It was getting really tiresome doing it to an open space of nothing.
So it was great and it was really great to do it in New York.
Because they know the play so well here so it made so much more sense.
Alexei Hay for EW
And it felt, well, I was really overwhelmed by the first night.
NATHAN LANE (Roy Cohn):Yeah, it was like they all knew the play intimately.
They applauded the entrance of the character Belize, [played by] Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.
Helen Maybanks
GOUGH:Which we were furious about.
Hes a nightmare now.
[Laughter]
LANE:They certainly get more of the humor of the play, and the references.
Helen Maybanks
You know what made me laugh?
They were like, Hes not going to do it?
GOUGH:Its true, wed never had that reaction.
This is a play about the U.S., but its also, like all good plays, incredibly universal.
I dont really approach it as being from the place Im from.
And in London I always felt like they were trying to work out who this person was.
That felt really lovely, performing to people who know the play so well.
Because its an homage to New York, as well.
It feels like its in its rightful place.
Obviously this play is very relevant right now.
So, it does feel like going on a march every night.
It feels like were on a march every night for seven-and-a-half hours.
And if we werent doing that, we would be going on marches.
Its the time to march.
LANE:Hes like Oprah.
People are weeping at the end.
Not even Tony Kushner is this eloquent about this play.
What about for the rest of you?
What has the experience been like?LANE:Exhausting.
And I learn something different every time Im on stage with everyone.
Its such an inspiring group of people.
GOUGH:We are.
And so I, its just such a privilege to be a part of it.
Because we rehearsed for about a month.
It was going fast.
I think thats one of the opportunities of theater.
With a play as rich as this, and as you said earlier, as topical as this.
LANE:Oprah Jr.
This is the running mate right over here for most inspirational speech.
What more do you want?
I dont want to discuss that, thats for you to decide.
Obviously its all about the relationships, the human relationships.
I cant play the fact that Roy Cohn also happened to be Donald Trumps lawyer and mentor.
But people are now aware of that because its been written about.
Certainly there are things that he says that will ring a bell, Im sure, with the audience.
And sometimes people dont want to hear actors opinions…
GARFIELD and LANE:…on anything.
So I would rather be asked questions like that than, What are you wearing?
I feel like its my right, it doesnt matter what I do for a living.
So, I dont think I should not talk about it because Im an actress.
I mean, good luck trying to get me to stop talking about anything I want to talk about.
Im so glad to be in something thats saying something about the world as it is in the moment.
JAMES McARDLE (Louis Ironson):That was one of the most vital things about coming to America.
It was just, there really wasnt an option.
We wanted to bring it here because it belongs here, now, at this time.
Its sort of rare when those things happen when everything comes together and youve been given an opportunity.
GOUGH:Its not the easiest thing to do.
But if you dont do this at this point…
I remember thinking about it, being like, Do I really want to be Harper for six months?
And its a privilege, an absolute privilege to be doing it in New York right now.
PACE:Tonys intention was political when he made this play, and that was 25 years ago.
Now people live with AIDS.
GOUGH:Theyre not dying secret deaths.
McARDLE:And the heat of the play is different as well.
When the play was first done 25 years ago, people were dying in the audience.
So the immediacy of the play was about the crisis of AIDS.
But now the heat is political.
GARFIELD:And ethical.
McARDLE:That is what everyone is talking about.
It brings in such a wide range of people.
And seven and a half hours isnt reductive.
Joe ends the play in such a different play than Louis ends the play.
I get sent back into the world in a very uplifted way.
Get to the end of it and, I could be in Scotland.
Some people I dont see until the curtain call or running past them in the hallway or something.
Its tiring, but you feel…
GOUGH:…completion.
LANE:Yes, a completion.
And its really fulfilling.
But each person goes through a different thing.
And then inPerestroikahes in the hospital dying, so thats the more exhausting and emotional one.
I was like Judy Garland.
It was like, Who are you?
I gotta lie down.
Why cant I stop talking?
LANE:Yeah, honestly, literally, I was delirious in that scene, in the Martin scene.
GOUGH:It is, though, isnt it, its an athletic event.
But I remember thinking, thisll be a walk in the park.
Its loads of time off, its Valium, I mean, its just so easy.
And honestly, my god, it just undoes you, this play, completely.
But when I do the full show, I leave feeling quite [like,] oh, okay.
Because you get the ending.
GARFIELD:Its no-nonsense.
It drags you down.
GOUGH:Yeah, whatever, youre tiny.
Give me what I want.
GARFIELD:And because its all coming seemingly from Tonys unconscious.
And hes sort of famous/infamous for giving notes.
And I remember in London, theres a three-word sentence, and I asked, What does it mean?
And I got a 10-page email in response.
And a year-and-a-half later Im not sure I do know what it means?
Sometimes you just have to get out of the way of it.
GOUGH:The play is just the thing.
You just have to let the play undo you, because its going to.
So you end up having a dance with them a wee bit.
If they dont laugh, I just refuse to speak again until they do.
We can rely on each other.
And I think that ultimately thats what it tells you.
And I think a lot of people who have seen it so far are familiar with the play.
Theres all of these other people that I think I know something about, you know?
So its my sincere wish that other people have that introduction to the play that I had.
And hes 21, he wasnt even born, just like James wasnt born when it was written.
GOUGH:At the National it was the same.
The only way I know this is because I left home and was educated by the world around me.
He said, I couldnt do it anymore.
Angels in Americaruns at the Neil Simon Theatre through July 1.
