not wanting to describe it as a potential spoiler. Suffice it to say there were no surprises – it was just really well done. And it left us all with that perfect cliff-hanger feeling. I would not have minded staying to see Part 2 tonight, but I’ll be seeing it soon enough – in two days.

I have to mention too that the audience this afternoon was terrific. We laughed together, we gasped together, and most importantly, we were completely silent together. Except for the one cell phone that went off (folks, please turn your phones OFF!), this was about as perfect an audience as you could hope for.

By sheer good fortune I will be in New York later in May and will see the Broadway production, which I am sure is fantastic. It will be interesting to see how it differs. For anyone who can’t get to New York, I think you’ll not be disappointed to have to “make do” with this terrific Berkeley Rep production.

In case it’s helpful to anyone, I was in the third row of the mezzanine to the side, and it was an excellent view. I think there probably isn’t a bad seat in the theater, though more center is probably better. (Actually, I take that back. There’s a projector hanging off the mezzanine that might block the view of the most central mezz Row A seats. And I noticed Row A of the orchestra was not full, making me think the stage is high enough for orch Row A to be a problem.)

SFCowboy said: "I took in Angels In America Part 1 at the Berkeley Rep this afternoon. In a word – outstanding! I thought it was riveting theater: well-acted and well-staged, a first-rate production with no disappointments. The 3-1/2 hours flew by. In general, the characters were realized as I remembered them from the ACT production in San Francisco 25 years ago. So no new revelations, but a certain comfort level like revisiting old friends, which allowed me to relax and just watch the action unfold.

Randy Harrison as Prior Walter was excellent and thoroughly convincing with a powerful performance. For anyone who was questioning his suitability for the role, you can just put that out of your mind. He was great. Going into this I was really intrigued that the original Prior, Stephen Spinella, would be playing Roy Cohn, and I had my own doubts about this. But he handles the role splendidly. In his first scene he was less forceful and manic from what I was hoping for, but this came out later and felt more explosive when it did. It’s a bit of a kinder and gentler Roy Cohn, but it humanizes him, and it works.

Benjamin Ismall as Louis was absolutely perfect, as was Bob the Drag Queen (Caldwell Tidicue) as Belize. Their scene with Louis’ achingly long monologue was hilarious and impeccably timed. I had only seen Bob the Drag Queen before in his hour-long drag act, and it was heartening to see the depth of his portrayal of Belize.

I thought all of the other characters were played strongly, though maybe not quite as memorably. I am not seasoned enough or knowledgeable enough to flesh out the nuances of their acting, but I didn’t find any weak link in the cast. One of my friends commented that in Act 1 Bethany Jillard as Harper Pitt seemed to just be reading her lines, but I don’t know about that. I think that might have been a conscious choice to help with her portrayal of being a little removed from reality. She certainly became much more expressive during her later confrontations with Joe and during her time in Antarctica.

The staging was simple but elegant. Scenes would slide in from the back or the wings, or occasionally through the floor of the stage. Projections were notably well done, and sometimes jaw-droppingly effective. I often don’t pay much attention to the lighting, but here I noticed it because it was so flawless. The whole production was just a joy to watch.

There were a few moments where I found myself questioning the choices that were made, but I don’t know if this was just because I had a preconceived notion of something different. For example, in the scene when Prior is putting on his drag make-up, I thought he looked way too glamorous. I thoughthe should looka little rougher around the edges. But that’s really a very very minor quibble, and maybe others wouldn’t agree with me.

The ending was great, staged beautifully. I’m not wanting to describe it as a potential spoiler. Suffice it to say there were no surprises – it was just really well done. And it left us all with that perfect cliff-hanger feeling. I would not have minded staying to see Part 2 tonight, but I’ll be seeing it soon enough – in two days.

I have to mention too that the audience this afternoon was terrific. We laughed together, we gasped together, and most importantly, we were completely silent together. Except for the one cell phone that went off (folks, please turn your phones OFF!), this was about as perfect an audience as you could hope for.

By sheer good fortune I will be in New York later in May and will see the Broadway production, which I am sure is fantastic. It will be interesting to see how it differs. For anyone who can’t get to New York, I think you’ll not be disappointed to have to “make do” with this terrific Berkeley Rep production.

In case it’s helpful to anyone, I was in the third row of the mezzanine to the side, and it was an excellent view. I think there probably isn’t a bad seat in the theater, though more center is probably better. (Actually, I take that back. There’s a projector hanging off the mezzanine that might block the view of the most central mezz Row A seats. And I noticed Row A of the orchestra was not full, making me think the stage is high enough for orch Row A to be a problem.)"

Thanks for your thoughtful, concise and spoiler-free review of Part 1. Eagerly await your review of Part 2. I'll be attending a marathon day in June. The Rep is just ten minutes away from my home in Emeryville.

