Angels in America: Millennium Approaches presented by the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre at the Berney Theatre, March 21, 2012
Reviewed By Stephanie Adamov
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre tackled Kushner’s Goliath script with colossal strength and their self-described ‘small but mighty’ attitude. The famous play is Jewish American playwright Tony Kushner’s most celebrated work, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 and catapulting onto the international theatre circuit.
Mormons. Roy Cohn. Ronald Reagan. AIDS. The play has epic, Brechtian proportions. Apparitions. Angels. Hallucinations. Homosexuals. Kushner’s “gay fantasia on national themes” presents layers of challenges for WJT’s artistic producer Michael Nathanson. Persistent and relentless, the local theatre forges ahead in hopes of premiering the second installment of Angel’s in America: Perestroika as their twenty-fifth anniversary’s season opener in the fall of 2012. The Reagan-era scripts operate independently of each other, though many of the characters reappear in both stories.
Under the innovative and charismatic direction of Christopher Brauer, this is a powerful three-hour spectacle. Rapid transitions utilize cast and crew alike to link scenes “creating an actor-driven event” in a seamless manner, yet… Kushner begs for the seams to be seen… no blackouts allowed! The theatrical tricks are shown. Visible. Unveiled. Whether it is Hugh Conacher’s lights slowly drifting into place, or the clever prop solutions done by Steve Van de Vyvere. All are deliberately dissected. There is little guesswork and yet, a mysterious sensation is present.
There are times when stage directions delivered by stage manager Sheena Sanderson are delivered through the speakers. She announces lighting and projection cues designed by Conacher, showing copious news clips from the 1980s of Dr. Ruth or President Reagan re-creating the socio-cultural context of scenes. This deliberate exposure of the ‘backstage world’ creates a unique, participatory atmosphere for audience members. The intent however, was directed to expose rather than exploit the experience. The suspension of disbelief is minimalized at times… and yet there is magic in the realism.
Inspired by the notion of ‘exposure,’ Brauer artistically unravels not only the set and its visible transitions but the characters, with all their foibles and limitations. Whether it is disease, fear, truth, addiction… these themes all surface throughout the course of the play. Just as the literal four walls of the theatre are exposed through Janelle Regalbuto’s clever set design, barriers in relationships are visible and identified.
The homosexual, Mormon, Republican Joe Pitt is artfully portrayed by the articulate and spry Jeremy Walmsley. Joe is closeted by his conflicts. He is adamant about his fidelity to his valium-popping, emotionally distraught wife, Harper, delicately played by Tracy Michailidis. However, he yearns to pursue prestigious law firms in Washington where “great things are happening” in 1985. His confidant and mentor, Roy Cohn, a successful lawyer whose excessive vulgarity, blatant denial and selfish pursuits are cunningly represented by Nicholas Rice.
Though historically based on the Roy Cohn (1927-1986) who was responsible for illegal conferences with Judge Kaufmann during the Ethel Rosenberg trials…Kushner argues that the basis of the character interactions should be a construct of dramatic fiction. Symbolically, Ethel too makes a comical yet deliberate appearance in the piece. Versatile Winnipeg stage veteran Mariam Bernstein shape shifts between the Rabbi and the Doctor, but is credited in the program as Joe’s mother, Hannah.
The character of Hannah is portrayed with aplomb as she evokes relentless guilt in all those with whom she interacts. Bernstein begins the show as Rabbi Isidor. The monologue delivered by the rabbi is initially comical, and eventually emerges as a most moving recount of the courage the early immigrants demonstrated while they defiantly kept their traditions in the face of the harsh realties of America. This powerful delivery attests to Bernstein’s strength as a seasoned performer.
Splitting the stage with the Mormons during several overlapping scenes where dialogue and action are meticulously interwoven are Louis and Prior. Ryan James Miller is sensational as the fierce, flamboyant and ever dramatic Prior Walter. Diagnosed with AIDS, he is bombarded with messages by an Angel urging him to “prepare the way.” He restlessly awaits the relationship verdict of his boyfriend who reluctantly stays at his bedside as lesions increase and Prior’s health deteriorates. Louis, Prior’s boyfriend,is frantic and anxious as played by Michael Rubenfeld, who conveys the angst of many partners who confront life-threatening realities.
Chilling and memorable is the long-awaited arrival of the Angel, played by the forceful Marina Stephenson Kerr. Details of the apparition will not be revealed in this review, but it will remain for many a true highlight of the play. All aspects of production amalgamate and crescendo for her unforgettable arrival….
Flamboyant. Fantastical. A true theatrical fantasia. Not to be missed.
Angels in America: Millennium Approaches presented by Winnipeg Jewish Theatre at the Berney Theatre, 123 Doncaster Street, Winnipeg, showtimes at 8 pm on March 21 – April 1, 2012 and with matinees at 2 pm on Mar. 24, 25, 31, and April 1.
