PHOTO: ROBERT FRITH
JUST OVER two decades ago, the AIDS crisis had reached such a critical point that education and awareness became the number one priority. And when it came to raising a public voice, there was none so great as the entertainment industry. Efforts included television movies such as And The Band Played On and An Early Frost, documentaries such as Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt, the Oscar-winning Philadelphia and even musical theatre, with Rent. Theatre being one of the most expressive forms of art and activism, it was no wonder to see works such as Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Normal Heart and A Quiet End all gaining not only critical appraise but also the attention of mainstream audiences.
Enter Angels In America, hailed as one of the most important plays of the 20th Century. Written by Tony Kushner, Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia On National Themes, arrived in two parts: Millennium Approaches in 1991, and Perestroika, the following year.