'Perestroika': The 'Angels' story continues at EPAC

Amy Carter and Adam Newborn in EPAC's "Angels in America." Part 2 of this two-part play opens tonight, March 28, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

THE STORY CONTINUES ...

The raves couldn’t have been louder for Ephrata Performing Arts Center’s “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” earlier this month.

Media critics and audience members were generous with their praise for the production’s cast, crew and creative team. But the story isn’t over; that same team will continue Tony Kushner’s award-winning story with “Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika,” which opens tonight, Thursday, March 28, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre in Ephrata.

We are so fortunate, here in Lancaster County, to have a theater company like EPAC to bring us both parts of this groundbreaking play in the same month. This show truly matches EPAC’s mission of presenting “theater that matters.”

The cast, crew and creative team have worked hard to bring you these two full evenings of theater that tell one compelling, humorous and challenging story, set in the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

At the end of Part 1, The Angel crashed into Prior Walter’s life as he was dealing with his lover’s abandonment and his deteriorating health condition. Part 2 starts where Part 1 left off, and picks up the threads of its characters’ ongoing struggles and conflicts. The action continues in settings ranging from a park in Brooklyn to a hospital room, and from Heaven to a living diorama at a Mormon Visitor Center.

If you’re anxious to learn what happened to the characters from the first half of “Angels,” well, all our friends from Part 1 are back: Joe, Prior, Louis, Belize, Roy Cohn, Hannah, The Angel, Mrs. Pitt and others.

Joe’s mother will come to the rescue of the fragile Hannah. Conflict and reconciliation hover over the Prior-Louis-Joe triangle. Roy Cohn rages against the dying of the light. And the foreboding of Part 1 yields to the optimism and hope of Part 2.

Even if you missed Part 1, you DON’T want to miss part 2; it’s your last chance to experience Kushner’s stellar writing brought to life by a talented cast right here in Ephrata.

Visit the EPAC web site, or call (717) 733-7966 for tickets. The show runs through Saturday, April 6.

If you come to the show tonight (Thursday, March 28), bring your ticket for to the Olde Lincoln House, 1398 W. Main St., Ephrata, to celebrate with the cast and crew at the opening-night party.

Thanks, again to Alder Health Services for their sponsorship of both parts of “Angels in America.” There would, literally, have been no “Angels” without these angels!!

YOU'LL LAUGH TILL YOUR SIDES HURT!

Tickets are still available for Suzanne Westenhoefer’s hilarious comedy concert on Friday, April 12, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

Your $35 ticket includes the show, a wine-and-cheese reception and a meet-and-greet with Suzanne. This nationally known comic, who talks about the joys and disappointments of her life and relationships – including her life as an out-and-proud lesbian – will have you holding your sides; her previous appearances at EPAC have had audiences crying from laughing so hard.

Have a great time, and support EPAC, all in one fantastic evening.

Visit the web site to order tickets, or call (717) 733-7966.There will be more on Suzanne in the next blog post.

Thanks for supporting EPAC!

-- Merv Wright