Kimberly Sta. Maria Dalton

Theatre 100

Professor Karjala

A Directing and Acting Analysis of Angels in America

Vanderbilt University Theater's production of Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches, like any other theatre production, was the result of many creative forces coming together to form a coherent and entertaining whole. Many roles needed to be filled in order to produce this successful show. Such roles included the lighting, scenic, costume and makeup designers, running crew and the stage manager. Last, but certainly not least, are the roles of the director and the actors themselves.

More than any other person in the show, the director is responsible for the major decisions that shape the play into what the audience finally experiences. Although the designers play a significant role in the look of the staging, costumes, lights and makeup, it is the director's guidance and his production concept on which the aspects of design and acting are based. Several aspects of the staging were indubitably the product of a fine director. Few if any changes were made to the spoken dialog as written by Tony Kushner, though several visual additions were made. One interesting choice that the director decided upon was the utilization of a slide projector to display the number and setting of each scene on the large window-shaped frame that hovered just above the highest platform of the acting space. The comprehensiblity of the action was greatly improved by the use of the projector, because this director's interpretation had such minimalist furniture. Furthermore, scene settings skipped from one week to the next without any indication in the dialog and there was never any sense that it was day or night (with the exception of the scene in the park which took place in partial darkness). Thus, a projector, while not absolutely necessary, was extremely helpful in tying the scenes together and giving the audience a correct perception of time for each of the scenes.

The performance space had a fair degree of formality, but it was not so formal as an elaborate theatre with carpeted lobbies: the floor was hardwood and the seats were cushioned. The size of the space was small, creating a more intimate theatrical experience. The theatrical arrangement was like a thrust in that the audience sat around the stage, though only on two different sides. The actual stage was arranged into different platforms. The two bottom-most platforms were on the same level. These two platforms led up to a platform above and between the two lower ones. Another flight of stairs connected that platform to the highest platform. Above the highest platform was a hovering window structure.

The director made good use of the performance space. The varied areas of the stage served as different but consistent settings for the many scenes. The acting space on the lower left was always Roy Cohn's office, though it served as the hospital and the Bronx as well. The lower right-hand corner of the stage was always the home of Joe and Harper, though it also served as the restaurant. The platform connecting the two was the Justice building, outside the Justice building, outside the funeral home, and any other relatively minor setting or transitional scene. The main platform just above all the others was used for the home of Prior Walter and Louis Ironson. It was also used for Harper's Antarctica hallucination and for the home of Joe's mother. The unique stage design also allowed the simultaneous in Act II to happen at the same time while still suggesting that they are taking place in two entirely different locations.

The director's use of the highest platform for important scenes with Prior Walter is effective because that is the main plot line. This is Prior's story. It is for him that the messenger comes. Also, the angel's descent onto the top stage area was very effective. In addition, the remaining two subplots being shared by the two lower yet equal platforms seems very well thought out. It gives the audience a sense of what is most important in the story in a subtle way and it unifies the three plots in a sort of triangle formation. This may be significant because of the pink triangle which has been associated with the homosexuality since WWII. This symbol, once a reminder of bigotry and hatred, has recently been embraced by the gay community as an emblem of pride. More than anything, this triangular stage formation may suggest the major interpretational approach that the director chose to take.

Because of the unique nature of the roles in this production, casting was probably quite a challenge. The director had to choose actors based not only on their gender and acting ability, but in some cases also on their skill at creating a believable homosexual character. The casting of Christopher Hines as Prior Walter was probably due to his thin physique, gentle voice and feminine facial features. Zachary Crockett, who portrayed Joe, may also have been cast because of his gentle appearance. While the director did not have to consider feminine characteristics to such a high degree for the character of Louis, the fact that the character was Jewish had to factor into the casting decision. Steve Moulds, who has dark hair and a rather prominent nose, was selected to play the part. The character of Roy Cone was perhaps the best cast role in the play. Roy needed to look older and more imposing than the other actors. The performer who played the role needed to be able to project his voice well and show arrogance in both his speech and gestures. David Osipovich fit this character well. He was older, very masculine, and he had a very deep voice that projected well. Other actors such as Gina Scherr, Kyle Brenton, Meghan Moore, and Bakar Wilson were chosen for their versatility in playing a variety of very different roles. The actors, because of their roles as performers and their responsibility to develop and become their character or characters, were just as important to the final product as the director.

Seven of the actors in Angels in America had a unique task ahead of them. They were required by the script and by the director to play several characters with contrasting personalities and backgrounds. In order to play different characters, the actors had to change their movements, speech, voice inflection, and accents. David Osipovich was very successful in his portrayal of the arrogant Roy Cohn. He used a New York dialect to enhance his character, very arrogant gestures, and a devious smile. In the first act, Roy used voice inflection and hand gestures to show his quick temper on the phone in lines such as "I have clients in Hati, Mrs. Soffer, I…Listen, Ailene, YOU THINK I'M THE ONLY G*DDAMN LAWYER IN HISTORY EVER MISSED A COURT DATE?" When Roy finds out in the second act that he has been diagnosed with AIDS, he shows his arrogance by not looking at the doctor while the doctor is speaking or while he is addressing the doctor. Instead, Roy's eyes just stare off into another part of the stage almost implying that the doctor is not worth his attention. He then proceeds to yell at the doctor, and when he finally does look at him, he grabs the doctor's head and makes the doctor face him. In the third act, when Joe turns down Roy's offer to go to Washington, Roy shows the rage inside him by attacking Joe. Even in the end, when Roy is bleeding on the floor and death seems imminent, it can be deduced by his gestures and intonation that he never loses his arrogance. In contrast, David Osipovich's performance as Prior II in the second act required a completely different approach. Prior II's costumes implied that he was an 18^th century nobleman. As such, he used grand, sweeping gestures with his arms. David smiled more, and made all of his movements as graceful as possible. His vocal intonation was no longer harsh, and he spoke as if he was a refined aristocrat and not a corrupt and heartless lawyer from New York.

