The Broadway premiere of Larry Kramer's ground-breaking play The Normal Heart officially opens tonight, Wednesday, April 27, at the Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street). The limited, 12-week engagement, directed by Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, began performances on Tuesday, April 19.
For its opening night, The Normal Heart is proud to partner with MAC Cosmetics, whose MAC AIDS Fund helps men, women, and children affected by HIV and AIDS globally. MAC is also supplying the cast of The Normal Heart with makeup support for the run of the production.
The cast of The Normal Heart includes Ellen Barkin (Ocean's 13), Patrick Breen (Next Fall), Mark Harelik (Mrs. Warren's Profession), John Benjamin Hickey ("The Big C"), Luke Macfarlane ("Brothers and Sisters"), Joe Mantello (Angels in America), Lee Pace ("Pushing Daisies"), Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory"), Richard Topol (The Merchant of Venice), and Wayne Alan Wilcox (Coram Boy).
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 $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. (No performance on Thursday, 4/28.)
The entire company of The Normal Heart is deeply committed to the message of this play, and so the production is proud to support The Actors Fund, Friends In Deed, amfAR and the Human Rights Campaign.
Paul Davis, the legendary graphic designer of Joseph Papp's Public Theater, has graciously lent his original logo for this production's use.
The Broadway production of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart on Broadway is produced by Daryl Roth, Paul Boskind and Martian Entertainment in association with Gregory Rae and Jayne Baron Sherman/Alexander Fraser.
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
