PlayMakers Repertory Company presents the controversial ‘Angels in America’

Fifteen years ago, one play tore a city in two.

It was March 1996. A Charlotte man, outraged that the Charlotte Repertory Theatre would be producing Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America,” printed a copy of the script and read its most challenging scenes at a televised city council meeting.

At UNC, more than a decade later, PlayMakers Repertory Company is presenting the same award-winning story of disease, sexuality and change for the first time in the company’s history.

“Angels in America” follows the story of two couples in AIDS-ravaged New York City in the 1980s — one straight and one gay.

Joseph Haj, producing artistic director of PlayMakers, said that “Angels in America” may be the most important show that PlayMakers ever puts on.

Though he knows many people may be upset by its controversial nature, Haj — along with the cast and crew — are hoping to ignite fresh conversation, especially among young adults, about AIDS and sexuality.

Haj and Kushner will have a public dialogue on April 10 in Memorial Hall to discuss the play.

Jeffrey Mea?nza, who plays Louis Ironson, a partner in the gay couple, called “Angels in America” the “most important play in the last 50 years.”

“It’s a deceptive play,” Mea?nza said. “You have no idea where it’s going to take you.”

Though written about the 1980s, when the AIDS epidemic was just beginning, “Angels in America” remains a timeless and relevant story to tell, Mea?nza said.

“During this period, if you were diagnosed, it was a death sentence,” he said.

Director Brendon Fox said that the story is less about the time and more about the themes.

“It’s bigger than an AIDS play, or a gay play, or a straight play,” he said.

The journey the characters take in the piece is a relatable one, Mea?nza said.

“There’s so much to discuss around these characters,” he said. “There will be people who’ll be uncomfortable; people will be scared by it.

“That’s one of the things that makes the play still important now — it’s not always easy to watch.”

Cary Levine, an assistant professor of contemporary art history at UNC, said that the arts continue to be part of a larger movement of awareness and action.

“A lot of these issues are still with us,” he said. “It’d be great if we lived in a time when we didn’t need to show ‘Angels in America,’ though I think we’d still want to.”

The play — a two-part epic — made its North Carolina debut in Charlotte, three years after part one, “Millennium Approaches,” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993. The play’s premiere coincided with an anti-arts movement by politically conservative locals.

“People said, ‘Art is bad, and this is why,’” said Chip Decker, artistic director for the Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte. “You end up funding art like ‘Angels in America.’”

The city was split — some people for and some people against government arts funding.

“Both sides did a really good job of fanning the flames,” Decker said.

The constant protests — including threats of lawsuits against nude actors and attempts to bar the doors to the theater — carried leaders of both sides into the national spotlight.

“Charlotte was an up-and-coming city and (there we were), embarrassing ourselves on a national level,” Decker said.

But the constant protests and national attention made “Angels in America” Charlotte Repertory Theatre’s best-selling show. Later budget constraints forced the theater to close in 2005.

PlayMakers — though not the first N.C. company to produce “Angels in America” since 1996 ­— remains confident that the show will be a success.

“Is it going to be everybody’s cup of tea? No,” Haj said. “If I was afraid of people’s reactions to our plays, we’d do nothing.”

Contact the Arts Editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.