by Amy Bradley — Jul 13, 2017
The City Theatre Company presents Larry Kramer's THE NORMAL HEART, with compassion and care to the tragic subject matter. This mostly autobiographical tale from Kramer, shines a light on the HIV crisis that hit the gay community in New York City in the early eighties. With the horrifying illness gaining steam, and compounded by little to no cooperation from the community at large, the newly liberated 'gay movement' was stonewalled and devastated by the effects of the AIDS virus. To tell the story of his own experience during this plague, Larry Kramer puts his experiences to paper to share the heart-wrenching realities many homosexual communities faced during this time. At the helm of the activism is an outspoken, abrasive crusader Ned Weeks (a self-reflection of Larry Kramer). THE NORMAL HEART begins in a hospital waiting room with a few young men trading quips back and forth that all will be well. Within minutes, we discover all is not well, and the true villain of the show, the HIV virus, is about to take center stage in these happy young men's lives. Weeks is adamant about finding help for his crusade and passionately tells his fellow peers to 'button it up' for the time being. The timeline of the show follows the rising death toll of the AIDS virus from all over the world. As events escalate, Ned's personal relationships fall victim to his passionate and outlandish tactics in seeking support for their cause. The reflection and passion written by Kramer is nothing shy of breath-taking. With an emphasis on awareness and education, THE NORMAL HEART stays relevant and interesting for the present-day theatre-goer.