A poster running alongside the Golden Theatre states "Run to The Normal Heart if you want to be reminded of how alive you are!” Tonight, I saw The Normal Heart on Broadway. For those you don’t know, The Normal Heart is a drama about the rising AIDS epidemic in New York in the early 80s and centers around the first group of people who tried to stand up and fight to find a cure. It was, hands down, the best and most emotional play I’ve ever seen. The last thirty minutes of the play held the audience in a gripping silence broken only by sniffles by those who couldn’t hold back anymore, and I’ll admit that the final act had me tearing up something fierce. Joe Mantello did an amazing job in his return to the stage, and I hope he doesn’t disappear again (he swore off acting about 18 years to become a director. The Normal Heart is his first return to the stage in almost 2 decades!). 
Supporting actors John Benjamin Hickey and Ellen Barkin, whose monologue received about 5 minutes solid of applause, were absolutely amazing and both completely deserve their Tony Awards for Best Featured Actor and Actress in a Play respectively (writing this post late affords me the knowledge of who won the Tonys!). Jim Parsons was responsible for our comedic relief between scenes, and he handled the task superbly. You know, I’ve never really enjoyed going to a play before. I hear people say stuff like “It’s such a cathartic experience,” and I’ve never understood that… until now. The show pulled, no, yanked at your heart strings and would just not let go. In fact, upon leaving the theatre, it was the first time I’ve been a part of an audience that left in complete silence. It felt so eerie and magical all at the same time. Under the marquee, when you finally got outside, they had people handing out letters to all the departing audience members. The letter was written by the playwright Larry Kramer and, along with providing an update on those in the play (it was autobiographical), it called for awareness, understanding, and action for the current AIDS crisis. The whole letter can be read here, but what gets me is this: 
Supporting actors John Benjamin Hickey and Ellen Barkin, whose monologue received about 5 minutes solid of applause, were absolutely amazing and both completely deserve their Tony Awards for Best Featured Actor and Actress in a Play respectively (writing this post late affords me the knowledge of who won the Tonys!). Jim Parsons was responsible for our comedic relief between scenes, and he handled the task superbly. You know, I’ve never really enjoyed going to a play before. I hear people say stuff like “It’s such a cathartic experience,” and I’ve never understood that… until now. The show pulled, no, yanked at your heart strings and would just not let go. In fact, upon leaving the theatre, it was the first time I’ve been a part of an audience that left in complete silence. It felt so eerie and magical all at the same time. Under the marquee, when you finally got outside, they had people handing out letters to all the departing audience members. The letter was written by the playwright Larry Kramer and, along with providing an update on those in the play (it was autobiographical), it called for awareness, understanding, and action for the current AIDS crisis. The whole letter can be read here, but what gets me is this: 
“Please know that everything in The Normal Heart happened. These were and are real people who lived and spoke and died… Please know that an awful lot of people have needlessly died and will continue to needlessly die… Please know that the world has suffered at the very least some 75 million infections and 35 million deaths. When the action of the play that you have just seen begins, there were 41.”
Did I go to the stage door? Of course! It did feel different though. Normally, everyone has just come from a peppy, feel good dance number finale, and this time around, not so. Still, the actors did come out, sign playbills, and take photos, and I managed to get photos with Lee Pace (Ned from “Pushing Daisies), Jim Parsons (Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory), and Joe Mantello himself. While this was yet another stage door that I’ve attended in the rain, the area was completely covered with marquee and scaffolding, so no umbrellas or getting wet! I did have to walk home though, but after experiencing all that The Normal Heart was, it was wonderful to run home dancing in the rain… 
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