Zachary Crockett's characterization of Joe Pitt was that of a very pleasant, naïve, and somewhat insecure lawyer. He only saw the good in people and tried as hard as he could to be the best person he could be, even repressing his sexuality to live up to his religious standards. Zachary's character was very gentle and somewhat fidgety at times (as in Roy's office). His character changed from happy around the office to depressed at home. To show this depression, Zachary altered his voice and his facial expressions. Zachary faced an interesting challenge as the Eskimo in Harper's fantasy because he had to establish a new characterization without talking. To do this, Zachary twisted his face into an exaggerated smile and moved and walked in a very stiff manner, almost as if his joints were frozen.

Kyle Brenton did an especially fine job in creating distinct behaviors for his many roles: the Rabbi, Henry, Martin Heller, and Prior I. As the Rabbi in Act I, Brenton was very restrained with his gestures, keeping his hands together for the most part, and squinting and adjusting his glasses while reading to suggest that the character could not see well due to his age. Brenton used a thick Jewish accent when speaking as the Rabbi. For the character of Henry in Act II, Brenton talked without using an accent, and his voice seemed stronger and more emotionally-restrained. As Martin Heller in Act II, he added more warmth to his voice and smiled. Moreover, he increased his energy level and used freer hand gestures, even matching Roy's enthusiasm while slamming his hand on the table in the restaurant. Brenton's final character, Prior I, required a totally different approach. Brenton used much more energy for this character than for any of the others. He danced and scratched himself (perhaps to suggest the disease he died of or fleas on his person) and yelled or shouted many of his lines. Again he utilized an accent to bring out his character's background, but this time it was medieval instead of Jewish.

Christopher Hines did an excellent portrayal of Prior Walter. He used a very feminine voice with a pronounced 'S' sound, and delicate gestures (i.e. when he gave Louis a backrub).

Christopher had a different interpretation of the other homosexual character he was cast as--the Man in the Park. For this role, Christopher made his voice deeper and more threatening. He removed any 'S' sounds from his speech and assumed very masculine stances with his hands in his pockets.

Bakar Wilson was cast as Belize, a former drag queen and prior lover of Prior Walter. To achieve a sense of femininity, Bakar used his hands to make gestures such as the widely stereotyped palm-down wave. He swayed his hips when he walked, and assumed very feminine mannerisms. He also made sure to change his voice so that it included a prominent 'S' sound. Bakar's Mr. Lies character moved with less wide gestures, kept his hands at his sides when he talked, and didn't utter the 'S' sound of Belize.

One last actor worth mentioning who played extremely diversified roles was Gina Scherr. Gina's interpretations of the Angel, Emily, Sister Ella, and the Homeless Woman were all markedly different. As the Angel, Gina's did not actually appear until the end, but her chosen voice for the character was smooth and warm like a "finely tuned viola" as Prior said. As the Nurse Emily in Act II, Gina's voice was warm, but not quite as warm and her character was more restrained. Her pleasant yet plain facial expression and almost hesitant manner of speaking suggested that her character wanted to comfort Louis, but didn't quite know what to say. Her movements were graceful and gentle when touching Prior and arranging his bedsheets. As sister Ella, Gina adopted a completely different approach. She made her voice as squeaky as possible and raised it's pitch. She also made bigger and more abrupt gestures with her hands especially when she talked of Salt Lake City and it's status as the home of the Saints. For Act III Gina again completely transformed her acting style. She adopted a Bronx accent, wild gestures, and even seemed to shout her lines at times.

Other challenges which were faced by actors in this production were scene changes. Sometimes actors had to rush off stage and then completely change their costume and acting style. Perhaps the most noticeable point in the play when this happened was in Act II when the actor playing Prior had to run backstage after his scene in bed was over, change to black pants and a biker's jacket, and assume a new identity as the Man in the Park. For this kind of a transition to take place, Christopher Hines and any other actor who performed such a quick character switch had to be very aware of the differences in the roles they were playing. One last challenge encountered by only the male actors in this play was presumably learning to be comfortable with their roles as gay men, though many of them might have been straight. This challenge was probably hardest for Louis and Joe because of their kiss in Act III in Central Park.

This production was definitely a worthwhile one for VUT to perform. Angels in America may have allowed the male actors to stretch their acting capabilities farther than they had previously, and offered many of the performers experience in changing roles in a very limited amount of time. More importantly, it brought up issues about homosexuality and AIDS that are important in our society but are seldom discussed on a conservative campus like Vanderbilt. It undoubtedly increased student and faculty awareness, and gave the actors, the director, the designers, and the audience a sense of what the disease and what living with the disease is like.