Angels Fall
Encyclopedia
Angels Fall is a play written by Lanford Wilson
. It debuted at New York's Circle Repertory Company in 1982.
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.
, 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.
Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson was an American playwright who helped to advance the Off-Off-Broadway theater movement. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1980, was elected in 2001 to the Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2004 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
. It debuted at New York's Circle Repertory Company in 1982.
Characters
- Niles Harris: a cynical, middle-aged university professor
- Vita Harris: his much younger wife
- Don Tabaha: a brilliant young Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
medical student - Marion Clay: a wealthy, middle-aged widow
- Salvatore Zappala: Marion's young lover
- Father William Doherty: an edlerly, idealistic CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priestPriestA priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
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 MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, 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
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
after a recent nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. 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
| Fritz Weaver Fritz Weaver Fritz William Weaver is an American actor and voice actor.-Life and career:Weaver was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Elsa W. and John Carson Weaver. His mother was of Italian descent and his father was a social worker from Pittsburgh. Weaver attended Peabody High School... |
Professor Niles Harris |
| Nancy Snyder Nancy Snyder Nancy Snyder is an American actress who won the Clarence Derwent Award in 1976 and the Outer Critics Circle Best Actress award in the 1977–78 season.Snyder was born in Kankakee, Illinois in 1949... |
Vita Harris |
| Danton Stone Danton Stone Danton Stone is an American veteran stage, film and television actor.-Stage plays:*Fifth of July *Angels Fall *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest... |
Don Tabaha |
| Tanya Berezin | Marion Clay |
| Brian Tarantina | Salvatore Zappala |
| Barnard Hughes Barnard Hughes Bernard Aloysius Kiernan “Barnard” Hughes was an American actor of theater and film. Hughes became famous for a variety of roles; his most notable roles came after middle age, and he was often cast as a dithering authority figure or grandfatherly elder.-Personal life:Hughes was born in Bedford... |
Father William Doherty |