Written by Larry Kramer. Directed by Shira Helena Gitlin. Scenic Design by Melody Hsu. Lighting Design by Michael Clark Wonson. Sound Design by Mackenzie Adamick. Costume Design by Zhihan (Sandra) Jia. The Black Box Theater at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown, through July 9, 2023.
by Linda Chin
New Rep’s 2023-24 season opener, The Normal Heart, a largely autobiographical work by the late playwright/activist Larry Kramer, provides a little-seen lens into the surging AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Kramer’s occasionally humorous, mostly heartwarming, and ultimately heartbreaking drama tells the story of two writers, both gay men – loud and hot-headed protagonist Ned Weeks (Dylan C. Wack) and mild-mannered and more chill Felix Turner (Chingwe Padraig Sullivan). They reconnect after a random bathhouse encounter years before and become lovers and soulmates. The versatile Zach Kelley and Ken Yotsukura are the play’s Everymen, portraying multiple roles, including Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) director Tommy Boatwright and Mayor’s assistant Hiram Keebler, friends David, Craig, Grady, community volunteers, and health care workers). Equity actors Brian Demar Jones (as the closeted Citibank executive Bruce Niles), Luis Negrón (as Ned’s big brother Ben, a successful, straight lawyer), Cailin Doran (as the ultra-competent, compassionate physician-scientist Dr. Emma Brookner), and Will McGarrahan (as long-term City employee Mickey Marcus) display even, calm demeanors that lower the intensity of the narrative and strong acting skills that raise the bar of the performance.
Read more “With ‘The Normal Heart’ New Repertory Theatre’s Beat Goes On”