Flamboyant and Fantastical
Columns
Angels in America: Millennium Approaches presented by the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre at the Berney Theatre, March 21, 2012
Reviewed By Stephanie Adamov
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre tackled Kushner’s Goliath script with colossal strength and their self-described ‘small but mighty’ attitude. The famous play is Jewish American playwright Tony Kushner’s most celebrated work, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 and catapulting onto the international theatre circuit.
Mormons. Roy Cohn. Ronald Reagan. AIDS. The play has epic, Brechtian proportions. Apparitions. Angels. Hallucinations. Homosexuals. Kushner’s “gay fantasia on national themes” presents layers of challenges for WJT’s artistic producer Michael Nathanson. Persistent and relentless, the local theatre forges ahead in hopes of premiering the second installment of Angel’s in America: Perestroika as their twenty-fifth anniversary’s season opener in the fall of 2012. The Reagan-era scripts operate independently of each other, though many of the characters reappear in both stories.
Under the innovative and charismatic direction of Christopher Brauer, this is a powerful three-hour spectacle. Rapid transitions utilize cast and crew alike to link scenes “creating an actor-driven event” in a seamless manner, yet… Kushner begs for the seams to be seen… no blackouts allowed! The theatrical tricks are shown. Visible. Unveiled. Whether it is Hugh Conacher’s lights slowly drifting into place, or the clever prop solutions done by Steve Van de Vyvere. All are deliberately dissected. There is little guesswork and yet, a mysterious sensation is present.
There are times when stage directions delivered by stage manager Sheena Sanderson are delivered through the speakers. She announces lighting and projection cues designed by Conacher, showing copious news clips from the 1980s of Dr. Ruth or President Reagan re-creating the socio-cultural context of scenes. This deliberate exposure of the ‘backstage world’ creates a unique, participatory atmosphere for audience members. The intent however, was directed to expose rather than exploit the experience. The suspension of disbelief is minimalized at times… and yet there is magic in the realism.
Inspired by the notion of ‘exposure,’ Brauer artistically unravels not only the set and its visible transitions but the characters, with all their foibles and limitations. Whether it is disease, fear, truth, addiction… these themes all surface throughout the course of the play. Just as the literal four walls of the theatre are exposed through Janelle Regalbuto’s clever set design, barriers in relationships are visible and identified.
The homosexual, Mormon, Republican Joe Pitt is artfully portrayed by the articulate and spry Jeremy Walmsley. Joe is closeted by his conflicts. He is adamant about his fidelity to his valium-popping, emotionally distraught wife, Harper, delicately played by Tracy Michailidis. However, he yearns to pursue prestigious law firms in Washington where “great things are happening” in 1985. His confidant and mentor, Roy Cohn, a successful lawyer whose excessive vulgarity, blatant denial and selfish pursuits are cunningly represented by Nicholas Rice.
Though historically based on the Roy Cohn (1927-1986) who was responsible for illegal conferences with Judge Kaufmann during the Ethel Rosenberg trials…Kushner argues that the basis of the character interactions should be a construct of dramatic fiction. Symbolically, Ethel too makes a comical yet deliberate appearance in the piece. Versatile Winnipeg stage veteran Mariam Bernstein shape shifts between the Rabbi and the Doctor, but is credited in the program as Joe’s mother, Hannah.
The character of Hannah is portrayed with aplomb as she evokes relentless guilt in all those with whom she interacts. Bernstein begins the show as Rabbi Isidor. The monologue delivered by the rabbi is initially comical, and eventually emerges as a most moving recount of the courage the early immigrants demonstrated while they defiantly kept their traditions in the face of the harsh realties of America. This powerful delivery attests to Bernstein’s strength as a seasoned performer.
Splitting the stage with the Mormons during several overlapping scenes where dialogue and action are meticulously interwoven are Louis and Prior. Ryan James Miller is sensational as the fierce, flamboyant and ever dramatic Prior Walter. Diagnosed with AIDS, he is bombarded with messages by an Angel urging him to “prepare the way.” He restlessly awaits the relationship verdict of his boyfriend who reluctantly stays at his bedside as lesions increase and Prior’s health deteriorates. Louis, Prior’s boyfriend,is frantic and anxious as played by Michael Rubenfeld, who conveys the angst of many partners who confront life-threatening realities.
Chilling and memorable is the long-awaited arrival of the Angel, played by the forceful Marina Stephenson Kerr. Details of the apparition will not be revealed in this review, but it will remain for many a true highlight of the play. All aspects of production amalgamate and crescendo for her unforgettable arrival….
Flamboyant. Fantastical. A true theatrical fantasia. Not to be missed.
Angels in America: Millennium Approaches presented by Winnipeg Jewish Theatre at the Berney Theatre, 123 Doncaster Street, Winnipeg, showtimes at 8 pm on March 21 – April 1, 2012 and with matinees at 2 pm on Mar. 24, 25, 31, and April 1.