Angels in America, Edinburgh International Festival 2026 Review

20 Aug

With the theme “All Rise” marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence, the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival promises to “examine the ideas and impact of the USA”. What better play to do so than Tony Kushner’s 1991 masterpiece Angels in America, presented by the Internationaal Theater Amsterdam at the newly refurbished King’s Theatre.

Set in the mid-1980s, at the height of the AIDS crisis, the play follows the intersecting lives of a group of New Yorkers as they navigate their relationships, health and the politics of the time.

There is something immediately imposing about the world that director Ivo van Hove creates in this production. Jan Versweyveld’s vast, bare set stretches almost endlessly, with the audience able to see right into the wings. In fact, the only piece of furniture is a single counter with a record player on it, and the rest of the stage is left entirely empty. Its sterility and scale dwarf the characters, making them appear insignificant and powerless against the enormity of the forces that surround them. It is a visual language that perfectly suits the themes of identity, sexuality and conservatism, with the scale of the stage bringing home the weight of the questions the play is asking.

Projections of 1980s New York, including the stark backdrop of St Vincent’s Hospital, give the otherwise abstract space a tangibility and sense of place. Yet Hove’s use of space is at its strongest when it contrasts. The actors are frequently performing from a platform in front of, and slightly below, the main stage, transforming the large space into something surprisingly intimate. Against the projected background of the wider nation, personal struggles become moments of extraordinary closeness. The staging is at its most powerful when it embraces the play’s abstract, dreamlike qualities. Reality appears to constantly shift, and the characters’ desperate searches for meaning become ever more poignant against this uncertain landscape.

This is supported by the universally excellent performances. The actors all play their characters with extraordinary depth and truth, and the performances were so engaging that I often found myself focusing on them rather than the English subtitles supplementing the Dutch text. Despite my lack of Dutch, the strength of the acting was such that the meaning was still clear. A standout was Eefje Paddenburg’s Harper, who manages to be simultaneously vulnerable and strong, inviting the audience to share in the wonder of her hallucinations.

The themes of this play are particularly resonant in light of the EIF’s 2026 theme, and also given the rise of conservatism and the roll-back of LGBTQ+ rights, not only in America but worldwide. Angels in America asks us to look beyond the mythology of the US and towards its contradictions, inevitably raising the question of how much has really changed. This is a production that understands how to explore themes with both scale and intimacy, finding a visual vocabulary that reminds us that history is ultimately experienced by individuals.

Angels in America plays at King’s Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival until 20 August.
★★★★★