The Millennium Approaches

Countless words have been written about what constitutes the “Great American Novel” and what that phrase even means given the vast breadth of literature published in the United States over the last few centuries. My own rubric has always been that the work must capture something quintessential—not just about life in America, but something profound about the social construct of being American in a nation still too young to easily define itself against the rest of the world.

Familiar examples of the Great American Novel abound: Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick” aggressively dismantles outmoded ideas of masculinity and solipsism; F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” offers a breezily devastating critique of materialist emptiness and Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” unveils the moral horrors of American history and its endlessly looping generational trauma.

While these are obviously monumental achievements, some of society’s truly great literary triumphs aren’t novels at all. Essays like Omar El Akkad’s “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,” graphic novels like Art Spiegelman’s “Maus,” and Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Angels in America,” are just as vital to the fabric of our country’s letters as any traditional book that came before.

“Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches” runs Aug. 7 through Sept. 5 at The Greenhouse Cabaret. Whether you’ve been familiar with the show since its 1991 premiere or you’re just discovering it now, I can’t overstate the seminal nature of Kushner’s masterpiece. Both parts of “Angels in America” do more than just tell a powerful story set during the 1985-1986 AIDS crisis in New York City, they unpack (among many other things) religion, race, gender, sexuality, mental illness, Reaganism and the ever-shifting moral center of America.

The plot primarily follows two couples, one gay and one straight. Prior and Louis are deeply in love until Prior tests positive for HIV, causing a panicked Louis to look for an exit strategy. Meanwhile, Joe and Harper are a Mormon couple living in NYC, where Harper has dissolved into a Valium-addicted agoraphobe. Simultaneously, Joe battles his closeted sexuality as he enters the rarified halls of power, clerking for notorious real-life lawyer Roy Cohn. Populate the margins with an Angel, a former drag queen, an imaginary friend, a Rabbi, the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg, and other characters both real and imagined, and you still barely scratch the surface of the play’s narrative and symbolic depth.

To say that my expectations were high when attending a recent rehearsal is an understatement. “Millennium Approaches,” along with its companion piece, “Perestroika,” stands as one of the finest theatrical works of the 20th Century. Yet, I saw no need to temper my anticipation, knowing the track record of The Greenhouse Cabaret and producer John Kish. Live theater is healthier than it has been in years, largely due to the high quality of work steadily produced by The Greenhouse over these last few years.

Watching the show for the first time in a few years, I found it remarkable how timely the script remains more than three decades later.

“It’s very much parallel with now,” explains Kish. “I think a lot of what we are seeing politically now was set in motion back in the 80s. I think HIV/AIDS became such a pivotal historical centerpiece for the gay community and also the cultural lightning rod to how this country would accept sexual freedoms and choices. But aside from those large topics, even the stories of love, relationships and struggles are timeless for all humans. We, as humans and Americans, are all messy flesh suits stumbling through an obstacle course of life and this show depicts that epically.”

The rehearsal I witnessed was fully immersive and deeply moving. Director Tyler Andrew Jones blocks and stages the play gorgeously, crafting painterly tableaux in scenes both epic and intimate. From the flawless casting and the evocative lighting to the black box-style set design, surreal costumes and breathtaking performances, every aspect of “Angels” feels fully realized, intentional and alive.

Every actor finds layers in these characters I’m not sure I’ve seen before. Lilli Ann Linford Foreman captures the complicated heart of Joe’s intensely religious mother, Hannah, while John Kish channels his unbridled charisma into the quiet intensity of Joe’s blooming sexual identity. Donald Emmerich brilliantly chews the scenery as Roy Cohn, Austin Comfort summons the gentle majesty of Prior’s bravery; Christie Capucci expertly weaves a sardonic spell as the Homeless Woman; Gerald Germajesty Price effortlessly commands the stage as Belize, and Joshua Curtis reveals the flawed, multi-layered soul of Louis with remarkable precision.

Yet, as incredible as this ensemble is, Brooke Markham’s performance as Harper is a true revelation. She unfurls herself fearlessly onstage, abandoning past interpretations to play Harper with a weary grace that honors the character’s fierce intelligence just as much as her messy, fractured mental state. Make no mistake: Markham delivers one of the finest performances I’ve ever seen on stage, in Bend or anywhere else.

If enough people attend “Part 1,” we just might get to see “Part 2,” so do all of us a favor: go see it and revel in the fact that we live in a community that produces theater of this caliber.

Looking ahead, audiences can expect big changes for The Greenhouse Cabaret. “We realize our theater has hit a cap and we need to expand,” says Kish. “But we also need time to do so and make the correct choices for our theater’s future. We have the musical Cabaret in October, but are looking ahead to a year hiatus to regroup and potentially find a new home. We are also working on getting a fiscal sponsor so we could accept donations and grow. So keep your eyes and ears out for the changes and expansion in our future as we hit our 5th anniversary.”

If the “Great American” literary standard is defined by art that illuminates the beautiful, messy and flawed social construct of who we are, then this production doesn’t just meet the rubric—it sets it.

“Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches”
Aug 7-Sept 5
The Greenhouse Cabaret
1017 NE 2nd St., Bend
thegreenhousecabaret.com/angels-in-americac

This article appears in the Source August 6, 2026.