The Normal Heart

A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

The Normal Heart

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  1w, 8m

Larry Kramer

Set in New York in the early 1980s, Larry Kramer's powerful, passionate and controversial play was the first to treat seriously the poignant and devastasting subject of AIDS.

Image: Joan Marcus

The Normal Heart

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 8m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Docudrama/Historic
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
    • Scene work
    • Competition or audition material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
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

The Normal Heart

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
The Normal Heart opened on April 21, 1985 at the Public Theater in New York City, New York; a New York Shakespeare Festival Production, it was produced by Joseph Papp. The performance was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. The revival of The Normal Heart opened on Broadway in April 27, 2011 at the John Golden Theatre in New York City, New York; it was produced by Daryl Roth, Paul Boskind and Martian Entertainment; in association with Gregory Rae and Jayne Baron Sherman/Alexander Fraser. The performance was directed by Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups

Craig Donner
Mickey Marcus
Ned Weeks
David
Dr. Emma Brookner
Bruce Niles
Felix Turner
Ben Weeks
Tommy Boatwright
Hiram Keebler
Grady
Examining Doctor
Orderly
Orderly

  • 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

  • The Normal Heart

    Image: Joan Marcus

  • The Normal Heart

    Image: Joan Marcus

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

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Authors

Larry Kramer

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 ...

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