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.
Directed by George C. Wolfe and Joel Grey (who took over the role of Ned from Brad Davis during the original run), the production clearly is a labor of love. Under their guidance, the company’s acting is bold and powerful, with a genuinely raw edge to its emotions that rubs the starch out of the play’s overtly socio-political contents. The look is appropriately stark, with a white box of a set subtly designed by David Rockwell that gradually grows darker with the play’s mounting toll of mortality.
Larry Kramer's historic play about the beginning of an epidemic that has killed millions can be seen as a time capsule of a period when the disease was first emerging. But it can also be a cautionary tale for any horror we have yet to fully grasp...Mantello manages to make his unlovable Weeks lovable and he steers clear of hagiography. Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe co-direct and push the throttle - each scene is fraught with emotion, anger is quick to explode, papers are tossed with abandon, and any moment of humor is milked for the relief it offers from a hectic production.
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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