BWW Reviews: Zeitgeist's THE NORMAL HEART Is Powerful Theatre

Written by Larry Kramer; costume design, Meredith Magoun; lighting design, Michael Clark Wonson; sound design, J Jumbelic; projection design, Michael Flowers; stage manager, Cassandra Lovering; direction and scenic design, David J. Miller

Cast in Order of Appearance:

Kyle Cherry (Craig/Grady/Doctor); Mikey Diloreto (Mickey Marcus); Victor Shopov (Ned Weeks); David Lutheran (David/Hiram Keebler/Doctor); Maureen Adduci (Dr. Emma Brookner); Mario Da Rosa Jr. (Bruce Niles); Joey Pelletier (Felix Turner); Peter Brown (Ben Weeks); Mike Meadors (Tommy Boatwright)

Performances and Tickets:

Ends November 23, presented by Zeitgeist Stage Company, Plaza Black Box Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston; tickets are $25 in advance, $30 day of performance, $20 for seniors and students; available at the Calderwood Pavilion Box Office, by phone at 617-933-8600 or online at www.BostonTheatreScene.com.

Be prepared to be enraged, enlightened and deeply moved by the Zeitgeist Stage Company's riveting production of Larry Kramer's autobiographical drama THE NORMAL HEART ending its limited run at the Boston Center for the Arts this weekend with performances on Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. Written in 1985 as a wake-up call to politicians, doctors, researchers, and the gay community about the devastating effects of the AIDS epidemic in New York and other cities across America, THE NORMAL HEART is an unflinching exploration of the bureaucracy, bigotry and denial that contributed to the needless infection and deaths of millions of people worldwide.

Directed eloquently by David Miller, the Zeitgeist production attaches real personal heartbreak to the staggering HIV/AIDS statistics (70 million infected, 35 million dead as of 2012) by projecting on a screen behind the playing area a growing list of names of those taken by the disease. Black memorial walls in the lobby and throughout the theater are also crowded with names hand-written in chalk by loved ones in the audience. These haunting reminders offer no means of escape from the very human tragedy of a disease that was allowed to decimate a generation of gay men and run rampant throughout at-risk populations for years. THE NORMAL HEART brings into sharp focus the ways in which the government, its health institutions and the media all failed to address or even acknowledge the crushing impact of a rapidly spreading disease. Perceived as "gay," AIDS was tacitly dismissed by the mainstream all the while more and more people became ill and died horrific deaths.

For this Zeitgeist production, Miller has assembled an ensemble of nine emotionally committed actors who deliver authentic and beautifully understated performances. At the heart of THE NORMAL HEART is love, and that is evident in every breath and gesture of the cast.

Victor Shopov as the world weary yet doggedly determined gay activist Ned Weeks sets the right tone for the company, capturing the passion as well as the irritating self-righteousness of a man who dares to challenge his friends, the establishment, and the gay community to take their heads out of the sand. Joey C. Pelletier as his gentle lover Felix is equally strong, at first playful and amorous in the Early Stages of their relationship but ultimately heart-breaking when his joie de vivre is agonizingly extinguished by an immune system that relentlessly turns on him and ravages both his body and his soul.

Peter Brown as Ned Weeks' affluent brother Ben is the quintessentially disapproving but not entirely distant straight relative who wears his sadness and bewilderment with equal measures of sincerity and pain. A conservative lawyer initially unwilling to get behind his younger brother's cause, Ben slowly comes to accept, support, and even empathize with Ned's mission, love and loss. If Ben still falls short of true understanding, he at least no longer judges - or fears the judgment of others for coming out publicly on Ned's behalf.

As Ned's fellow activists and closest friends, Kyle Cherry, Mikey Diloreto, Mario DaRosa Jr., David Lutheran and Mike Meadors all bring power and nuance to their varied roles. Either touched by the loss of loved ones or infected with the virus themselves, these confused and overwhelmed young men express the hopes, fears, anger, denial, bitterness and shattered dreams of people whose lives have been trampled almost overnight. Their anguish is shared by Dr. Emma Brookner (Maureen Adduci), the one member of the medical community who tries to mobilize meaningful research and treatment early on. With a growing caseload of gravely ill patients, her compassion eventually gives way to outrage and finally despair.

Even though the AIDS epidemic reads more like a history lesson for today's generation, THE NORMAL HEART reminds us that the fight is far from over. By putting a very human face on a disease that is still infecting more than two million people worldwide each year, this very powerful drama reminds us that systemic bigotry still exists, and for those without access to equal rights and quality healthcare, HIV/AIDS is still a death sentence - and a terrifying, agonizing, inhumane one at that.

PHOTOS BY Richard Hall/SILVERLINE IMAGES: Victor Shopov, Kyle Cherry and Mikey Diloreto; Joey Pelletier and Victor Shopov; Peter Brown and Victor Shopov; Mario Da Rosa Jr., Mike Meadors, Kyle Cherry, and Mikey Diloreto; Joey Pelletier and Victor Shopov

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