Dramatens production of Matthew Lopez’s mammoth play does not only claim our time. It also urges us to never forget all those who have gone before in the struggle for the fragile freedom we have today. Legacy is eight hours of immersive theater that connects the history and the present of gay men from the early 1900s, through the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and the early 1990s. The Trump era. In an ever-changing stage space, the outstanding ensemble creates a deeply moving performance where the audience’s laughter is only drowned out by their sobs.

– Motivation of the selection jury

The inheritance is an epic and multifaceted full-day performance in two parts, where we meet eleven gay men in contemporary New York. The younger generation, with its relatively free lifestyle meets an older generation that survived both the AIDS epidemic and social repression.

In a comical, tragic and honest discussion, the men try to talk about their lives, deliver a collective status update and explore all the unresolved issues that they’ve never expressed in words, in order to move on. Should they just enjoy their new freedom, or should they continue to fight? How do you handle your history, how do you heal instead of burning up?

This play was directly inspired by E. M. Forster’s novel Howard’s End and is often referred to as a sequel to Angels in America, Tony Kushner’s monumental play (which has also been serialised for TV) set in New York in the midst of the AIDS epidemic.

By Matthew Lopez
Translation Jonas Brun
Direction Carl Johan Karlson
Set design Magdalena Åberg
Costume Jasminda Asplund Blanco
Mask & Wig Johan Lundström, Frida Ottosson
Light Åsa Frankenberg
Music Christoffer Karlsson
Dramaturgy Anneli Dufva
Participants Samuel Astor, Kicki Bramberg, Maurits Elvingsson, David Fukamachi Regnfors, Thomas Hanzon, Johan Holmberg, Isak Karlsson, Christopher Lehmann, Razmus Nyström, Simon Reithner, Nils Wetterholm, Per Öhagen
Additional participants Elias Elkotbi, Patrik Gunnarsson Juhlin, Fabian Magnusson, Jesper Palmqvist, Mawlawi Rahem.

Read more about the production here

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