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fieldofhats's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Read for Reading Literature and Queer Lit and Theory.
For some reason I’m finding it difficult to put my feelings in words, so this review won’t be coherent. I loved this play the first time and I loved it even more the second time. This specific cast is utterly brilliant and they really bring the show to life. This whole review will extensive include spoilers.
The theme of religion is probably most prominent, and the queer angel pushing a conservative agenda speaks to the constricting normalcy of modern-day America. I love how that contradiction is mirrored in Joe’s character, who’s slowly coming to terms with his queerness. Joe is very probably my favorite character simply because of his capacity for change, and even though we don’t see him change his politics he did seem willing to. The theme of change is embodied in him most prominently and I love it.
Speaking of interesting characters, I think Roy was a fascinatingly horrible person. He has a worldview that is harsh and selfish, and they each inform each other. The harshness, I think, comes from his upbringing; on page 59 he says, “Sometimes a father’s love has to be very, very hard, unfair even, cold to make his son grow strong in a world like this. This isn’t a good world.” It seems that he built a perception of the world through how his father treated him, and he took cues from his father’s selfish behaviors. He does basically whatever he pleases and finds ways to bend life to his will. When the consequences finally catch up to him, though, he panics and tries desperately to create a fallout plan.
This especially interests me when it comes to his sexuality since he refuses to associate himself with other gay people. Homosexuals don’t fit within his worldview, so he has to find some other way to justify it within himself. Roy and Joe are great foils because they both have the same inner turmoil, but they act on it completely differently. Roy doesn’t want to admit to himself who he is, but he does do as he pleases. He takes life into his own hands and does exactly what he wants to do, then justifies it afterward. Joe refuses to submit to his desires and suffers all the more for it.
My favorite minor character is Belize because of his nuanced view of gender, sexuality, and race. In many ways he grounds the story in a certain reality; Prior is sick, bedridden, and stir-crazy, and Louis seems to be detached from any reality beyond his own experiences, so Belize gives us a glimpse into the world beyond those characters. My favorite quote of his is when he chastises Louis on page 104 and says, "Justice is simple Democracy is simple. Those things are unambivalent. But love is very hard. And it goes bad for you if you violate the hard law of love," and after Louis says that he's dying, Belize says, "He's dying. You just wish you were."
I also want to briefly talk about Louis and how much he sucks. I think he's an extremely well-written and realistic character, but he's the only character in this show that I actively dislike. Of course Roy isn't a good person, but I think he has much more complexity than Louis. Louis is your typical cis, privileged gay man who talks high and mighty about liberalism but never thinks beyond his own reality. I think that was definitely done on purpose to demonstrate the hypocrisy of gay men like that, so I think that aspect of his character plays a necessary role, though. But on top of that, he leaves Prior. Early on he tells the Rabbi, “I’m afraid of the crimes I may commit.” And then he commits them! He doesn't even struggle very much beforehand. He struggles while he's committing them and after he commits them, but he has very little problem actually committing the crimes. This is also very representational of his false sense of justice; he goes on a whole tirade about how justice isn't black and white simply to justify his own actions. He desperately wants to be seen as a moral person, so he tries to warp justice to fit his actions, instead of the opposite way around. From this perspective, Joe is Louis' foil. Joe constantly tries to fit his actions into what he believes is just.
I also adore Prior, but he doesn’t change all too much, which I think is the point. He has desires, but mostly it’s to live his life the way he wants to. I think that’s why the angel comes to him, which makes the story all the more powerful when he denies heaven’s message.
But yeah, you should definitely read this book. It’s brilliant and beautiful and heart-wrenching.
For some reason I’m finding it difficult to put my feelings in words, so this review won’t be coherent. I loved this play the first time and I loved it even more the second time. This specific cast is utterly brilliant and they really bring the show to life. This whole review will extensive include spoilers.
The theme of religion is probably most prominent, and the queer angel pushing a conservative agenda speaks to the constricting normalcy of modern-day America. I love how that contradiction is mirrored in Joe’s character, who’s slowly coming to terms with his queerness. Joe is very probably my favorite character simply because of his capacity for change, and even though we don’t see him change his politics he did seem willing to. The theme of change is embodied in him most prominently and I love it.
Speaking of interesting characters, I think Roy was a fascinatingly horrible person. He has a worldview that is harsh and selfish, and they each inform each other. The harshness, I think, comes from his upbringing; on page 59 he says, “Sometimes a father’s love has to be very, very hard, unfair even, cold to make his son grow strong in a world like this. This isn’t a good world.” It seems that he built a perception of the world through how his father treated him, and he took cues from his father’s selfish behaviors. He does basically whatever he pleases and finds ways to bend life to his will. When the consequences finally catch up to him, though, he panics and tries desperately to create a fallout plan.
This especially interests me when it comes to his sexuality since he refuses to associate himself with other gay people. Homosexuals don’t fit within his worldview, so he has to find some other way to justify it within himself. Roy and Joe are great foils because they both have the same inner turmoil, but they act on it completely differently. Roy doesn’t want to admit to himself who he is, but he does do as he pleases. He takes life into his own hands and does exactly what he wants to do, then justifies it afterward. Joe refuses to submit to his desires and suffers all the more for it.
My favorite minor character is Belize because of his nuanced view of gender, sexuality, and race. In many ways he grounds the story in a certain reality; Prior is sick, bedridden, and stir-crazy, and Louis seems to be detached from any reality beyond his own experiences, so Belize gives us a glimpse into the world beyond those characters. My favorite quote of his is when he chastises Louis on page 104 and says, "Justice is simple Democracy is simple. Those things are unambivalent. But love is very hard. And it goes bad for you if you violate the hard law of love," and after Louis says that he's dying, Belize says, "He's dying. You just wish you were."
I also want to briefly talk about Louis and how much he sucks. I think he's an extremely well-written and realistic character, but he's the only character in this show that I actively dislike. Of course Roy isn't a good person, but I think he has much more complexity than Louis. Louis is your typical cis, privileged gay man who talks high and mighty about liberalism but never thinks beyond his own reality. I think that was definitely done on purpose to demonstrate the hypocrisy of gay men like that, so I think that aspect of his character plays a necessary role, though. But on top of that, he leaves Prior. Early on he tells the Rabbi, “I’m afraid of the crimes I may commit.” And then he commits them! He doesn't even struggle very much beforehand. He struggles while he's committing them and after he commits them, but he has very little problem actually committing the crimes. This is also very representational of his false sense of justice; he goes on a whole tirade about how justice isn't black and white simply to justify his own actions. He desperately wants to be seen as a moral person, so he tries to warp justice to fit his actions, instead of the opposite way around. From this perspective, Joe is Louis' foil. Joe constantly tries to fit his actions into what he believes is just.
I also adore Prior, but he doesn’t change all too much, which I think is the point. He has desires, but mostly it’s to live his life the way he wants to. I think that’s why the angel comes to him, which makes the story all the more powerful when he denies heaven’s message.
But yeah, you should definitely read this book. It’s brilliant and beautiful and heart-wrenching.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death, Blood, Grief, Infidelity, Hate crime, and Homophobia
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