Angels in America

I have wanted to write this post for a long time, but I was waiting until I could visit the invaluable Royal National Theatre Archive to check my memory of their early productions. It doesn't look like I'll be in London any time soon, and I have the time now to write a long post about a long play, so here goes.

Growing up in London meant that theatre has always been an important part of my life. I have seen a great many plays including some legendary performances and magnificent productions, such as Royal National Theatre's 2014 King Lear. One of my particular theatrical interests is long-form plays. Highlights of this genre have included:

Play Text

• Ken Campbell's Science Fiction Theatre of Liverpool's 9-hour Illuminatus Trilogy
• The Magic Theatre's all-night production of Murray Mednick's Coyote Cycle
• The Royal National Theatre's 6-hour adaptation of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials
• Taylor Mac's 3x8-hour A 24-Decade History of Popular Music

But there is one such play that is very special to me, Tony Kushner's 7+ hour Angels in America. It is clearly among the greatest plays of the 20^th century. I was there at the beginning, and I have seen many productions since. Below the fold I recount my history with this masterpiece.