Emma Getz's Reviews > Angels in America

"This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all, and the dead will be commemorated and will struggle on with the living, and we are not going away. We won't die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come."

Angels in America is my favorite and absolutely the most beautiful play I have ever read for many, many reasons. First and foremost, it is a real look at a historical era and crisis so often erased in popular media. The inclusion of real historical figures like Roy Cohn and Ethel Rosenberg only grounded this even more. At the same time, the play exists in the realm of magical realism, for lack of a better term. It pushes the boundaries between real and fantasy but grounds it in religion, truth, and life. Each character is incredibly complex and dynamic, so there are no antagonists in this story, apart from the nature of the Reagan era and AIDS itself. The dialogue is clever and humorous while being incredibly raw and heartfelt. It is heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. The scenes are ingeniously and masterfully crafted and staged. Overall, it is a masterpiece of both theatre and literature. If I were to choose a play that EVERYONE should read, it would be this one.