Larry Kramer's THE NORMAL HEART Comes to Lakewood Playhouse This Season

Lakewood Playhouse has announced that rehearsals are now underway for The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer's groundbreaking and deeply personal drama that ignited a national conversation and forever changed American theatre. 

“…until we organize ourselves block by neighborhood by city by state into a united visible community that fights back, we're doomed.  That's how I want to be defined: as one of the men who fought the war.”

Based on Kramer's own experiences as a founder of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, The Normal Heart chronicles the terrifying early years of the AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York City.  At its center is Ned Weeks, a reluctant leader and uncompromising activist whose fierce determination forces a resistant society to confront an unfolding tragedy it would rather ignore.

As government officials, the media, and even the medical establishment fail to act, Ned's fight becomes both political and deeply personal — testing friendships, shattering relationships, and illuminating the extraordinary power of love, compassion, and truth in the face of unimaginable loss.

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, The Normal Heart remains as urgent and resonant today as when it first premiered.  Its themes — public health, civic responsibility, misinformation, and the cost of silence — continue to echo with striking relevance.

Brought to you by the team behind last season's award-winning production of The Laramie Project, Lakewood Playhouse's production honors the legacy of those who fought, those who were lost, and those whose voices demanded to be heard.  The Normal Heart is not only a powerful theatrical experience — it is a call to remember, to act, and to stand up when it matters most.

The cast features John Pedro as Ned Weeks, Gina Grosso as Dr. Emma Brookner, Darryin B. Cunningham as Bruce Niles, Sergio Antonio Garcia as Felix Turner, Luke Amundson as Ben Weeks, Ty Halton as Tommy Boatwright, Jerry Romasco as Craig Donner/Grady & Understudy Mickey/Ned, Jason Sharp as Mickey Marcus, Zack Fowler as David/Understudy Ben/Hiram/Examining Doctor, Joseph Grant as Hiram Keebler/Examining Doctor, Michelle Patrick as Understudy Emma, and Ethan Hechanova as Young Man & Understudy Felix/Craig/Grady.

The creative team are Joseph C. Walsh (Director), Mykahla George (Assistant Director), Shawn Boyle (Scenic Designer), Elijah Bellis (Lighting Designer & Understudy Young Man), Stephania Lara (Sound Designer), Aleeza McCant (Costume Designer), Madeleine Arnold (Properties Designer), Brookelyne Peterson (Intimacy/Movement Coordinator), Ashley Roy-Simpson (Scenic Artist), Maisha Rice (Stage Manager) and Stephanie Huber (Assistant Stage Manager).