^{Laura Scribner as Ethel Rosenberg and Joe MacDougall as Roy Cohn
Photo: Bob Tucker Focalpoint}

Review by Steve Desroches

First presented as a staged reading in 1991 Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika is a literary masterpiece that over 30 years later still has lungs full of air and a passionate heartbeat. The work by Tony Kushner feels as fresh and relevant today as it did upon its premiere. While the text remains the same, the prose has managed to evolve to our own times as if the play itself were a living organism. And the cast and crew at the Provincetown Theater have begun their 2025 season with an absolute must-see production.

With last year’s cast of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches returning to their roles for the second part, the talented team of actors manages to aptly handle the Herculean task before them to both pick up with the same energy and gusto as where the story left off and to measure the ferocity of a narrative featuring their respective characters caught in the maelstrom that was the Reagan years, of which we can now see a direct line to today. It gives Kushner’s words an air of prophecy, which in large part is what Angels in America is all about. 

Joe MacDougall accomplishes the impossible by giving full humanity to Roy Cohn, who in real life seemed soulless. In a lesser actor’s hands the character would be little more than a hissing, snarling creature. But MacDougall creates a character so fully formed that Cohn’s hideous nature and evil core isn’t something supernatural, but rather chillingly human, which makes it part of the mortal world and all the more frightening.  Karl Gregory does the same with Louis Ironson, whose faults are relatable instead of alienating. Laura Scribner, in multiple roles, but most notably as Hannah Pitt and Ethel Rosenberg, is a marvel as she disappears into each character with an aching heartbreak. Truly just a beautiful performance. And Todd Flaherty conjures just the right amount of grit and vulnerability to Prior Walter that prevents him from being a victim in a presentation of realistic valor. Danica Jensen and Nick Wilson as Harper and Joe Pitt swirl in the complexity as a couple and individuals with grace, aware of the sword of Damocles over their heads without looking up. Darlene Van Alstyne commands as the Angel, and is sly in other roles, while Devon Kendall-Jacobs knows how to provide comic relief with a soul, no easy task.

Despite the heft of the material, Angels in America is often a very funny play, something director David Drake made room for in this marvelous production, which, at a little over three hours with two intermissions, never loses its pacing. With an incredible set by Jenni Baldwin and Shannon Robert, lighting by Stephen Petrilli, and costumes and props by Thom Markee (kudos to finding a vintage bag of Doritos), this take on a modern classic is a significant achievement. 

Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika is at the Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St., Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. now through May 25. Tickets ($55) are available at the box office and online at provincetowntheater.org. For more information call 508.487.7487.