Part 2: Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

In the Staging Notes, writer Tony Kushner explains:

"Perestroika proceeds forward from the wreckage made by the Angel's traumatic entry at the end of Millennium. A membrane has broken; there is disarray and debris.

Perestroika is essentially a comedy, in that issues are resolved, mostly peaceably, growth takes place and loss is, to a certain degree, countenanced."

The title is a Russian term, used by President Gorbachev to describe the economic and political 'restructuring' of Russia in the post-Cold War era. Reforms included the liberation of the press, and the extension of other freedoms to the public. The title leads us to expect that the second part of the play will address and perhaps reform the chaotic elements of the first part.

The setting is winter, early 1986, immediately following the events of Millennium Approaches. The stage is in darkness...