Darren Patrick Blaney: Actor, Director, Educator, Writer

My letter to the editor was published in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle, January 25, 2004, in response to Paul Heller's letter, published January 4, 2004.

Bay Area playwright comes to defense of TONY Kushner's epic 'Angels in America '

Editor -- As bizarre as it may feel being an unknown playwright jumping to the defense of a literary titan like Tony Kushner, I can't help but respond to Paul Heller's letter of Jan. 4. First praising "Angels in America'' for its "theatricality," he elaborates his feelings by criticizing its spare writing style and complaining that some of the lines in the play "do not mean much of anything." I would like to remind Heller that even classic American writers like Tennessee Williams, or the more lyrical Eugene O'Neill, composed minimalist lines that, taken out of context, might seem trite at first glance. Perhaps I am missing Heller's point, but I can't help but wonder if he would prefer that Kushner had composed his powerful, image-laden play in Shakespearean iambic pentameter?

While Heller may be correct in suggesting that it's too early to know whether Kushner's body of work will stand the test of time, his critique ignores the overarching theme and scope of the play. Heller's accusation that the text of "Angels in America" "lack(s) substance" is ludicrous at best. From my perspective, with "Angels," Kushner conjured a startling world-view that transcended any of its poetic and theatrically charged two-person scenes. By juxtaposing and intertwining the lives of victims of the AIDS crisis with those of a dysfunctional Mormon family and a corrupt politician, Kushner offered a foreboding political vision of America whose message reverberated clearly through the chaotic din of the latter 20th century. "Angels" is a celebration of the human capacity for compassion, a slap in the face of barbarous American capitalism, and an admonishing plea for the spiritually vigilant.

In our current era, in which continuous destabilization brought on by shameless avarice seems to be norm thanks to our misguided leaders, this message rings truer than ever. In my opinion, the suggestion that Kushner should abase his work in light of "industry needs" (such as the promotion of Hollywood stars or the solicitation of new HBO subscribers) should be offensive to anyone possessing the remotest artistic sensibility.

Heller is asking too much from the dramatic genre. Stating that some lines of the play sound "portentous but lacking," it's almost as if he's looking for a prediction of the future. Maybe he'd be happier searching the texts of Nostradamus than those of our beloved literary shaman, Tony Kushner.

Darren P. Blaney, Aptos