THE NORMAL HEART ☆☆☆☆☆
THE NATIONAL THEATRE, LONDON
Larry Kramer’s seminal play, The Normal Heart, gets a well-timed revival at The National Theatre, London. This moving drama spans the first four years of the AIDS virus in New York City – covering 1981 to 1985 – and is a loosely autobiographical account of Kramer’s own history as one of the founding members of AIDS activist group Gay Men’s Health Crisis.
Directed by Dominic Cooke, the play takes us through the full range of emotions felt by the New York gay community who were one of the first communities to feel the full onslaught of AIDS in the early 80s – abject fear, rage, hopelessness and a passion to try and do something about it.
Ned Weeks, the main character, based on Kramer, is brilliantly portrayed by Ben Daniels. Ned is very concerned about a new disease with awful symptoms and a very high death rate that seems to be only affecting gay men. He’s furious about the inaction, indifference and denial from everyone regarding the disease. He vents his anger in turn at the US government, the NY mayoral office, the press, closeted gay men, and promiscuous gay men who refuse to alter their sexual behavior even though it seems quite clear early on in the pandemic that the virus is sexually transmitted.
Virus, pandemic, transmission…all these words are very familiar to us all at the moment. The big difference of course back then is nobody in authority cared that gay men were getting sick and dying and for several years no public funds or medical resources were allocated to research or education. AIDS victims were often treated awfully in hospital. Indeed on occasion, bodies of AIDS victims were even disposed of by hospitals in garbage bags, as no hospital porter or undertaker would process the dead bodies. Ned Weeks is very angry about this and forms a gay activist group to try and raise funds to research the disease and also to educate the gay community about the virus and how to avoid catching it. Ned soon realises that the group of men he has put together to fight AIDS have different ideas on how to move forward – some wanting to proceed gently without causing offence press-wise or politically – rather than Ned’s own preferred choice of loud and proud in your face protest and activism. The group are also very split about how to advise gay men on their sexual behaviour, with Ned’s preferred advice of complete abstention from sex not being considered a popular message to newly sexually liberated gay New York men. Some members of the group are in the closet professionally and don’t want to be associated publically with the group, this also infuriating Ned and causing more group drama. The years start passing by and with the death toll multiplying quickly and nothing really being achieved, the pressure and panic within the group mounts…
The excellent cast includes a star performance from Liz Carr as hardened New Yorker Dr. Emma Brookner, one of the few senior doctors who wants to help AIDS sufferers. Dino Fetscher is also very strong as Ned’s boyfriend, a closeted New York Times journalist who refuses to write about AIDS in his weekly column, preferring to cover all things gay and fabulous. Weeks himself brilliantly portrays Ned’s (Kramer’s) anger and sense of urgency – emotions that Kramer still wore on his sleeve right up until his death in 2020, aged 84.
The intimate setting of the Olivier stage at the National Theatre is the perfect place to see this play. Kramer accurately recorded a very important part of gay history which we all need to know about. Highly recommended.
Review: Ris Fatah Queerguru’s newest contributor (when he can be bothered) is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
P.S. You may also like to check out when the great Larry Kramer gave us an exclusive interview on camera one sunny afternoon in PTown : an experience we will never ever forget https:// queerguru.com/the-day-i-met-larry-kramer-r-i-p/
