A Polarizing Production

NWSA takes on Angels

Comments (0) By Margaret Griffis Thursday, Feb 8 2007

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Awhile back, Mother Jones magazine quoted award-winning playwright Tony Kushner as saying, “People shouldn't trust artists, and they shouldn't trust art. Part of the fun of art is that it invites you to interpret it.” Apparently his critics agree wholeheartedly. Kushner’s controversial Angels in America has been canonized as one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written. On the other hand, some detractors have accused the play of being littered with platitudes driven by the playwright’s extreme ideology. When art is this controversial and divisive, there has to be something to it. Perhaps it’s in the difficulty of the production. Angelswas written for eight actors, who play multiple roles. The theme is no cakewalk, either: Anchored to the politics of the early AIDS years, the play confronts racism, homophobia, addiction, and religion through its tragic, comic, and fantastic elements. Phew! The New World School of the Arts stages this daring epic at the Colony Theater.
Fri., Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m.