A new theater production is once again giving voice to the story of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City during the early 1980s.
Originally written by Larry Kramer in 1985, “The Normal Heart” has since become a success on Broadway, as well as in theaters in Los Angeles and London. The current, exclusively L.A., revival is directed by former UCLA Extension playwriting instructor Simon Levy and continues through Dec. 15 at the Fountain Theater.
“The Normal Heart” is an emotionally charged play that discusses the public and private indifference to the onset of AIDS in New York. The main character, Ned Weeks, is a writer and gay activist trying to draw attention to a mysterious disease that is killing gay men. Weeks does all that he can to make people aware of what is going on. The play reveals the lack of understanding surrounding AIDS as well as the homophobia that was rampant during the 1980s. At the heart of the play is Ned’s own love story, which is threatened by AIDS.
Nearly 30 years later, the play still resonates with audiences and provokes a strong response. Tim Cummings, who plays the lead role, said playing Ned was a challenging task somewhat akin to playing Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
“Emotionally, it’s daunting – from scenes where he’s very quiet and contemplative and smart, to scenes where he is literally blowing the roof off with his indignation and outrage,” Cummings said. “It’s a lot to do … . It feels like you’re visiting a crime scene and you’re a detective and you’re gathering these clues and it’s really important to just arm people with the facts that put together this kind of jigsaw puzzle.”
Cummings also said “The Normal Heart” is a story about fighting back against injustice and the play is significant from an educative standpoint, which helped him get into character.
“There are a lot of young people that need to see this play. There are a lot of young people that need to understand that this was a battlefield, that this was a war,” Cummings said. “The injustice is very potent and also very universal … . Ultimately, what the character wants is almost like an evolution of how people think about gay men.”
As the director, Levy said he began the process of helping Cummings and the rest of the cast get into character by creating a safe space for them to bring their roles to life. Many of the characters are based on the lives of real people, so it was essential to create a performance that would reflect their emotions.
“My job is to be able to set up a safe playing area,” Levy said. “The whole idea is to be able to create a safe environment so that the actors can go to the emotional place that they need to go to because that’s their gift.”
UCLA alumnus Verton R. Banks said the environment that Levy created helped him delve into his character, Tommy Boatwright, who is based on Roger McFarlane. Like McFarlane, Tommy is a hospital administrator who creates a health crisis hotline during the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic.
Banks said “The Normal Heart” is ultimately a play about love, though the love story occurs during a time of calamity.
“From my character’s perspective, (the story) comes from love and acceptance of who you are and who people are at their core,” Banks said. “For my character, it’s all about love … and through that love and compassion everything else will work out.”
Cummings and Banks also said the audience is an integral part of each performance. Banks said the members of the audience often have very emotional responses, particularly toward the end of the play.
“I think it hits me most at the end of the show when the lights come up, because I usually don’t see the audience until the end,” Banks said. “I’m looking out into the audience and people are visibly, audibly crying. I’ve had several people come up and say ‘you remind me of a friend I lost a long time ago.’ It just reminds me of how important this place is – to honor their memory but also to remind people that this is ongoing.”
Banks said during the show’s run there is an AIDS memorial wall outside the theater where visitors can include the names of loved ones they have lost to the disease. Banks said he adds names to the wall before each performance.
Levy said he hopes audiences will learn something or think more critically about the issues raised in the play.
“Hopefully, you walk out of the theater feeling differently or you’re enlightened in a way,” Levy said. “Because the play is both intellectually moving as well as emotionally moving.”