The Normal Heart - 4/21 (Just...wow)

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Posted: 4/22/11 at 12:59am

I just got back from the 4/21 performance of "The Normal Heart" and have to say that I have not had such a profound experience in the theater in a decade.

The entire play, from start to finish, captured me and I thought every aspect of the production was pitch perfect.

Joe Mantello was superb and I think that, despite Mark Rylance, he will walk away with the Best Actor in a Play Tony Award. His performance is so nuanced, emotional, and explosive when it needs to be. He has truly made a triumphant return to the world of acting.

The supporting players are uniformly excellent, but for me the standouts were John Benjamin Hickey, who brings his acerbic acting style to full effect, and Jim Parsons, who basically stole every scene he was in. Patrick Breen was also very good, but had limited stage time. Lee Pace was the weakest link for me, but I think that is the function of the character more than anything else. Ellen Barkin is excellent and while she will be a contender for Best Featured Actress, I still think that Judith Light will walk away with the award. I felt that Ellen Barkin's second act monologue was actually a little underwhelming, though it did get a rousing ovation from the crowd.

The theater was almost completely full (and on a Thursday night).

The minimalist set and basic costumes and lighting worked perfectly with the concept of the production and I applaud Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe for putting together such an amazing production of a terrific play that still feels incredibly relevant.

I'll end by saying that I left the theater over two hours ago, and I still feel incredibly connected to the play and can't stop thinking about it. I would universally recommend this!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/22/11 at 1:25am

Glad you had such a great experience. This play is really important to me, and even though it's really hard not to be able to be in town right now, it's making me SO happy to see that people are having such profound experiences with it.

[BwayTday]

Posted: 4/22/11 at 1:29am

Is this an open-ended run? I don't think that there has been one non rave report from previews.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/22/11 at 1:31am

Right now it's only scheduled for 96 performances.