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.
In this shattering revival of Larry Kramer's polemical howl of anger and despair, The Normal Heart, the 30 years since the first whispers of what became known as AIDS were heard and ignored evaporate in an instant...marquee value is not the point here; this is a spectacularly well-cast production in which every role has found its ideal interpreter. This is tough, unflinching drama staged and performed by people with a fierce emotional investment in telling this story and keeping this painful history alive for generations inclined to forget.
In a Broadway season robust with bravura performances, comes another that makes demands of our souls along with our ears...As played -- no, embodied -- by Mantello with fathomless compassion and dignity (not to mention charm and humor), Ned is impossible to ignore. 'The Normal Heart' is unabashed agitprop, which is rarely welcome on Broadway, and Ned Weeks is an unlikely hero. But as 'Jerusalem' is also showing us, not all heroes wear white hats. Some are unpleasant company, doing what they must, demanding that attention be paid.
1985 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2004 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2011 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2012 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Direction of a Play | George C. Wolfe |
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Joel Grey |
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Jim Parsons |
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Play | The Normal Heart |
2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | George C. Wolfe |
2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Joel Grey |
2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Ensemble Performance Special Awards | The Normal Heart |
2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | 0 |
2011 | New York Drama Critics Circle Awards | Special Citations | 0 |
2011 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Joe Mantello |
2011 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | 0 |
2011 | The Hewes Awards | Hewes Design Award | Batwin & Robin Productions, Inc. |
2011 | The Hewes Awards | Hewes Design Award | David Rockwell |
2011 | Theatre World Awards | Performance | Ellen Barkin |
2011 | Theatre World Awards | Performance | Jim Parsons |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | George C. Wolfe |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Joel Grey |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | John Benjamin Hickey |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Joe Mantello |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Ellen Barkin |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Jayne Baron Sherman/Alexander Fraser |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Gregory Rae |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Martian Entertainment |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Paul Boskind |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Daryl Roth |
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