Saw The Normal Heart this past weekend. I thought the production was quite solid (although I wouldn't say exceptional). I think the audience was moved, and there was plenty of laughter, and some sniffles at the end. I saw a few people who were clearly wiping tears from their eyes as they were leaving the theatre (the 500-seat Kreeger theatre, part of a striking, modern 3-stage theatre complex).
SPOILERS. Patrick Breen was very good as Ned Weeks, irascible and passionate, grating yet compelling. Luke McFarlane was terribly charming as Felix Turner. The direction of the end of the play, and how Felix was presented when sick didn't entirely work for me--I didn't feel as emotional as I felt I should (I had seen a production of the play several months previously, so I suppose the outcome was not a surprise).
Michael Berresse, Nick Mennell and John Procaccino were all solid as Mickey Marcus, Bruce Niles and and Ben Weeks. As Dr. Emma Brookner, I thought Patricia Wettig could have been a bit more forceful (this play is full of yelling, which serves it well), and Christopher J. Hanke's Tommy Boatwright might have been less flaming (or less silly flaming, anyways).
While overall I liked the direction, staging and design of the show, the latter stages were a bit weaker, I felt. Not sure why they had the actors who were not in the scenes sitting at the back of the stage: to me, that was a distraction. I liked the use of projections, and think it might have worked to use that even more.
If one hasn't seen The Normal Heart before, this is a production well worth going to see. It's an important play, that time has allowed us to gain some perspective on. Further, it plays almost as a documentary of the time. As Kramer says: it's all true.
And it's, of course, timely because Washington DC will be hosting the International AIDS Conference this July 22-27. It will be great for attendees to see. But visitors (and locals) should also check out the many related arts and cultural events associated with this conference (including displays of panels from the AIDS quilt--do young people even know what this is?). Toronto (where I live) hosted this conference in 2006, and it's a good opportunity for people of the city to learn about what's going on in the world. I believe this is the first time this conference has ever been held in the US. Hopefully it will get coverage in the media and raise awareness of what's going on now--and what when on in the past. Episodes like what is documented in The Normal Heart.
http://www.arenastage.org/shows-tickets/the-season/productions/the-normal-heart/ http://www.aids2012.org/
Coach Bob knew it all along: you've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows. (John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire)
Updated On: 7/10/12 at 04:10 PM
