An Oral History of 'Angels in America'

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When Angels in America first appeared on Broadway in 1993, it was groundbreaking for its direct examination of AIDS and homosexuality in America. The play written by Tony Kushner premiered in 1991 and received much critical acclaim, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a pair of Tony Awards for Best Play in 1993 and 1994. It has been adapted into an HBO mini-series and recreated as an opera that held its world premiere in France in 2004.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the play’s Broadway premiere, journalist Dan Kois has co-authored an oral history of the play, in which he and theater director and writer Isaac Butler interview nearly 200 actors and others who were involved in the Broadway production. The stories that are shared in The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America harken back to an era when actors weren’t even sure if audiences would understand the play or its questioning of social norms. In The World Only Spins Forward, Kois and Butler shed new light on a zeitgeist production that moved millions of people with its account of the AIDS epidemic. This anniversary edition also reintroduces readers to the play’s original cast of characters, as told through the authentic voices of the actors that made Angels in America such an iconic work of art.

Kois, a native of Whitefish Bay and a writer and editor for Slate, will speak at UW-Milwaukee (Curtin Hall, Room 175) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 15. This free event, co-sponsored by Boswell Book Company, is a part of the UWM Visiting Writers Series.