"...the most powerful screen adaptation of a major American play since ... 'Streetcar Named Desire'..."- Page 2

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/18/03 at 6:50pm

I really didn't enjoy ANGELS IN AMERICA. I saw both parts in a single day and felt it was lacking shape or focus. Why did such a long play have vignettes like the rabbi (played by a woman) ranting on and on? It didn't pertain directly to the plot and should have been cut. (TSMrW has told me it's been retained in the film) Also, I had a very hard time hearing many of the actors--especially the woman who was playing the angel.

To my mind, there were some strong ideas presented in the play, but over-all, it was one of the most over-rated productions in recent years. Maybe that's because George Wolf isn't a good director in my mind.

Posted: 11/18/03 at 10:14pm

Hear, hear, Dolly.

Play, author and director very much overrated.

Polemics with no poety nor passion.

Bulldog.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/18/03 at 10:20pm

I would have to disagree strongly with the subject of your aliteration BB. (And Frank Rich would, too, I guess.) Doll, the curtain raisers have everything to do with what comes after them. Kushner has likened writing to creating an enormous, gooey, multi-layered lasagna. And Angels has more layers than most.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 11/20/03 at 6:47pm

i have heard it said that Kushner is a "thinking person's playwright" and not necessarily a "feeling person's playwright" which may be a little too glib...but could explain some of the varied reactions. Some audience members like to feel empathy a lot and think or rationalize less, while others may find a depth of emotion if approached more intellectually. Neither way is "better" but not all playwrights approach their art in the way that an audience member might prefer. ANGELS has social and literary impact, but as dramaturgy may not be everyone's cup of tea. For those of us who love it, that tea is a thirstquencher. For others, it just might be the wrong blend.

[robbiej]

Posted: 11/20/03 at 7:04pm

I would have to liken Mr. Kushner to Mr. Sondheim. They are both incredibly cereberal AND amazingly passionate...but not necessarily about the things we come to associate with the word passion. For him, politics is a blistering passion that charges every single one of his plays. Some (like me) share that passion. Others, do not.

I, personally, have always identified with Louis. What that says about me, I'm not so sure (though I'm sure it's not at all good). I've also known a couple of Joes in my time...and there stories always continue on ambiguously. That's just some people's path in life.

As for the disparity between the two parts, Kushner recognizes it himself. He calls Part Two a comedy (I'm not going to go into why...he puts it so eloquently in his author's notes for the piece). I would tend to agree. Some may feel let down. Others felt uplifted.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/20/03 at 8:30pm

Good points, Robbie, particularly about Kushner's passion and our response to it. One reason I'm looking forward to the mini is to rexamine the material from my own shifting POV. In recent years, I've become far more invested in political pieces. It's partly getting older, partly a response to the world--which demands it. One play that left me cold in the theater 20 years ago -- David Hare's PLENTY -- is now one of my favorites (would've killed to see the London revival with Cate Blanchette).

The Rich piece whetted my appetite. Maybe when ANGELS first appeared, the shallow 80s were just over our shoulders -- the Dynasty clothes still in our closet, so to speak. As Rich states, the world has been split wide open. Life just feels more "polticial," especially with an insidious us vs. them polarizing regime in place now. In 2003, I will likely look at the whole piece as an even bigger cautionary tale. Responding viscerally to the play's big picture concerns may make my earlier quibbles about Joe Pitt's resolution nit-picking.

Updated On: 11/20/03 at 08:30 PM

[MusicMan]

Posted: 11/20/03 at 10:06pm

Points well-made, Auggie--your political "consciousness-raising" parallels mine (after 9/11, how could it be otherwise?)

[MaxHolmes]

Posted: 11/23/03 at 3:59am

"No passion... no poetry"

Well. I like your avatar.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 11/23/03 at 10:30am

MaxHolmes, I don't understand your use of the word avatar in relation to Broadway Bulldog's comments.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 11/23/03 at 10:33am

i personally use "avatar" when others use "icon" on this board...the little pic with the member name. i think "avatar" is more accurate as "icon" has many theatre-related meanings.

Saw the trailer for ANGELS when i went to the cinema yesterday to see PIECES OF APRIL (short movie and worth it for Patricia Clarkson and Sean Hayes). Amazing trailer, can't wait!