Review: ANGELS IN AMERICA PART ONE: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES at Gettysburg Community Theatre

Tony Kushner's epic Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play Angels in America premiered in San Francisco in 1991. The play is made up of two parts, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, and explores complex and difficult themes of ethics, relationships, family, success, spirituality, race, and sexuality through the lens of the 1980s AIDS crisis. This hard-hitting play takes the stage at Gettysburg Community Theatre under the direction of Karen Land through May 21st.

The music, lighting, and simple set are beautifully designed to put the focus on the characters, their relationships, their philosophies, and their emotions. Set changes are completed efficiently and with minimal disruption to the flow of the story. The cast, consisting of Buff Wills (Rabbi), Travis Houtz (Prior Walter), Cory Metcalf (Louis Ironson), Josh Rikas (Joseph Porter Pitt), Megan Rikas (Harper Amaty Pitt), D. Scott Harwig (Roy Cohen), Andrew Metcalf (Belize), Erin DiNello (Hanna Porter Pitt), Greg Trax (Henry/Man in the Park), Allisa Baker (Mr. Lies/Emily), Ellen McIntosh Burke (Sister Ella Chapter/Mormon Mother/Angel Council), Timothy Vinson (Martin Heller/Prior I/Angel Council), Debbie Williams (Ethel Rosenberg), Sara Bollinger (Homeless Woman/Mormon Children/Angel Council), Joshua Naderi (Prior II), Kaitlyn Ball (Mormon Children/Angel Council), and Chad-Alan Carr (The Angel), does an amazing job with this dialogue-heavy, emotional show.

Buff Wills starts the show as Rabbi with presence and poise that draws the audience in. She marries the solemnity of a clergy person performing a funeral with the character's dry humor in a way that makes the Rabbi wonderfully multi-dimensional. D. Scott Hartwig's Roy is appropriately detestable in his cocky, smug, egotistical attitude. His scene in the doctor's office with Greg Trax's Henry is particularly interesting and well-acted by both Hartwig and Trax. Debbie Williams is delightful as Ethel Rosenberg, bringing humor to a difficult scene.

Erin DiNello's Hannah Porter Pitt is just what this reviewer always imagined for that role-she is strong and complex, and her interactions with Ellen McIntosh Burke's Sister Ella Chapter and Sara Bollinger's Homeless Woman are spot-on, with all three actresses mixing humor and deep emotion brilliantly. Timothy Vinson and Joshua Naderi are wonderfully surprising and quirky as Prior I and Prior II, and Travis Houtz's reactions to them in his role as Prior Walter come across as very genuine. Andrew Metcalf brings a fantastic combination of attitude, compassion, and frankness to the role of Belize. Allisa Baker has great stage presence and approaches her roles as Mr. Lies and Emily with energy and an air of lightness that suits these parts well.

Megan Rikas and Josh Rikas portray Harper and Joe Pitt. Their performances are breathtaking in their emotional depth and complexity. The audience can feel the internal struggles of these characters through the actors' facial expressions and interactions with one another. Travis Houtz and Cory Metcalf take on the roles of Prior Walter and Louis Ironson. Their performances are simply incredible, taking the audience on an emotional journey through the difficult themes of death and dying. The final scene, featuring the first sighting of The Angel must be seen and experienced-words cannot do it justice. Every actor in this production brings an intensity to the stage that keeps audiences riveted from start to finish.

This show contains mature themes that may not be appropriate for some audiences. Angels in America is an important show that reminds us of where we've been and how far we still have to go when it comes to justice in America. This show forces us to ask ourselves difficult questions as we experience the struggles, fears, and heartaches of the characters portrayed by the stellar cast at Gettysburg Community Theatre. Arrive at the theatre early and spend some time in the lobby reading about the history of the LGBTQIA+ rights movement in local Pennsylvania communities, and join the cast for an optional and brief Q&A discussion after the play. Tickets and show information can be found at https://gettysburgcommunitytheatre.org/.