At Studio 58, Angels in America is angelic

Prior Walter (Julien Galipeau) slaps on some lips. Pro tip: next time, apply your rouge under your cheekbones, not on them.

Yesterday, I saw the last performance in Studio 58’s run of Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches. Because the show is over, this isn’t really a review; it’s more of a shout out to some outstanding talent.

Let’s not forget what a work of genius Tony Kushner’s script is: Kushner’s examination of American culture and politics through the lens of the AIDS crisis is monumentally original—smart, moving, and hilarious. Congratulations to Studio 58 for producing it.

Rachel Peake’s excellent production featured a fantastically innovative set from Drew Facey: otherworldly figures spun around two parabolic walls on casters, revealing an endless succession of new scenes.

Elizabeth Barrett (Harper, a valium-addicted Mormon woman who is married to a gay man) and Julien Galipeau (Prior Walter, who has AIDS) ripped my heart out. Barrett’s performance was a fantastic combination of the understated and surprising. And Galipeau was heartbreakingly skinless. I can’t wait to see what these two are going to do next.

Yay!