Angels in America Lesson Plan

What is the significance of opening Perestroika with the monologue of Aleksii, the World's Oldest Bolshevik?

Follow-up: The 2003 HBO mini-series version of Angels is largely faithful to the text of the play, but leaves this scene out. Why do you think it does? What function would it have in a theatre production that would prompt directors to leave it in?

The second part of Angels in America is called Perestroika, referencing the reform movement that eventually would bring down the Soviet Union. But the word "perestroika" is never used until the epilogue, the very last scene. This scene helps to ground the audience in one of the major political currents happening in the...