Hove's "Angels in America" Explores US Ideologies

Ivo van Hove's acclaimed staging of Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" offers a compelling performance in Dutch, examining the play's enduring relevance 35 years after its premiere. The production, staged by Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, delves into a sprawling "Gay Fantasia on National Themes," dissecting competing ideologies within the United States. It contrasts themes of religious guilt and forgiveness with Mormon repression and the liberation of being openly gay, alongside self-hatred and raw individualism.

Set against the backdrop of the 1980s AIDS crisis and rising conservative forces, the play, performed in Edinburgh during the US's 250th anniversary year, predicts and mirrors contemporary American contradictions. Characters like Joe Pitt, a Republican Mormon, embody a nationalistic idealism challenged by realities like the ozone layer's depletion.

Hove's direction utilizes Jan Versweyveld's edgeless set, creating a fluid space where characters and ideas intermingle, enhanced by David Bowie's evocative music. This dreamlike quality pervades the performance, with actors appearing dynamically and scenes washing over each other, amplifying the play's mythic and hallucinatory elements. Hans Kesting delivers a powerful portrayal of Roy Cohn, anchoring the production with complex alpha-male energy.