There are many things other than angels hovering over Tony
Kushner’s generally recognised modern master work – Reagan’s America, the
impending turn of the century, fear and prejudice as the AIDS virus takes hold,
a sense of mortality as we are buffeted by politics, religion, disease, and our
own weaknesses. It is gloriously theatrical, brutal, funny, confronting,
compassionate, but above all else human. It deals with the inner turmoil of
failing to cope with a loved one who is dying under terrible circumstances or
mentally decaying before your eyes; the denial of one’s own sexuality through
either expediency or guilt; the yearning for connection and love even in the
most terrible of circumstances. Within those dilemmas and human interactions is
a precise sense of time and place. The coming end of the millennium is truly an
earth shattering event.
Black Swan’s production is a finely acted and stylish piece
of theatre that befits the rightly lauded writing. The first half of this preview flew by in a
dazzling 90 minutes. The second half gets a little funky as the hallucinations
and visitations become bolder until it all ends in a crescendo that has you
wishing Part Two was but a dinner break away.
The stage is flanked by impressive lighting rigs that are
utilised in style by lighting designer Matt Scott from the stark whiteness of
Antarctica to night time interludes in Central Park to the announcement of a
divine messenger. There is judicious use of music by Ash Gibson Greig including
a gorgeous version of Moon River on only violin and piano in a moment that is
both joyous and heartbreaking as AIDS ravaged Prior Walter (Adam Booth) dances
with his estranged lover Louis Ironson (Will O’Mahony).
The set takes full advantage of the technical wizardry
available at the Heath Ledger Theatre. Director Kate Cherry and Set Designer
Christina Smith have wisely gone for a minimalist look with settings
represented only by a key piece of furniture – Ray Cohn’s desk, a wash basin, a
settee, a hospital bed etc that all effortlessly glide into place. The
transitions are slick and the focus is on the performances and Kushner’s prose
that is, at turns, poetic, cruel, dagger sharp or slyly funny. And make no
mistake there is great humour to be found here amongst the emotional tumult.
The climactic ending summons the full arsenal of lighting, sound, costuming,
and set design as the world literally falls in on Prior.
The standout performance of the first half belongs to Jo
Morris who plays Harper, a woman struggling to deal with her own demons including
fear of climate change and the strange noises coming from the bedroom. Reliant
on Valium, Harper conjures imaginary friends and hallucinations with a
self-awareness that is funny but laced with poignancy. Morris displays wonderful
comic timing especially in the hallucination sequences which she tackles with
relish. But the irrational fears and reliance on pills are given harrowing
treatment as well. The second half suffers a little from her lessened presence
except for the bravura Antarctica sequence that is a highlight for Morris.
The other standouts are Adam Booth as Prior who gives an
emotionally truthful performance as a man not only dying from AIDS but
devastated at Louis’ withdrawal; and O’Mahony as Louis who has a complex arc as
he seeks solace in his ‘betrayal’ by engaging in acts of cold, random sex while
striking up an unlikely friendship with Harper’s husband Joseph Porter Pitt (Stuart
Halusz). Joe has denied his sexuality until finally confessing he is a
homosexual over the phone to his mother in an all too real awkward moment of
self-loathing and revelation. Prior and Louis coming to terms with their
relationship and Prior’s imminent death is the backbone of the second half with Booth and O'Mahony compelling.
John Stanton plays the loathsome lawyer and power broker Ray
Cohn with expletive laden relish but it’s in the quieter moments where he
excels – the scene with Joe at a bar and his confrontation with a ghost from
the past are memorable. The rationalisation Cohn gives on learning of his
medical condition is delivered with chilling pragmatism by Stanton – status and
power are the only language the character understands and deals in. Halusz in
many ways has the trickiest role as his Joe is an earnest character who denies
his true self and remains principled in the face of Cohn’s temptations and his
wife’s descent into fantasy. He plays the Mormon lawyer with a straight
forwardness that works in contrast to the showier roles around him and acts as
a foundation of sorts for the audience.
The only weakness is Kenneth Ransom’s dual roles of
Harper’s imaginary friend Mr Lies and the gay drag queen Belize. The latter simply isn’t flamboyant enough and the former lacks any flair. Both are
opportunities to ‘go large’ but ended up being flat portrayals barely
differentiated from each other. Felicity
Mckay and Toni Scanlon round out the cast with Scanlon especially engaging as the Rabbi.
I enjoyed the superb first half more than the second which
had some odd scenes that seemed somewhat extraneous (largely revolving around Joe’s
mother coming to New York) or verging into Pythonesque territory (Prior’s
ancestors visiting his sick bed). Otherwise this was an excellent production
that showcased Black Swan’s considerable technical and performance capabilities.
Written by Tony Kushner, Directed by Kate Cherry and
starring Adam Booth, Stuart Halusz, Felicity Mckay, Jo Morris, Will O’Mahony,
Kenneth Ransom, Toni Scanlon, and John Stanton, Angels in America, Part One is
on at the
Heath Ledger Theatre until 19 June.
*photos by Daniel James Grant
