As the world of journalism and literature seem to be abandoning slowly but surely paper in favor of online, eBook and Kindle screen formats, the theatrical world seems headed to longer rather than short plays.

Tony Kushner´s “Angels in America” (1991) in two long nights (exhibited 2020 in Rio de Janeiro) is now followed currently *by Broadway´s and London´s award- winning “The Inheritance,” by Puerto Rican-American Mathew Lopez.

And with theater prices being what they are on Broadway, a theatergoer trying to update his or her knowledge of the current American theater has until 22 October 2023 to attend this landmark play.

Invited last Friday to see the second part of the saga concerning (but not only about) homosexual life in New York, this theater lover decided to go after reviewing the play´s emotionally moving first part.

And I am not sorry that I attended all six hours of Lopezes saga because indeed it is a very important theatrical piece seeking to make amends with America´s—and the world´s — prejudices and misconceptions about the “gay” community.

Nevertheless, as a lifetime theatergoer from Shakespeare-Chekhov–Eugene Oneill to Brazil´s legendary Nelson Rodrigues, I feel that the two long nights at the theater could have been better condensed and edited into one evening.

But apparently judging from the standing ovation given to the superb production by the audience at the Clara Nunes theater at Gavea Shopping I am in the minority.

In this age when Afro and Women in the arts and history are being re-evaluated,” The Inheritance” is an attempt to take a closer look at the homosexual/gay revolution and the tragedy of how Aids affected an important segment of America´s population but was ignored by the majority, as Lopezes text emphasizes.

And if one reads the original play or could close his or her eyes to the actors onstage the love stories could as easily be about heterosexuals rather homosexual romances, relationships, marriages and breakups.

A few hours before attending the theatrical I was speaking to a friend in his 90s who recalled “years ago when I went to theater and saw gays onstage, I walked out in the middle.”

That time has passed and we are in a new age, especially in the theater, films and TV soap opera world.

Lopezes world onstage goes from the streets of Manhattan to the Broadway theater to the erotic beaches of New York´s equivalent of Rio´s Buzios, Fire Island, to the suburbs of middle America and Alabama.

Having made a great splash on Broadway with his “Loved Boy” Toby Darling (Rafael Primot) is now engaged in writing in what he calls a truer look at his life “Lost Boy.”

Receiving Toby´s “too long” (ha-ha) text, his Broadway theatrical agent believes that the once star playwright has gone berserk and tries to have him sent to a rehab center but the once brightest star of the Broadway theater has become a shadow of himself.

Hmm sounds familiar!

(Memories of a great literary figure who became a drunk when returning to America, Scott Fitzgerald:” There are no second acts in American life.”)

The cast of motley characters includes a Republican -supporting (read Trump or Bolsonaro) gay billionaire Henry aptly portrayed by Reynaldo Giannecchini,50.

In contrast to our image of liberal- minded gays, he (Henry) couldn’t care less that gays are being desecrated by the ruler in the White House just as long as he continues to make obscene profits as a workaholic whose recreation is high living and orgies.

As stated in a previous review the locale may be decadent America but could just as well be Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro or any other city where homosexuals have a prominent community.

Prior to ‘The Inheritance, ’I had seen the talents of Bruno Fagundes in Baixa Terapia (“Low Therapy”) and believe Bruno who portrays Eric –cast off partner by aspiring playwright Toby in this epic–is an actor to watch along with Rafael Primot..

Primot´s aural and dramatic projection are in my humble opinion in the tradition of the great Brazilian actors and actresses like Sergio Britto, Italo Rossi and Bibi Ferreira who have given us many great nights at the local theater.

Marco Antoni Pamio who interprets “brilliantly” (as one Sao Paulo critic wrote) the inspiration for the play, British author E.M Forster, is another reason to attend this play.

Literally stopping the show is veteran, Shell -award winning actress Miriam Mehler,88(!) with monologues as Margaret, the mother who has lost her son to AIDS.

As for the American playwright only time and further plays will tell if despite all his awards and fine critics he is in the same class as other top American playwrights Edward Albee Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller or even Brazil´s Nelson Rodrigues.