Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Part One, Millennium Approaches is given new wings by St Andrews Mermaids Theatre. The adaptation of a play like this couldn’t come at a better time with immense media attention focused on gay rights. Voted one of the best plays in the 20th Century, Angels in America is intricate and rich in its subject matter with something to offer to a wide audience. Set in New York in the 1985, this play gives a bleak insight into the lives of homosexual men who toil with their orientations and the catastrophic consequences of AIDS.
Under the direction of Adelaide Waldrop, the cast of eight hit us with a confrontational and stirring performance. While it is difficult to synopsys such a multilayered play, in essence we are granted insight into the lives of Prior (Brendan MacDonald) and Louis (Frazer Hadfield), whose relationship tragically deteriorates when Prior is diagnosed with AIDS, both of whom give an unrestrained heartfelt performance. At the same time we watch as the Harper (Edie Deffebach) and Joe’s (Sebastian Carrington-Howell) marriage crumple when Joe finally acknowledges he is gay - a mortal sin amongst Mormons. We watch as these disparate two worlds collide at a cost.
Without exception the cast is incredibly strong, each speaking in flawless American accents. We watch as the vibrant cast dramatise complicated relationships with strong, palpable conviction. Given the weight and demand of such a play it is a real credit to them. We watch as they double up in characters, oftentimes playing roles of the opposite sex, acutely highlighting the extent of their acting skills. Moreover, this doubling up brings great depth to the show as it functions to highlight the performativity of gender which is fundamentally what this play is all about.
Sticking to the stage directions included in the original script, the actors do all the scene changes themselves which breaks the fourth wall, making the show all the more tangible and harrowing. Moreover the chemistry between the cast reveals itself even through these simple scene changes by the way the play seamlessly flows.
Despite the lack of an interval in a two and a half hour play, it is certainly well worth seeing. Between its relevance and the talent of the young but promising actors, the performance will leave you with the sense that Mermaids Theatre knows how the Fringe is done.
