Photo Flash: THE NORMAL HEART Opens on Broadway Tonight!

Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart opens on Broadway tonight, April 27 for a 12-week engagement at the John Golden Theatre. Previews began April 19, 2011.  

The story of a city in denial, The Normal Heart unfolds like a real-life political thriller -- as a tight-knit group of friends refuses to let doctors, politicians, and the press bury the truth of an unspoken epidemic behind a wall of silence. First produced by Joseph Papp at New York's Public Theater, the play was a critical sensation and a seminal moment in theater history. So ahead of its time was this play that many of the core issues it addresses - including gay marriage, the healthcare system and, of course, AIDS - are just as relevant today as they were when it first premiered.

The cast of The Normal Heart includes Ellen Barkin (Ocean's 13), Patrick Breen (Next Fall), Mark Harelik (Mrs. Warren's Profession), John Benjamin Hickey ("The Big C"), Luke Macfarlane ("Brothers and Sisters"), Joe Mantello (Angels in America), Lee Pace ("Pushing Daisies"), Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory"), Richard Topol (The Merchant of Venice), and Wayne Alan Wilcox (Coram Boy).

The design team includes David Rockwell (sets), Martin Pakledinaz (costumes), David Weiner (lighting), David Van Tieghem (sound), and Batwin & Robin (projections).

Tickets, priced from $26.50 to $116.50, are available via Telecharge.com, by calling (212) 239-6200, or in person at the Golden Theatre box office (252 West 45th Street). General rush tickets are available for $36.50 at the box office on a first come, first served basis the day of the performance. (Limit two tickets per person; cash or credit card.)

The weekly performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday at 8:00 p.m., Thursday at 8:00 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

The premiere presentation of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart on Broadway is produced by Daryl Roth, Paul Boskind and Martian Entertainment in association with Gregory Rae and Jayne Baron Sherman/Alexander Fraser.

For more information, visit www.TheNormalHeartBroadway.com.

John Benjamin Hickey

Joe Mantello

Lee Pace, Ellen Barkin, Wayne Alan Wilcox, Patrick Breen, Jim Parsons, Joe Mantello, John Benjamin Hickey, Luke Macfarlane, Richard Topol and Mark Harelik

Ellen Barkin

Lee Pace, Jim Parsons, Joe Mantello and Patrick Breen

Jim Parsons and Lee Pace

Joe Mantello and John Benjamin Hickey

Luke Macfarlane, Jim Parsons and Patrick Breen