Tony Kushner Summary

Tony Kushner burst onto the international stage in the early 1990s with the critical success of his two-part Angels in America. Already established as a director, adaptor, and playwright working in r... Read more

Interview with Kushner (1994) "Tony Kushner Considers the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness: An Interview by David Savran," in American Theater, Vol. 11, No. 6, October 1994... Read more

In this assessment, Lahr declares Perestroika "a master-piece." Tony Kushner wrote Perestroika, the second part of Angels in America, in what he describes as "an incredible eig... Read more

In the essay below, Savran attempts to answer the question of why "a play featuring five gay male characters [is being universalized as a 'turning point' in the American theatre, ... Read more

In the essay below, Kushner argues the need for a committed political theater in America. In his essay on Theodore Dreiser, E. L. Doctorow quotes Dreiser's critical description of himself as... Read more

Although he admires Millennium Approaches, Simon finds the work truncated and incomplete without its second half, Perestroika. How nice it would be to have stumbled upon Angels in America on some f... Read more

In this assessment of Perestroika, Rich considers the play "a true millennial work of art, uplifting, hugely comic and pantheistically religious in a very American style. " If you end... Read more

In the following review of Homebody/Kabul, Steyn comments that the characters are not well developed, the plot is unfocused, and the play lacks a clear sense of purpose. There was an extraordinary ... Read more

In the following review, Brustein criticizes Homebody/Kabul, commenting that the events of the play seem inconsequential in light of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, and ... Read more

In the following review, Hornby asserts that, while Homebody/Kabul is written in a formless style, it is a major play by an important playwright. George Bernard Shaw once said that when he wrote hi... Read more

In the following review, Phelan compares productions of Homebody/Kabul staged in New York and in Berkeley, California. Phelan asserts that the first act of the play is stronger than the second act. ... Read more