The Normal Heart: A Play

While I consider myself a regular theatre-goer, I've always been aware of Kramer's plays and opinions, yet I haven't seen nor read either of these two plays. That changed this past weekend when I saw the revival of Normal Heart currently playing off-Broadway. This is a viscerally emotional piece of theatre and it makes one feel impassioned about what was going on in the world then and sheds a new light as to what's going on now in regards to the HIV/AIDS crisis. It's a must red if you don't have a chance to see it.

Yes it's true there are a lot of histrionics in this play but it is a period piece about the beginning of it all. At the same time, not much has changed and this subject and political climate is as relevant as ever.Some have said this play takes a victim's mentality but I don't know that they're looking at the big picture. Ned Weeks is not a victim - he won't be. He is a fighter and he screams and he rails against injustice. He is strident and annoying and frustrating and proud. He is Larry Kramer and God bless him because some may be turned off by him but we need him. We need his spirit and we need his determination and I worry that there will never be another like him for future generations. Ned Weeks / Larry Kramer is not a victim - it's the one thing he doesn't want gay men to be. And that's what I took away from the Normal Heart.

Ben Weeks is witness to the opening years of the epidemic soon to be known as AIDS. As his friends start dying, he is amamzed at the small amount of knowledge about this new disease. What's more, he's outraged at lack of responsiveness by the media and by the government. (The New York Times wrote 54 articles about the Tylenol poisoning scare of 1982 within a 3-month period, with 4 articles on the front page. During the first 19 months of the AIDS epidemic, the same paper wrote 7 articles, with only 1 appearing on the front page.) His anger leads him into becoming an acitivist and creating a Gay Men's health center to spread the word about the epidemic. But, Ben runs into obstacles from unlikely places: his friends and the gay community who are scared and don't want to have their freedom of promiscuity taken away from them. And, he also must deal with his partner who contracts the disease.This incredibly angry and powerful play sweeps you up with its emotions, alternately feeling angry and wanting to cry for desparation. I've read many plays, and this is one of the few that actually makes you feel as though you are the main character. I wanted to scream along with Ben as his frustration grew about the lack of anyone taking notice about the disease. It's also semi-autobiographical. Mr. Kramer, at the onset of the epidemic in the early '80's, became very vocal about getting involved against AIDS and started the Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York, from which he was eventually asked to leave because of his outspokenness.A masterful play full of energy and emotion that should definitely be read by everyone.

The play shows a true-to-life picture of AIDS from the political-public point of view and from the personal aspect. It portrays the political history of dealing with AIDS. How the disease was neglected when it first appeared and for many years after just because it seemed to be killing "only" gay men. In addition to this, the play tells us of a tragic personal story - two lovers trying to cope with the disease. This play is valuable not only for a better understanding of gay life, but more importantly as a condensed reminder of how we reacted to AIDS at its earlier stages, thousands were dying but ways of prevention were not discussed because it was politically incorrect. The author also compares the reaction to AIDS to the reaction to the Holocaust, which I found interesting and sadly true. I must add that this play seemed like a short version to Randy Shilts book, "And the Band Played On", a long but fascinating detailed coverage of AIDS from 1980 to 1988 (written after "The Normal Heart").

it's sad that some of us think we must include every last soul in order to show true compassion. kramer's play was one of the most inspiring, enraging, heartwarming, heartwrenching pieces i have ever read- i would read it again and again and again if i had the time. kramer takes the life of an ignorant, blindly angry white gay male and documents a truly remarkable character transition while at the same time conveying rage and sadness about the state of the world (in his time). to unrealistically include a token out of the ordinary character for the sake of pc-ness would in this case be a tragedy (this play's got enough as it is).