A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE
The Normal Heart
Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 8m
Image: Joan Marcus
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Cast Size
1w, 8m -
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours) -
Subgenre
Docudrama/History -
Suggested Use
- Cutting Approved for Competition
- Scene Work
- Competition or Audition Material
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Target Audience
Adult
Accolades
Winner! 2011 Tony® Award - Best Revival of a Play
Winner! 2011 Drama Desk Award - Outstanding Revival of a Play
Winner! 2011 Drama League Award - Distinguished Revival of a Play
Winner! 2011 Outer Critic's Circle Award - Outstanding Revival
Nominee: 2022 Olivier Award - Best Revival
Details
Summary
Originally published in 1985 and celebrated in a passionate and eloquent 2011 Broadway revival, this definitive edition of Larry Kramer's play features an updated version of the script, as well as notes on both the original production and the revival.
A searing drama about public and private indifference to the AIDS plague and one man's lonely fight to awaken the world to the crisis, The Normal Heart was based on Kramer's real-life experience. Produced to acclaim in New York, London and Los Angeles, the play centers on Ned Weeks, a gay activist enraged at the indifference of public officials and the gay community. While trying to save the world from itself, Ned confronts the personal toll of AIDS when his lover dies of the disease.
History
Cast Attributes
Keywords
- Time Period 1980s
- Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
- Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- Intense Adult Themes
- Strong Language
Media
"An angry, unremitting and gripping piece of political theatre." – New York Daily News
"Like the best social playwrights, Kramer produces a cross fire of life and death energies that illuminate the many issues and create a fierce and moving human drama." – Newsweek
"A spectacular and spectacularly moving revival." – The New York Observer
"If you see only one play this year, make it The Normal Heart!" – Backstage
"Run to The Normal Heart if you want to be reminded of how alive you are!" – The Village Voice
"Hits you like a jackhammer. A powerful example of theater at its most direct, passionate and urgent. Devastating." – AM New York
"Riveting theater!" – Newsday
"A stunning Broadway revival. This is essentially Ibsen for our times. The play's complexity is brought to pulse-pounding life! The entire company acts up a storm, and the production leaves you drenched. Raw, scary and galvanizing." – Time Out New York
"Scalding and poignant. It is a breathtaking achievement. Period." – Daily News
"The Normal Heart is breathing fire again! A great cathartic night at the theater!" – The New York Times
"One harrowing meltdown seems to incite another — a cascade of anguish as a terrifyingly unknowable killer bears down on a great metropolis… A theatergoer of any age or background can relate…You come to understand in the naked fury of The Normal Heart that the voices of history can, in fact, feel as if they are speaking directly to you" – The Washington Post
RELATED ARTICLES ON BREAKING CHARACTER:
Looking Forward and Back: THE NORMAL HEART, A Story about Past, Present and Future
by Ishanji Chatterji
April 27, 2016
LGBT Theater: A Samuel French Showcase
by Jack Smart
May 30, 2013
Photos
Image: Joan Marcus
Image: Joan Marcus
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
Please submit a license request to determine availability.
Authors
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer (1935-2020) founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis in 1981 with five friends; the organization remains one of the world’s largest providers of services to those with AIDS. In 1987, he founded ACT UP, the AIDS advocacy and protest organization, which has been responsible ...