The Play Typer Guy

#84 Why Angels in America Remains Shockingly Relevant with Evan Stern Part 1

• Stephen Robinson • Episode 84

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0:00 | 35:52

Evan Stern from the Certain Thoughts Substack joins me to discuss my favorite play, Angels in America. Evan just saw the 2003 HBO miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner’s masterwork, and we discuss how a play written in 1991 and set in the 1980s is both simultaneously a snapshot of the period while also offering a shocking preview of modern politics. In so many ways, Angels in America feels as if it could’ve been written today. 

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, you will hear:

  • Getting Evan’s thoughts on his first introduction to Angels in America
  • How the play humanized people affected most by the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, especially since society used this as a way to threaten an already marginalized LGBT+ community, specifically targeting gay men
  • How this story differs from a lot of the stories of the time because Prior is alive at the end with a last word and a hopefulness, unlike stories like Philadelphia and Forest Gump where Andrew and Jenny are doomed to die
  • The attention the story gives to real-life situations, such as how to deal with exposure to blood responsibly and safe sex between partners when one is affected with HIV/AIDS, etc.
  • A look at the traits of the different characters in the story and how no one, including the “devil himself” Roy Cohn, is irredeemable
  • The difference between the idea that someone does something awful, but learns and can move forward to someone who does something that fundamentally breaks what you have together and how that relates to our current political landscape
  • And more! Make sure to check out Part 2!

Links:

Evan’s Substack: https://substack.com/@therealevanstern/notes

Evan’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealevanstern/

Evan’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/certainthoughts.substack.com


Stephen’s Substack Episode: https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/why-angels-in-america-remains-shockingly

Play Typer Guy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0S-b-rReeY 

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com


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