ANGELS DESCENDING ON THE BATH HOUSE

Last night I had the privilege of seeing Risk Theater Initiative’s rendition of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. Our very own Glenn Arbery wrote about this production–in particular, why RTI was staging it now, here–in the current issue of the magazine, so I was anxious to see how Marianne Galloway’s team would pull it off at the Bath House. It was, in a word, fantastic. The simplicity of the venue and the sparseness of the sets really allowed the brilliant performances to come through–the pill-popping and hallucinating Harper and her uber-repressed husband, Joe; power-hungry and unapologetic Roy; ridiculously neurotic Louis; sensitive and sick Pryor. I was heartbroken and elated and tickled. Though three acts with two intermissions, it moved at the correct pace. If you’re unfamiliar with the subject matter–the dawn of AIDS during the Reagan administration–it would be irresponsible of me not to warn you of the language and sexual content. But it’s a show not to be missed, especially because the Bath House overlooks White Rock Lake and downtown, making intermissions quite scenic. See it through May 28.