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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2002)
march 1 .2 0 Û 2 » THEATER ^he first time I crossed paths with Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award- winning Angels in America was during my junior year at University of Idaho. The campus was buzzing about an upcoming controversial play, so I went to the library and checked out a copy of the script. The second I started reading, I was drawn to it. With every page, I was forced to hold a mirror to my face. For the first time in my life, 1 was being held accountable for who I really was. 1 had been living in denial, always knowing 1 was different hut fighting the tmth of why. I was brought up in a conservative military fami ly, and being gay was simply not an option for me. Reading a piece portraying homosexuality in a frank, honest and unapologetic way affect ed me profoundly and began to open the door. As an assistant stage manager, I would go to rehearsals each day and leave feeling drained, as if what 1 was seeing on stage was hap pening to me. The character to whom 1 felt most connected was Joe Pitt, a young married man in the painful process of coming to terms with his sexuality. Despite all of his efforts and every thing he has been conditioned to believe, he no longer can deny he is gay. His struggle was my struggle. A country deeply troubled ngels is set in 1980s Reagan-era America and studies Mormonism, ihomosexuality, addiction and AIDS in its exploration of universal issues such as tolerance, acceptance, love, faith, loyalty and death. Besides Joe’s faltering heterosexu ality, the work deals with his Lewis & Clark College tackles the controversial Angels in America by M ic h a el W ayne K eck depressed, lonely and Valium-addicted wife, Harper. We also witness the destruction of one gay relationship because a partner is dying of AIDS and the other just can’t handle it. We see a fictional ized portrayal of real-life lawyer Roy Cohn, who is most famous for help ing send Ethel and Julius Rosenberg to the elec tric chair. His character evokes disgust yet, at the same time, sympathy for a man who has AIDS hut won’t even admit he’s gay. Trust me, Angels is as gut-wrenching and riveting as it sounds. Fortunately, Kushner offers some comic relief, specifically in the character of Belize, a former drag queen. Angels is written as | two separate three- ohour plays, Part One: g Millennium Approach- 'es and Part Two: Per- westroika. This month p Lewis &. Clark C o l lege tackles Part One of the theatrical epic. D irector Stepan Simek knows he’s got his work cut out for him, calling Angels the greatest play of the second half of the 20th century. “What it does as a piece of theater and what it says about this country is very profound,” he says, noting it’s about an America “deeply troubled and trying very hard to live some kind of wonder ful potential but never quite managing." Simek emphasizes Kushner’s multilayered approach. “It uses the A ID S crisis and gay struggle as a symbol,” he explains, to “examine the limits of tolerance. This play is about many things but primarily it is about being gay, and Kushner wants us to know that.” Lewis & Clark junior Eric Sammons agrees. The only openly gay cast member, he understands the importance of this show. “It’s not something our school would nor mally put on, but I’m sure our campus will appre ciate it and embrace it.” In an ironic twist of casting, Sammons is playing the part of Joe. “It’s funny that I’m the only gay cast member but I end up playing the straight guy in the closet. Playing Joe has been like going back into the closet. It can be very intense bringing back those feelings.” He notes the work is challenging but rewarding for the other cast members as well. “All the students are very involved. This play means a lot to us." It seems everyone touched by this play takes something different away from it. Back in col lege, I took with me the knowledge that I was n’t alone in my struggle. A few years later, I still carry that with me, but I also leave the performance with a newfound patience and empathy for what being gay really means. That’s what Kushner does. Without being overbearing, he challenges the audience to take a look at themselves and their own con victions. With powerful themes and strong dia logue, Angels manages to reach out beyond its time pericxl and resonate with a lasting and memorable impact. J H A ngels in A merica : M illennium A pproaches plays 7:30 p.m. March 7 to 16 at Lewis & Clark College's Fir Acres Theatre. Tickets are $3-$8 from 503-768-7495. M ichael W ayne K eck is a Portland free-lance writer. 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