The world only spins forward : the ascent of Angels in America

Title:

Author:

Butler, Isaac, author.

Added Author:

Kois, Dan,

Personal Author:

Butler, Isaac, author.

ISBN:

9781635571769

Physical Description:

437 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Contents:

Act 1: 1978-1990. Bad news : The Reagan Revolution and the end of the world ; The great work begins : New York and San Francisco, 1980-1987 ; I like your cosmology, baby : AIDS, Roy Cohn, and Mormons ; Not-yet-conscious, forward dawning : developing the play in San Francisco and Los Angeles, 1987-1990 -- Act 2: 1991-1992. Heaven is a city much like San Francisco : Eureka Theatre Company, 1991 ; Interlude: Hannah Pitt ; Threshold of revelation : Royal National Theatre, London, 1992 ; Interlude: Roy Cohn ; Prepare the way : The Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1992 ; Interlude: Joe Pitt ; When I open my eyes, you'll be gone : getting fired from Angels in America -- Act 3: 1993-1994. Heaven ... : Millennium Approaches on Broadway, 1993 ; ... I'm in Heaven : Perestroika on Broadway and at the Royal National Theatre, London, 1993-1994 ; Interlude: Louis Ironson -- Act 4: 1994-2003. I'll show you America : the national tour, 1994-1995 ; Interlude: The angel ; It's a promised land, but what a disappointing promise : Angels and the culture wars ; Interlude: Belize ; Very Steven Spielberg : the Angels film, 1991-2003 -- Act 5: 1998-2018. It's what living things do : Angels transformed ; Interlude: Harper Pitt ; More life : Royal National Theatre, London, 2017 ; Interlude: Prior Walter ; The world only spins forward : the legacy of Angels.

Abstract:

"The oral history of Angels in America, as told by the artists who created it and the audiences forever changed by it--a moving account of the AIDS era, essential queer history, and an exuberant backstage tale. When Tony Kushner's Angels in America hit Broadway in 1993, it won the Pulitzer Prize, swept the Tonys, launched a score of major careers, and changed the way gay lives were represented in popular culture. Mike Nichols's 2003 HBO adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, and Mary-Louise Parker was itself a tour de force, winning Golden Globes and eleven Emmys, and introducing the play to an even wider public. This generation-defining classic continues to shock, move, and inspire viewers worldwide. Now, on the 25th anniversary of that Broadway premiere, Isaac Butler and Dan Kois offer the definitive account of Angels in America in the most fitting way possible: through oral history, the vibrant conversation and debate of actors (including Streep, Parker, Nathan Lane, and Jeffrey Wright), directors, producers, crew, and Kushner himself. Their intimate storytelling reveals the on- and offstage turmoil of the play's birth--a hard-won miracle beset by artistic roadblocks, technical disasters, and disputes both legal and creative. And historians and critics help to situate the play in the arc of American culture, from the staunch activism of the AIDS crisis through civil rights triumphs to our current era, whose politics are a dark echo of the Reagan '80s. Expanded from a popular Slate cover story and built from nearly 250 interviews, The World Only Spins Forward is both a rollicking theater saga and an uplifting testament to one of the great works of American art of the past century, from its gritty San Francisco premiere to its starry, much-anticipated Broadway revival in 2018"--Jacket.

The oral history of Angels in America. Now, on the 25th anniversary of that Broadway premiere, Isaac Butler and Dan Kois offer the definitive account of Angels in America, expanded from a popular Slate cover story, is both a rollicking theater saga and an uplifting testament to one of the great works of American art of the past century, from its gritty San Francisco premiere to its starry, much-anticipated Broadway revival in 2018.

Personal Subject:

Kushner, Tony-Dramatic production.

Kushner, Tony-Stage history.

Kushner, Tony. Angels in America.

Subject Term:

AIDS (Disease) in literature.

Gay men in literature.

Summary:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Belmont	Book	812 B985	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Main Library	Book	812 B985	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"Marvelous . . . A vital book about how to make political art that offers lasting solace in times of great trouble, and wisdom to audiences in the years that follow."-- Washington Post

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR

The oral history of Angels in America , as told by the artists who created it and the audiences forever changed by it--a moving account of the AIDS era, essential queer history, and an exuberant backstage tale.

When Tony Kushner's Angels in America hit Broadway in 1993, it won the Pulitzer Prize, swept the Tonys, launched a score of major careers, and changed the way gay lives were represented in popular culture. Mike Nichols's 2003 HBO adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, and Mary-Louise Parker was itself a tour de force, winning Golden Globes and eleven Emmys, and introducing the play to an even wider public. This generation-defining classic continues to shock, move, and inspire viewers worldwide.

Now, on the 25th anniversary of that Broadway premiere, Isaac Butler and Dan Kois offer the definitive account of Angels in America in the most fitting way possible: through oral history, the vibrant conversation and debate of actors (including Streep, Parker, Nathan Lane, and Jeffrey Wright), directors, producers, crew, and Kushner himself. Their intimate storytelling reveals the on- and offstage turmoil of the play's birth--a hard-won miracle beset by artistic roadblocks, technical disasters, and disputes both legal and creative. And historians and critics help to situate the play in the arc of American culture, from the staunch activism of the AIDS crisis through civil rights triumphs to our current era, whose politics are a dark echo of the Reagan '80s.

Expanded from a popular Slate cover story and built from nearly 250 interviews, The World Only Spins Forward is both a rollicking theater saga and an uplifting testament to one of the great works of American art of the past century, from its gritty San Francisco premiere to its starry, much-anticipated Broadway revival in 2018.

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

An oral history traces the life of an iconic American play.Tony Kushner's Angels in America won accolades when it opened on Broadway in 1993, winning a Pulitzer Prize, many Tony awards, and critical acclaim. In their debut book, theater director Butler and Slate writer Kois gather the voices of 250 actors, directors, producers, critics, audience members, and historiansand Kushner himselfto tell the story of that momentous play and its dramatic context. A rich historical resource, the book chronicles the emergence of AIDS and the nation's changing attitudes toward homosexuality from 1978 to 2018, when Angels is set to be revived yet again. Each of five sections opens with a timeline, beginning with the assassination of gay rights activist Harvey Milk and progressing through the election of Ronald Reagan, the Army's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and the Supreme Court judgment making gay marriage legal in all states. Contributors include many of the actors in the original production and some (like Marcia Gay Harden) who performed over the years. Meryl Streep, who performed in the HBO production in 2003, remarked on the play's immediate impact: "I've seen lots of performances that surprised me in the theater but this was on a scalewith ambition and imaginationthat was unlike anything I'd ever seen." It was, she added later, "the Hamilton of its time." In his review, New York Times critic Frank Rich wrote that the play "speaks so powerfully because something far larger and more urgent than the future of the theater is at stake. It really is history that Mr. Kushner intends to crack open." Despite the praise and awards, Kushner himself never quite believed his fame. In an interview with journalist Susan Cheever, he expressed worry that if a new play failed, he would "just be back to writing little plays for tiny little theaters." She assured him that would never happen: "You've gone over to the other side now. You'll always have done this thing and it's permanent."A chorus of candid, emotional, and often moving testimonies. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.