ANGELS IN AMERICA—MILLENNIUM APPROACHES
BY TONY KUSHNER
This remarkable epic "gay fantasia on national themes" asks the designer to sort out and address the vast sweep of its dramatic canvas. The play is populated with historical characters in real places, fictional contemporary characters experiencing both naturalistic and hallucinatory interactions, and an assortment of fantasy characters and ghosts. Nine out of its 26 scenes involve some degree of fantasy, and six are "split scenes" in which two actions play out simultaneously. The text is full of references to the dichotomy between reality and fantasy, the sense of an America in flux, and the need for some characters to re-define themselves.
Above all, I wanted my design to mirror the authorās strong political perspective and to have the immediacy of a political poster. For my inspiration, I turned to the art of Gilbert and George, appropriate to the 1980s period and to the gay issues in the script. Just as Act Upās AIDS activist posters of the time were influenced by Gilbert and George, I wanted to apply their use of bold color, simple "artless" imagery, and high contrast to provide visual clues that would address the political and fantastical aspects of the play. The surrounding stage walls that extend into the auditorium are wrapped with shiny black plastic sheeting, constrained in place by vein-like red ropes. This evokes the hypocrisy and denial of the AIDS epidemic during the Reagan era. Hanging well above the actorsā heads, a fragment of a crumbling stone American flag provides a sense of the old order in decay. This flag element, which breaks apart with the arrival of the Angel, also provides a surface for the projections.
I wanted my solution to support a fluid production with no delays caused by scene changes. I chose the simplest scenic elements, projections and props to define each location. All the furniture used is on casters and is stored upstage in full view of the audience, rolled in by actors and stagehands as needed. Rather than devise a "realistic" effect for the appearance of the Angel, the director, David Eppel, and I elected to have her descend by means of a mechanical crane operated in full view of the audience.
