Reviews: 'Angels in America' evokes horror of 1980s' AIDS; Legally Blonde' is sunshine

It can be a bit of a cliché to say that a show is life-changing. But every now and then, a dramatic offering comes along that really shakes the ground under your feet and makes you understand — as if for the first time — how truly powerful live theater can be.

That’s the case with the Provincetown Theater’s production of “Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches,” a trip back to 1985, when the AIDS epidemic was just beginning to grab ahold of a homophobic America by the throat.

Thanks to a brilliant bit of stage design by the theater’s production team, including stage designer Ellen Rousseau and stage manager Sami Parazin, the audience is at the very heart of the killing storm that ravaged relationships and lives, ultimately claiming more than 100,000 victims worldwide in the 1980s. In the end, it is a soul-stirring experience to be right there with playwright Tony Kushner’s characters as they wend their way through the Valley of Death.

About the production: “Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches,” written by Tony Kushner, directed by David Drake, presented by The Provincetown Theater.

What it's about: As the show opens, pallbearers carry a coffin to center-stage, and a rabbi (Laura Scribner) recounts the life of the mother and grandmother who has died. (Clearly, playwright Kushner is intent on making the Angel of Death, a central character.) Key pieces of the show’s dramatic tapestry unfold as vignettes in three sections of the stage. At one end, we meet Roy Cohn (Joe MacDougall), a hard-driving, blustery attorney with ties to the Reagan-era powers-that-be. He stands in front of a massive self-portrait, making one phone call after another, in between pressuring political novice Joe Pitt (Nick Wilson) to take a position in D.C.

But we soon meet Pitt’s wife Harper (Danica Jensen), who is struggling with depression and addiction, declaring, “This is why I shouldn’t be left alone.” As the couple tries to deal with the train wreck that is their relationship, it becomes clear there are secrets burrowing beneath the surface. Then, in another tableau, we are transported to the bedroom of Louis Aronson (Karl Gregory) and Prior Walter (Todd Flaherty), where the couple tries vainly to deal with the monstrosity that is AIDS as it begins to take over Prior’s body. Fear is the unseen character in the room as the pair tries to deal with the very real specter of Death. Thanks to the masterful direction of David Drake, the show’s components come together seamlessly.

Highlights of the show: Performances are uniformly magnificent. On one hand, MacDougall offers a powerful and compelling portrait of the hypocritical Cohn, while Flaherty is sweet and endearing as the AIDS-infected Prior. Meanwhile, Gregory and Wilson perfectly capture their characters’ struggles with guilt. Then there’s Jensen, who paints a vibrant, pain-filled portrait of Harper’s tortured soul.

Worth noting: It’s always interesting to see actors take on more than one role in a production. Here, actors Scribner, Darlene Van Alstyne, Jeanine O’Rourke and Sean Flyr all ably assume multiple identities.

Go or no go: Go for a life-transforming night of drama. It’s a rare opportunity.

One more thing: It is with good reason that the theater includes this content warning: “This production contains depictions of homophobia, AIDS, terminal illness, racism, drug/alcohol abuse, death, sexual scenarios and violence.” It may not be the right choice for the faint-of-heart.

Interesting fact: Costume and props designer Thom Markee and costume team members Stephen Carey and Maureen Leavenworth deserve kudos for the final “heavenly” scene.

If you go: Through May 26, 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, The Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St., Provincetown, 508-487-7487 www.provincetowntheater.org; $55, $30 under 30 with ID.

Sue Mellen

'Legally Blonde the Musical' cures doldrums in Cotuit

There’s a good reason that “Legally Blonde the Musical,” at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, is sold out from the get-go.  The dazzle of this stellar show is the perfect antidote to the rigors of everyday life in what amounts to two-plus hours of high-energy singing, dancing and drama. On the surface, the story is about the tired but persistent societal idea that a pretty woman must be dumb and destined to dote on her husband rather than celebrate herself.  At its heart, the play strives to present the concept that being true to oneself is always the best choice.  There may not be a more fun-loving and impactful way to put that point across than the talent, showmanship and pageantry in "Legally Blonde."

Elle Woods is a blond Malibu girl obsessed with pink everything and aspires for nothing more than to be the wife of her long-time boyfriend Warner Huntington III.  Her sorority sisters hold her in high regard, becoming her cheerleaders and Greek chorus who guide her when she needs a shot in the arm — and she needs a lot of them! When her boyfriend dumps her, she follows him to Harvard Law School to try to win him back. Unexpectedly, she discovers her destiny and the people who really matter in the process.  Elle’s ride is decidedly bumpy and often cringe-worthy but with the support of a couple of unlikely friends and her Greek chorus, she moves from despair to towering heights.

Written by: Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin. Book by Heather Hatch. Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Original production by Hal Luftig and others.

See it or not?  This would be a must-see if there were tickets to be had.  The website has a “Notification List” that is a first-come, first-served waiting list.  Put yourself on it ― pronto!

Highlight of the show:  A delight from start to finish, "Legally Blonde"’" is one highlight after another.  It feels almost unfair to single out a particular person or moment that stands out but Trish LaRose is a terrific singer and masterful in her role as hair-dresser and nail care specialist Paulette Buonufonte.  Just seeing her step onto the stage brings on a smile because she’s either going to do something very funny or open her mouth and unleash her outstanding singing skills.  Her character Paulette has a great collection of one-liners like “The number one reason for all bad hair decisions is love,” and “the new UPS guy is like walking porn!” But rest assured that there is no porn in this play and it’s appropriate for families.

Fun fact: Cotuit Center for the Arts Executive Director, David Kuehn, said in his opening speech that this show was chosen to attract younger people to live theater.  Looks like it’s  working!  It certainly attracted enough energetic young actors to create a packed house,

Worth noting: Johanna Stipetic as Elle Woods is a delight.  She’s the perfect Elle, pretty in pink, with a voice and dance skills to match.  She’s electric on stage with the right amount of sass, flirtatiousness and physical presence.  She dances and taps in the first half with the strength and verve of an athlete.  In Act II, she wears stilettos – and dances in them! Stipetic does a great job bringing her character from ditzy to sophisticated during a transformation that warms the heart.  DJ Kostka as the calm and steady Emmett Forrest grounds high-strung Elle and his matter of fact, relatable consistency adds a sense of reality to an otherwise over-the-top and far-fetched situation.

One More Thing:   This is a highly physical and athletic performance from most of the 30-plus member cast.  There’s even a sequence where a group of women in orange jumpsuits jump rope and sing at the same time to great applause. This kind of stage action characterizes the whole show producing wave after wave of high-octane output.  In a quieter and gentler moment, a cute dog comes onto the stage and is told to sit.  When it does, dog people in the audience can’t help themselves and audibly say “good dog!’  Even the dog must have walked away from this show feeling good, which wouldn’t be a surprise considering it’s highly likely that everyone in the audience did too.

Shannon Goheen

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape shows are polar opposites: See what our critics thought