Have we lost Spock to the theater? Angels in America, the Pulitzer and Tony award winning play by Tony Kushner (Munich) about AIDS in the late 80’s, has lured Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) to New York to jump start his theater career. The landmark play is being revived this week to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its publication. “This is hopefully a declaration of my intention to have theater be a much more significant part of my career from this point forward,” he said. “I look at the work that I’ve done so far as an investment to that end.” Quinto will play Louis Ironside, an accountant from Brooklyn who leaves his lover when he reveals to Louis he has contracted AIDS.  More after the jump, including a trailer for the production.

While Quinto started his career early in theater, he swiftly moved to LA and eventually found success as Sylar on Heroes. With his nailed-it performance as Spock in J.J. Abrams Star Trek, you’d think Quinto would keep riding the geek wave. But it seems he’s accomplished his mission. “I saw how many [stage] productions were cast with actors who were on hiatus from TV shows or in between movies, and so I identified the value of making my initial investment in Los Angeles rather than New York.”  What this means for his future in film and television remains to be seen. But he’s still on for Star Trek 2, which is set to shoot next summer and slated for release June 29, 2012.  Hit the jump for a synopsis and trailer of the play and what else Quinto has coming up.

Here’s a synopsis:

ANGELS IN AMERICA, A GAY FANTASIA ON NATIONAL THEMES is set in late 1985 and early 1986, as the first wave of the AIDS epidemic in America is escalating and Ronald Reagan has been elected to a second term in the White House. The play’s two parts, MILLENNIUM APPROACHES and PERESTROIKA, bring together a young gay man with AIDS and his frightened, unfaithful lover; a closeted Mormon lawyer and his valium-addicted wife; the infamous New York lawyer Roy Cohn; an African-American male nurse; a Mormon housewife from Utah; and a steel-winged, prophecy-bearing angel; as well as the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg, an ancient rabbi, the world’s oldest living Bolshevik and a Reagan administration functionary, among many others – all played by a company of eight actors. The lives of these disparate characters intersect, intertwine, collide and are blown apart during a time of heartbreak, reaction and transformation. Ranging from earth to heaven, from the political to the intimate to the visionary and supernatural, ANGELS IN AMERICA is an epic exploration of love, justice, identity and theology, of the difficulty, terror and necessity of change.

Quinto’s part as Louis Ironside is often cited as the most difficult in the two part epic, as Louis’ arc from guarded fear to moral accountability is meant to reflect the audience's own moral awakening. Angels in America first premiered in two parts, part one winning the Pulitzer for drama and Tony for best play. Part two won the Tony for best play.  It was turned into an HBO miniseries in 2003 directed by Mike Nichols staring Meryl Streep and Al Pacino, and swept the Emmys with a record breaking 11 awards. It also won Golden Globes for best miniseries and took every acting category. Suffice it to say, this is good material.

Quinto just wrapped Margin Call which co-stars Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons.  The thriller which takes place in an investment bank 24 hours before the 2008 financial fallout. It’s also Quinto’s first feature as producer under his own Before The Door Pictures banner.

Angels in America opens Thursday October 28th on Broadway and is directed by Michael Greif (Rent Broadway production).  Here's a preview:

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