Tony Kushner’s magnum opus Angles in America opened to critical acclaim March 25; on March 27, PBS aired a conversation between the award-winning playwright and leading actor Tony nominee Andrew Garfield, led by Christiane Amanpour.

Read: WATCH TONY KUSHNER, ANDREW GARFIELD, AND MORE REVEAL SECRETS OF ANGELS IN AMERICA ON OPENING NIGHT

The half-hour interview dives into the relevance of the 25th anniversary production and the play itself with the two artists.

Garfield, who took on the role of Prior Walter in the National Theatre production in London prior to its New York transfer, feels the play is “absolutely vital for a functioning American democracy and society. It's a new chapter of the new New Testament of how we move forward with humanity and empathy and compassion.”

Amanpour places the theatrical epic in the historical and political context of the 1980s, causing Kushner to reflect. “The callousness and the indifference of the Reagan administration and the entire administration [to the AIDS crisis]” filled him with rage. “He didn't call on the country to do anything. ... It's a permanent black mark, and indelible stain. It speaks to a core of heartlessness and a lack of a sense of community and human connectedness.”

That demonstration of human connectedness lies at the heart of both parts (Millennium Approaches and Perestroika) of Angels in America.

Watch the full conversation above.

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See Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane in Angels in America

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