Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika Summary & Key Insights

Tony Kushner's "Angels in America: Perestroika," the second part of his monumental two-part play, continues the interwoven narratives of several characters grappling with AIDS, sexuality, and the shifting political landscape of the late 1980s. Picking up where "Millennium Approaches" left off, Perestroika delves deeper into the characters' internal struggles and explores the consequences of their actions.

Prior Walter, now deceased but still present as a ghost, guides the narrative, observing the living and grappling with his own mortality and newfound existence in the afterlife. His relationship with Louis Ironson, his former lover, remains central, though fraught with guilt and unresolved grief on both sides. Louis, grappling with his own self-loathing and fear of commitment, continues to struggle with his sexuality and his responsibility towards Prior.

Joe Pitt, a closeted Mormon lawyer married to Harper, a Valium-addicted housewife grappling with her own mental instability, continues to unravel. Joe's burgeoning relationship with Prior, fuelled by their shared experiences with illness and mortality, highlights the complexities of his repressed homosexuality and his desperate need for connection. Harper, experiencing hallucinations and a breakdown, embarks on a surreal journey fueled by her anxieties about Joe's infidelity and her own anxieties about life.

Roy Cohn, the powerful and ruthless lawyer, continues his battle against AIDS, fueled by denial and a ferocious will to live. His relationship with his young male nurse, Belize, forms a complex dynamic of power and dependence. Cohn’s ultimate confrontation with his own mortality forces him to reconcile with his past actions, although his repentance is complicated by his unwavering self-interest.

The play incorporates numerous allegorical figures and events, mirroring the political changes happening in the USSR with the internal transformations occurring within the characters. The angel, who made a dramatic appearance in the first part, reappears, her role becoming more ambiguous, often delivering cryptic pronouncements about the future and the nature of faith and hope.

Overarching themes of faith, sexuality, mortality, and the power of love and forgiveness are central. Kushner critiques the social and political climate surrounding AIDS, exposing the hypocrisy and fear surrounding the epidemic. The characters' journeys are explorations of self-discovery and redemption, but the play doesn't offer easy resolutions. Instead, it presents a nuanced and complex vision of humanity's capacity for both cruelty and compassion in the face of profound loss and change, ending on a hopeful, yet uncertain note. The play ultimately celebrates the resilience of the human spirit even in the face of overwhelming adversity and the transformative potential of love and connection.