For my boyfriend's birthday, we went to see Angels in America. It was playing at a local movie theater. National Theater Live was broadcasting it as the play was performed in England. This was my first time seeing a play, well at least since I saw The Princess and the Pea when I was in kindergarten for a field trip. I was so amazed at the performance of the cast and the story was just riveting. Even though the set lacked detail, being just a few makeshift rooms made from wood I found myself engulfed in the story of the heartfelt characters.

This play focuses on the struggles of love and religion (mainly how it factors into the lifestyle that people were living) and the effect that AIDS had on individuals during the worst years of the outbreak in New York during 1980's. AZT (azidothymidine) was just starting out as a treatment drug and the waiting list was impossible to get on. Another theme that is heavy in this play is indifference by the government and society. AIDS was considered the “Gay Plague” and it was God’s way punishing the homosexuals.

The writing of this play was fantastic and the actors did a spot-on job making the whole play believable. Andrew Garfield plays Prior, the main character in the play. His performance brought me to tears and made me laugh. As an actor, he really brought his character to life and made it ring true. He wasn't afraid to go there, as my boyfriend says. I felt his character's pain as he struggled with his diagnosis. I felt his awe as things happened that he didn't think would. I believed that Andrew was Prier because he was just that amazing and persuasive in this play.

Before we even went to the show my boyfriend tells me that the play is 3 hours and 40 minutes long. I was thinking to myself, there is no way that I will be intrigued the whole time. I'm going to get bored I just know it, but that wasn't the case. When the curtain closed and part one was over I wanted to see the second half of this magnificent play. Not only did the actors enthrall me but the story line itself had me hanging on every word. I wanted to know how it ended and what was going to happen to the people in this story. I was truly moved by the casts performance. Some scenes even brought me to tears.

If you have heard of this play and are the least bit curious to see it don't wait. Find a theater that is putting it on and treat yourself to this fantastic piece of art. Tony Kushner did an outstanding job writing this play. It really captures the lives of the people that it is centered around. So much so that it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the highest honor that a writer could receive. I could go on gushing over how great it was or tell you all about it but, where is the fun in that? It must be seen to be enjoyed!