28 Aug

18:00

Internationaal Theater Amsterdam

Leidsekade 97, Amsterdam

A revival of Ivo van Hove's radical 2008 production of Tony Kushner’s brilliant and award-winning play, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes.

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 18:00

Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, Amsterdam

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 18:00

Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, Amsterdam

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:00

Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, Amsterdam

Angels in America

More info & tickets

If there is one contemporary play that truly deserves the label "brilliant," it is undoubtedly Angels in America. Since its premiere in San Francisco in 1991, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes has taken the world by storm. The play has been showered with awards and was successfully adapted into an HBO series starring Al Pacino, Emma Thompson, and Meryl Streep.

In 2008, Ivo van Hove directed a radical production of Angels in America, which Tony Kushner himself hailed as his favorite version. Hans Kesting received the Louis d'Or for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in this production. Now, we are bringing the performance back, featuring several actors from the original cast, complemented by new ensemble members. Presented within a minimalist stage design and accompanied solely by David Bowie’s songs, this adaptation of Angels in America is a tribute to the human ability to adapt, change, and survive. It is a true (re)discovery of a modern classic, but above all, it remains an incredibly relevant story to this day.

About the Play

America during the Reagan years. The AIDS epidemic is spreading rapidly but is met with silence from the conservative government. Two New Yorkers grapple with the news of their diagnosis in very different ways: ex-drag queen Prior and the arch-conservative lawyer Roy Cohn, who forces those around him to lie about the nature of his illness.

In the first part, Millennium Approaches, all the characters are torn away from their roots and certainties: family, partners, religion, and political ideologies no longer provide solace in the face of pervasive disease and death. In the second part, Perestroika, tentative new friendships and relationships emerge as the characters confront the painful process of change.

In a whirlwind of tragicomic scenes and entanglements, Tony Kushner demonstrates that identity cannot be reduced to religion, race, or sexuality. Instead, it is a continuous process that can only take shape through interactions with others.

Angels in America is a gripping, hilarious, and heartbreaking story about the transformative power of love, the inevitability of change, resilience in times of crisis, and a tribute to imagination—not merely as an escape from an unlivable reality, but also as a source of understanding.

Eline Arbo about Angels in America

"We look at Ivo van Hove's work with respect and, as an organisation, stand to some extent on his artistic shoulders. The fact that we are reviving Angels in America is partly a tribute to what he has meant artistically for ITA. We are proud to bring back this strong performance... We are convinced that even today there is a wide and large audience that would like to see Angels in America (again). Feel welcome to come and see it."

Credits & Cast

by Tony Kushner
director Ivo van Hove
assistant director Daniël 't Hoen
adaptation and dramaturgy Peter Van Kraaij
scenography and lightning design Jan Versweyveld
costume design Wojciech Dziedzic

Prior Walter: Eelco Smits
Louis Ironson: Minne Koole
Roy Cohn: Hans Kesting
Joe Pitt: Krisjan Schellingerhout
Harper Pitt: Eefje Paddenburg
Hanna Pitt / Ethel Rosenberg: Marieke Heebink
Belize / Mr. Lies: Jesse Mensah
The Angel: Felix Schellekens