"This is a bold choice for community theater," says director D. Terry Williams of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre's upcoming production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches, opening Friday, Mar 12 on the Civic’s mainstage.
Williams, Professor Emeritus at Western Michigan University and WMU theater student and production dramaturg Jake Flaviani talk to Cara Lieurance about the landmark 1991 play, which runs through March 22.
Set in 1985 at the height of the AIDS crisis, the play weaves together the stories of two couples — a gay man dying of AIDS and his struggling partner, and a closeted Mormon lawyer and his wife — alongside the real-life figure of Roy Cohn, the infamous attorney who served as Joe McCarthy's counsel and later mentored Donald Trump. Williams notes the production features 11 actors playing 22 characters across 27 scenes and runs approximately three and a half hours.
Both Williams and Flaviani point out the play's striking contemporary resonance. "Parts of it could have been written yesterday," Williams says, citing ongoing divisions over LGBTQ acceptance, immigration, and political power. The production's Brechtian staging — with visible crew, split scenes, and sweeping New York projections on an LED wall — reinforces Kushner's subtitle: a gay fantasia on national themes. "We took the word fantasia very literally," Williams says. "We want the audience to engage in the fantasy of theater."
Central to the play's purpose is the question of personal obligation. Williams identifies it as the drama's true heart: what do we owe a partner, a spouse, or a stranger when life becomes unbearable? That tension drives both couples — Lewis grappling with his dying partner Prior, and Joe Pitt struggling to reconcile his faith with his identity.
Religion plays an equally significant role. Kushner juxtaposes Jewish immigrant heritage with Mormonism, using both to examine how Old World beliefs collide with American identity. Flaviani notes that Kushner also explores how queer people navigate faith traditions that have often excluded them.
For Flaviani, researching the era was a deep dive into unfamiliar territory. He found primary sources — including archived CBS 60 Minutes interviews with Cohn and newsreel footage of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg — especially valuable. "I really try to prioritize finding primary sources from the era that I'm researching," he says.
A portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt is on display in the Civic's upper lobby during the run, including a panel honoring Kalamazoo activist Richard Braden, founder of Rainbow House, precursor to OutFront Kalamazoo.
Post-show talkbacks are scheduled for the Sunday matinees on March 16 and March 22. Tickets and information are available at kazoocivic.com.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
