STAGE TUBE: Cast of THE NORMAL HEART on the AIDS Epidemic

The Normal Heart made its World Premiere at The Public Theater in 1985 and premiered on Broadway on April 19, 2011 before opening to rave reviews on April 27, 2011. The limited engagement, which stars Ellen Barkin, Patrick Breen, Mark Harelik, John Benjamin Hickey, Luke MacFarlane, Joe Mantello, Lee Pace, Jim Parsons, Richard Topol and Wayne Alan Wilcox, runs through July 10, 2011.

In the video, the cast discusses the AIDS epidemic on THE EARLY SHOW. Click below to check it out!

Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe direct the production, which has been nominated for five Tony Awards®. The Normal Heart is already the winner of the Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Revival of a Play, the Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble and a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics Circle.

The design team includes David Rockwell (sets), Martin Pakledinaz (costumes), David Weiner (lighting), David Van Tieghem (sound and original music), and Batwin & Robin (projections).

The story of a city in denial, The Normal Heart unfolds like a real-life political thriller -- as a tight-knit group of friends refuses to let doctors, politicians and the press bury the truth of an unspoken epidemic behind a wall of silence. First produced by Joseph Papp at New York's Public Theater, the play was a critical sensation and a seminal moment in theater history. So ahead of its time was this play that many of the core issues it addresses - including gay marriage, the healthcare system and, of course, AIDS - are just as relevant today as they were when it first premiered.

Tickets, priced from $26.50 to $116.50, are available via Telecharge.com, by calling (212) 239-6200 , or in person at the Golden Theatre box office (252 West 45th Street). General rush tickets are available for all performances for $36.50 at the box office on a first come, first served basis the day of the performance. (Limit two tickets per person; cash or credit card.)

The weekly performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday at 8:00 p.m., Thursday at 8:00 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. (Note there will be a 2:00 p.m. performance on Wednesday, 6/8 and no 7:00 p.m. performance on Sunday, 6/12.)