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Sunday, December 07, 2003
Angels in AmericaIt amounts to heresy for a San Francisco theater critic not to like Tony Kushner, but I'm sorry, I don't. Angels started here, in the old Eureka Theater, and the play stands as evidence to some people that San Francisco is still a vibrant theater town. Well, the scene here is livelier and more consistent than some outsiders think; but it's not world-class, and it certainly isn't great because of Angels.
The actor Ed Hooks calls San Francisco theater a "fragile invalid" in a little essay at the bottom of this page. That's wrong, in my opinion. But he's right that the air in this town can be sanctimonious, and Angels is an epic, two-part indulgence in sanctimony. Mike Nichols' HBO version might improve on the original — I'll know after tomorrow. But in general it's bracing to read Sullivan on Kushner after all the blowjobs the playwright gets from Frank Rich.
posted by Michael Scott Moore |
1:19 AM
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