TV: Watch Larry Kramer Talk About His Masterpiece, THE NORMAL HEART, on Opening Night

As BroadwayWorld sadly reported yesterday, legendary playwright, author, and activist, Larry Kramer passed away this morning. With his passing, Kramer leaves behind a legacy of important, eye-opening, controversial art, including his masterpiece, The Normal Heart.

The play, which first opened The Public Theater in 1985, focuses on the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group. The play made it to Broadway in 2011 in a star-studded production featuring Joe Mantello, John Benjamin Hickey, Lee Pace, Jim Parsons and Ellen Barkin. It earned five Tony nominations that season and two wins, including Best Revival of a Play.

Below, watch as Kramer talks about the play, how it effects audiences, and why he sometimes forgets that he even wrote it on opening night in 2011.