EllieRose2 said: "Im not pre judging anything. It's widely known that the best theater district in the country is New York City. Broadway has the best of the best, and people spend years trying to get there. The Tony Awards are based on shows in New York City. Therefore, it is the best. It's just a fact. A lot of shows do "Broadway try outs", hoping they can make it to the very best city in the world for theater. Angels on Broadway is far superior simply because of the talent and money invested in the production. It's not really hard to comprehend. And yes, that's my opinion."



This is absolutely dripping in pretentiousness. Just because a production is on Broadway doesn't make it the best.

SFCowboy, thanks for your review. I have been eagerly awaiting one, just to get an idea of how the production is shaping up. I ordered tickets way back in January for a marathon day in May. It sounds like fourth row mezzanine should be fine. (The Roda Theatre has a nice setup and is a small, 600-seat theater to begin with.) While I saw Angels in America on tour in the '90s, there's a lot I don't remember. And I'm trying to keep it that way, so I too appreciate the absence of "spoilers."

Updated On: 4/26/18 at 03:28 AM

The fact in my statement was about the Tony Awards. You can look up the history of them if you'd like. The Tony Awards are for plays/musicals in New York City. No other cities, states or countries are considered in the whole wide world. Fact. My other statements are purely my views and my views only.

EllieRose2 said: "The fact in my statement was about the Tony Awards. You can look up the history of them if you'd like. The Tony Awards are for plays/musicals in New York City. No other cities, states or countriesare considered in the whole wide world. Fact. My other statements are purely my views and my views only."

The Tonys - like the Oscars - are all about commerce. Artistry comes in behind big bucks. Time to wake up and smell the Hamburger Helper.

I'm thrilled to hear such a glowing review of this production! I actually just saw it in New York a couple weeks ago and was blown away. I thought seeing it at all, much less such a stellar version, was going to be a 'once in a lifetime' thing, then bam! I see a little blurb about this production!

I bought tickets for the final date as it's the day after my birthday. I was hemming and hawing about it, then saw that an old favorite band of mine is doing a little reunion tour and just happen to be playing SF on my actual birthday... so I decided I'll make a weekend of it. I loved Queer as Folk in high school so that plus Spinella has me excited about this cast, too. Can't wait to hear more reviews!

EllieRose2 said: "Im not pre judging anything. It's widely known that the best theater district in the country is New York City. Broadway has the best of the best, and people spend years trying to get there. The Tony Awards are based on shows in New York City. Therefore, it is the best. It's just a fact. A lot of shows do "Broadway try outs", hoping they can make it to the very best city in the world for theater. Angels on Broadway is far superior simply because of the talent and money invested in the production. It's not really hard to comprehend. And yes, that's my opinion."



Umm, isn't the production (minus the wonderful Lee Pace) straight from a London run? So, this comment is just wrong (and weird).

^^ True. My most memorable theater experiences have been at the Public (and the Delacorte, as an extension -- getting rained on during Troilus and Cressida, good times).



(edited so much because I cannot seem to type this evening)

Updated On: 4/28/18 at 09:20 PM

Cool. Anyway, getting back to this particular production...



I see that there are two actors listed for the Angel on the website; is there a posted schedule for how the role is divided? I can't find it online.

(There are two threads on the Berkeley Rep production of Angels In America. I'm posting in this one because this is where my previous posts were located.)

I just saw this production a second time. I was so enthralled with it the first time around during previews, I just had to experience it again, even though I'm seeing Angels in New York in a couple of weeks!

It was even better the second time, especially Part 2 which had tightened up. The dialog seemed even crisper and well-timed. I was completely absorbed into the action on stage. Phenomenal cast! Everyone was fantastic. I said it before, but it deserves mention again: OMG Stephen Spinella is a tour de force as Roy Cohn, and Randy Harrison is marvelous as Prior. I still don't know what the schedule is for the Angel, but I saw Francesca Faridany three times, and Lisa Ramirez once. I couldn't pick one over the other -- they were both great. Lisa Ramirez had maybe a slightly harder edge to her Angel.

The sets, the staging, and the lighting were stars in themselves. Magical, mesmerizing, and gorgeous. I appreciated this even more the second time around.

Interestingly I had always liked Part 1 better until this last viewing. Maybe it's because of the familiarity, but Part 1 now seems like a set-up to get to know the characters, with the most dramatic tension happening in Part 2. I can't imagine seeing just one part and being satisfied.

It will be really interesting to see this in New York. I'll be sure to report again after I've seen it there.

A couple of other random notes: Row J in the orchestra has lots of extra legroom, if that's helpful to you. Also, both times I saw this on a Friday night (once for Part 1 and once for Part 2) the audience was distinctly worse than when I saw it during the week, both in terms of audience behavior and audience responsiveness. I don't know if it was a coincidence, but I'm tempted to avoid Friday nights in the future.