Andrew Garfield wows critics in London ‘Angels in America’

One of the landmark plays of the late 20th century, “Angels in America” is set in a deeply divided United States haunted by premonitions of apocalypse. It still feels completely relevant. (Photo: Andrew Garfield/Facebook)

LONDON — One of the landmark plays of the late 20th century, “Angels in America” is set in a deeply divided United States haunted by premonitions of apocalypse. It still feels completely relevant.

Tony Kushner’s “gay fantasia on national themes” — revived in a sold-out production at Britain’s National Theatre — is set against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, the “Reagan revolution” and the end of the Cold War, but doesn’t feel like a period piece.

The epic eight-hour drama is the London theatre event of the year, with a cast that includes Academy Award nominee Andrew Garfield and Tony Award winner Nathan Lane.

The Daily Telegraph gave the production five stars on Friday, with critic Dominic Cavendish calling it “a start-to-finish sensation,” while the Evening Standard said it was “exhilarating.”