Angels in America

Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is a play in two parts by American playwright Tony Kushner. It has been made into a television miniseries and an opera. The play is written for eight actors to perform, with all of them playing two or more roles.

Quotes

:Harper: I'm a Mormon.

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:Prior: I'm a homosexual.

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:Harper: Oh. In my church we don't believe in homosexuals.

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:Prior: In my church we don't believe in Mormons.

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:Roy Cohn: You know what my greatest accomplishment was, Joe, in my life? What I'm able to look back on and be most proud of? And I have helped make presidents, and unmake them, and mayors, and more goddamn judges than anyone in New York City ever, and several million dollars tax free. And you know what means the most to me? You ever hear of Ethel Rosenberg? Huh Joe, huh?

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:Joe Pitt: Yea, I guess, yes.

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:Roy Cohn: Yea, you heard of Ethel Rosenberg. Maybe even read about her in the history books. Well, if it wasn't for me, Joe, Ethel Rosenberg would be alive today, writing some personal-advice column for Ms. magazine. She isn't. Because, during the trial, Joe, I was on the phone everyday talking with the judge. Every day, doing what I do best—talking on the telephone. Making sure that that timid yid nebbish on the bench did his duty to America, to history. That sweet, unprepossesing woman, two kids, boo-hoo-hoo, reminded us all of our little Jewish mamas. She came this close to getting life. I pleaded till I wept to put her in the chair. Me, I did that. I'd have fucking pulled the switch if they let me. Why? Because I fucking hate traitors. Because I fucking hate communists. Was it legal? Fuck legal! Am I a nice man? Fuck nice! They say terrible things about me in The Nation? Fuck The Nation! You want to be nice or you want to be effective?! You want to make the law, or subject to it? Choose!

Related Topics:
''Ms. magazine'' - The judge - Yid - Nebbish - The chair - Traitor - Communist - The Nation

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:Roy Cohn: Yea, AZT. I want my own private stash, Martin. Of serious, honest-Abe medicine that I control here in the room with me. No placebos. No, I'm no good at tests, Martin. I'd rather cheat. So, send me my pills with a get-well bouquet, pronto, or I'm gonna ring up CBS and sing Mike Wallace a song. You know the ballad of adorable Ollie North and his secret Contra slush fund. You only think you know all I know. I don't even know what all I know. Half the time I just make it up and it still turns out to be true! We learned that trick in the fifties.

Related Topics:
AZT - Placebo - CBS - Mike Wallace - Ollie North - Secret Contra slush fund

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:Louis: I don't believe you! Not Roy Cohn! He's like... the polestar of human evil. He's the worst human being who ever lived. He's not human, even.

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:Belize: You know what your problem is, Louis? Your problem is that you are so full of piping hot crap that the mention of your name draws flies. Just to set the record straight: I love Prior but was never in love with him. I have a man, uptown, and have since long before I first laid my eyes on the sorry-ass sight of you. But you didn?t know cause you never bothered to ask. Up in the air, just like that angel, too far off the earth to pick out the details. Louis and his big ideas. Big ideas are all you love. America is what Louis loves. Well I hate America, Louis. I hate this country. It?s just big ideas, and stories, and people dying, and people like you. The white cracker who wrote the national anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word 'free' to a note so high nobody can reach it. That was deliberate. Nothing on earth sounds less like freedom to me. You come to room 1013 over at the hospital, I'll show you America. Terminal, crazy and mean. I live in America, Louis, that?s hard enough, I don?t have to love it. You do that. Everybody?s got to love something.

Related Topics:
Flies - Angel - White cracker - National anthem

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:Louis: I'm not saying Kaddish for him. The drugs, okay, fine, sure. But no fucking way am I praying for him. My New Deal pinko parents in Schenectady would never forgive me. They're already so disappointed. He's a fag, he's an office temp. Now look, he's praying for Roy Cohn.

Related Topics:
Kaddish - New Deal - Schenectady - Fag

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