Since debuting in 1991, Tony Kushner’s two-part, Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels in America has seen many powerful revivals. Decades on, some contemporary cast members were young or not even alive when this meaningful work first premiered. Mindful of this, Miguel Long and Joe Bushell, two young and accomplished performers featured in Invictus Theatre Company’s upcoming production, recently chatted with Windy City Times about how they investigated the worlds of this piece, including the tragic AIDS crisis of the ’80s. The two also explore the significant artistic and cultural legacy of Angels and how they have found their way into the roles of Belize, a kind nurse and ex-drag queen, and Joe Pitt, a repressed Mormon homosexual, many years after they were first brought to life.
Windy City Times: Angels in America was the Hamilton of its day. Do you believe it still has that distinction among the theater community?
Joe Bushell: What’s remarkable about Angels is how revered it is among the theater community despite being over 30 years old. I haven’t had to convince any of my theater friends to come out to this production. They’re thrilled to spend 7+ hours watching both parts, a feat most plays cannot boast. In one of my first acting classes, our first foray into text was the Harper-Joe “burned dinner” scene. I became engrossed playing out the heart-wrenching rhythm of the scene and knew in my bones that I had to play Joe at some point. When I heard Invictus was taking on the monumental challenge of staging Parts 1 and 2, it felt like divine intervention. I’m eternally grateful to have gotten this opportunity.
WCT: How aware were you of the devastation of the AIDS crisis in the ’80s prior to rehearsals for the show?
Miguel Long: This is an element of queer history, that proves the humanity, fight and love that queer people have had to endure and display. But the 2018 documentary 5B really helped show to me the dire stakes that took hold of this community in that time.
WCT: What have you enjoyed the most about portraying your character? Is there anything you’ve struggled with when bringing them to life, as well?
JB: Joe Pitt is a textbook tragic character, destined for downfall from the start. Raised by cold and demanding parents within the strict confines of Mormonism, Joe knows his world is on the precipice of destruction as his secret homosexuality surges to the surface. I’ve enjoyed exploring his turmoil (and brief moments of joy) as he attempts to break free from his past and the duties imposed on him, both from within and without. Though I grew up with religion (Catholicism), I’ve struggled with fully understanding and opening myself to the Mormon faith as Joe experiences it. It takes a lifetime for a person to develop their faith and relationship with God, so trying to recreate the process in a few months may be a fool’s errand. Fortunately, I figured out long ago I’m a fool.
ML: What I’ve enjoyed most about portraying Belize in Angels in America is the opportunity to play a character that looks, sounds and feels like me in the way of how much love he has for his community and friends. I would say the thing I struggle with is how real the emotions I feel are, having dealt with my own discrimination and the impact that this disease and living in this country has had on me personally and those closest to me.
WCT: There are elements of ignorance and fear—even self-hatred in the piece. After a joyous period of moving forward, factions of society are regressing towards those attributes again. Discussions don’t seem to reverse opinions…but theater might. Do you think Angels in America could sway someone towards love and acceptance?
JB: I’m of the belief that changing one’s mind is a gradual process, except in rare cases (conversion experiences, psychedelic journeys, etc.). Whether in a moment or across a lifetime, though, change starts with heart and the mind follows suit. This is where great theater plays a role. Marrying the heart and mind, Kushner’s writing teems with emotion and crackles with wit. Given its sheer brilliance, Angels in America has the power to trigger a transformation within even the most ardent opponent of the beauty of the queer community.
WCT: Billy Porter, Meryl Streep, Jeffrey Wright, Marcia Gay Harden….the caliber of performers in the various versions of this show is incredible. If you could take one or two of those folks out to dinner, who would you pick?
ML: Billy Porter has experienced so many elements of this world not only through Angels but also through shows like Pose. Jeffrey Wright, having had the opportunity to play this character both on stage and screen in different adaptions, would make them both great choices. To find out how these characters have impacted their lives and helped shaped who they become, would make for a beautiful experience
WCT: This particular production has a long run. How do you think being a part of this show will have transformed you when the closing date in September finally arrives?
ML: There’s no doubt in my mind that run of this show will have an impact on my soul. It already has. But telling this story in this time right now, when the country and the people in it are struggling so hard to survive I think will have an everlasting impact on me. There are people in the streets, fighting for queer people, and just the right to exist here. Being a part of this show is our protest. This show is hard, this production is huge and the commitment is one of the longest I’ve ever been a part of. But the fight doesn’t stop when this show ends. I hope that by the end of this run, I am stronger and ready to continue fighting.
Note: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.
Angels in America, comprised of “Millennium Approaches” and “Perestroika” performing at various times, runs through Sept. 7 at the Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road. Further information is available at http://www.invictustheatreco.com.
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