REVIEW: Vintage Theater’s The Normal Heart
Larry Kramer’s 1985 The Normal Heart is a gut-wrenching, multi-award-winning play currently being staged at Denver’s Vintage Theatre. Born in 1935, Kramer continues to be a very outspoken and courageous gay activist and his play is an important work that documents the first days of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in New York City, which unfortunately is no less relevant today.
Paul Jaquith’s no-frills direction is thought-provoking and gripping. “It’s every gay man’s story,” he says. “It’s a story that has touched all of us in one way or another. It is an important piece of history.”
Charged with bringing this powerful story to life, the ensemble cast portrays each scene with purpose and conviction. Ned Weeks, played by Charlie Wingerter, is an impatient, self-proclaimed loudmouth in the gay community. His concern with the number of people that are dying as a result of a mysterious illness (and the lack of media and government attention) only fuels his fire to make the gay community more aware of the epidemic. While Emma Brookner, a polio-stricken, wheelchair-bound doctor (played by Emma Messenger) prescribes her best-guess prognoses and tough love in counseling the never-ending waiting room of patients. And when Felix Turner, Weeks’ lover, played by Vintage Theatre’s Artistic Director Craig Bond, goes to see Dr. Brookner, he finds out he too is infected with the disease and wonders if even a kiss could infect his partner.
The story becomes one of desperation, where the very word “activism” doesn’t feel so efficacious. The crisis unfolds on a stage that’s divided into three equal parts — a makeshift office; a confined apartment living room; and a grim hospital wing where Weeks’ fellow “infantry” take turns battling his frequent tirades against sexual liberation, making him wildly unpopular.
Their newly formed organization, known in real life as the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, is recreated on stage with the help of Weeks’ brother, Attorney Ben Weeks (Clint Heyn), and is run by Weeks and his three friends — Mickey Marcus, a substance abuse physician played by Todd Black; Bruce Niles, a closeted golden boy played by Christian Munck; and Tommy Boatwright, a witty activist and self-affirming “Southern bitch” played by Mack Cantwell. They do so not without the support of Patrick Brownson and Ben Butler, both of whom aptly play multiple ensemble roles.
This emotionally charged production is well worth the history lesson to see. Even in today’s world of PrEP, it is clear that the AIDS epidemic continues to rage on.
This production is sure to garner the attention of diverse audiences, while leaving an indelible mark on the normal hearts and minds of those who see it.
Tickets start at $22 and the show runs through February 21. Vintage Theatre Productions, 1468 Dayton St, Aurora, (303) 856-7830, VintageTheatre.com
Photo Credit: Christine Fisk for DenverMind Media
