Angels Fall
Angels Fall is a play written by Lanford Wilson. It debuted at New York's Circle Repertory Company in 1982. its Broadway production was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play.
Characters
- Niles Harris: a cynical, middle-aged university professor
- Vita Harris: his much younger wife
- Don Tabaha: a brilliant young Native American medical student
- Marion Clay: a wealthy, middle-aged widow
- Salvatore Zappala: Marion's young lover
- Father William Doherty: an elderly, idealistic Catholic priest
Note: Niles and Vita were originally called Niles and Vita Heron but Wilson changed it when it was pointed out that "Vita Heron" sounded too much like "Vita Herring" a brand available at the time.
Plot summary
A nuclear accident has occurred in a remote section of New Mexico, and two couples who had been travelling through the area are forced to stop and seek shelter, while they await further word from the authorities. They find shelter at a small Catholic mission ministering to impoverished local Native Americans.
The first couple consists of a middle-aged professor and his attractive young wife. He is being taken to a sanitarium near Phoenix after a recent nervous breakdown. The professor has become disillusioned with academia, and now likes to rant that education itself is an evil.
The second couple are a wealthy middle-aged widow and her much younger lover, an aspiring tennis pro. Initially, he appears to be merely a toy to her, but it gradually becomes clear that she loves him deeply and is terrified of losing him.
While at the mission, the couples encounter Father Doherty, an elderly priest who runs the mission. Doherty relies heavily on his foster son, Don Tabaha, a young Native American. Doherty wants desperately for Tabaha to stay in New Mexico and continue to work at the mission, but Tabaha wants nothing more than to get away and leave the poverty of New Mexico far behind.
All characters' future plans are put on hold, while they wait to learn whether the nuclear accident can be resolved. If the problem is fixed, they must all make difficult decisions and move on with their lives. If not, they may all die there at the mission.
Original Broadway Cast
| Directed by Marshall W. Mason | |
| Scenic Design John Lee Beatty | |
| Costume Design Jennifer von Mayrhauser | |
| Lighting Design Dennis Parichy | |
| Sound Design Chuck London | |
| Original Music Norman L. Berman | |
| Fritz Weaver | Professor Niles Harris |
| Nancy Snyder | Vita Harris |
| Danton Stone | Don Tabaha |
| Tanya Berezin | Marion Clay |
| Brian Tarantina | Salvatore Zappala |
| Barnard Hughes | Father William Doherty |
References
- Angels Fall at the IBDB database
- Rich, Frank (October 18, 1982). "'Angels Fall,' Landford Wilson's Apocalypse". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- "ANGELS FALL by Lanford Wilson". TIME (Time Inc.). November 1, 1982. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- Lawson, Carol (December 17, 1982). "Angels Fall heads for Broadway". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 27. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
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