Angels in America
If there is one contemporary play that truly deserves the label "brilliant," it is undoubtedly Angels in America. Since its premiere in San Francisco in 1991, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes has taken the world by storm. The play has been showered with awards and was successfully adapted into an HBO series starring Al Pacino, Emma Thompson, and Meryl Streep.
In 2008, Ivo van Hove directed a radical production of Angels in America, which Tony Kushner himself hailed as his favorite version. Hans Kesting received the Louis d'Or for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in this production. Now, we are bringing the performance back, featuring several actors from the original cast, complemented by new ensemble members. Presented within a minimalist stage design and accompanied solely by David Bowie’s songs, this adaptation of Angels in America is a tribute to the human ability to adapt, change, and survive. It is a true (re)discovery of a modern classic, but above all, it remains an incredibly relevant story to this day.
Run time tba
Genre Theatre
Language Dutch
Surtitles English, Thu April 17 & 24
Angels in America
America during the Reagan years. The AIDS epidemic is spreading rapidly but is met with silence from the conservative government. Two New Yorkers grapple with the news of their diagnosis in very different ways: ex-drag queen Prior and the arch-conservative lawyer Roy Cohn, who forces those around him to lie about the nature of his illness.
In the first part, Millennium Approaches, all the characters are torn away from their roots and certainties: family, partners, religion, and political ideologies no longer provide solace in the face of pervasive disease and death. In the second part, Perestroika, tentative new friendships and relationships emerge as the characters confront the painful process of change.
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In a whirlwind of tragicomic scenes and entanglements, Tony Kushner demonstrates that identity cannot be reduced to religion, race, or sexuality. Instead, it is a continuous process that can only take shape through interactions with others.
Angels in America is a gripping, hilarious, and heartbreaking story about the transformative power of love, the inevitability of change, resilience in times of crisis, and a tribute to imagination—not merely as an escape from an unlivable reality, but also as a source of understanding.
Eline Arbo about Angels in America
“Angels in America is a powerful story about identity, struggle, and change, connecting our past, present, and future. Reviving the successful 2008 production gives us the chance to revisit Kushner’s work. What does the story tell us today? How does it resonate in the times we live in? I look forward to reflecting on this with the audience.
And while we are not reinventing Ivo van Hove’s beautiful adaptation, we are breathing new life into the story. We do this with actors who shone in the original production, such as Hans Kesting, as well as a younger generation of actors, like Minne Koole, who were inspired by seeing the performance during their studies and now play a part themselves. In this way, we bring Angels in America to life once more, with the same impact and significance.”
Tony Kushner
The transformative power of art and human willpower runs as a central theme throughout Kushner’s work. In his plays, he explores how people can change in an era where ideological frameworks have largely disappeared, and how they can form connections in a society marked by individualism and division. He believes that compassion and humanity are the key ingredients that enable people from diverse backgrounds to come together.
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In addition to his work as a playwright, Tony Kushner has gained prominence in recent years for his close collaboration with Steven Spielberg, for whom he has written four films: Munich, Lincoln, West Side Story, and The Fabelmans.
Credits
by Tony Kushner
director (2008) Ivo van Hove
revival (2024) Daniël 't Hoen
adaptation and dramaturgy Peter Van Kraaij
scenography and lightning design Jan Versweyveld
costume design Wojciech Dziedzic
music Wim Selles
video design Tal Yarden
translation Carel Alphenaar
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private producer Rob van den Bergh, Jeroen van Ingen and Bertil van Kaam
