Rehearsals are underway for Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart at London’s National Theatre. The show, a co-production with Fictionhouse, is set to begin performances September 23 before officially opening September 30. The show will continue through November 6 at the venue's Olivier Theatre.
Strongly autobiographical, The Normal Heart chronicles one man's fight for advocacy during the early years of the AIDS epidemic. The play premiered Off-Broadway at the Public Theater in 1985, where it ran for over 200 performances. The Normal Heart made its Broadway debut 26 years later when it opened at the John Golden Theatre April 27, 2011. The production earned five Tony Award nominations, winning three, including Best Revival of a Play.
The cast stars Ben Daniels as Ned Weeks, Liz Carr as Dr. Emma Brookner, Dino Fetscher as Felix Turner, Robert Bowman as Ben Weeks, Richard Cant as David/Hiram Keebler/Examining Doctor, Daniel Monks as Mickey Marcus, Elander Moore as Craig Donner, Luke Norris as Bruce Niles, Henry Nott as Grady, and Danny Lee Wynter as Tommy Boatwright with Daniel Krikler, Lucas Rush, Freddie Stabb, Jonathan Dryden Taylor, and Samuel Thomas as understudies.
Directed by Dominic Cooke, the production features set design by Vicki Mortimer, costume design by Lisa Duncan, lighting design by Paule Constable, sound design by Carolyn Downing, and fight direction by Bret Yount. Penny Dyer is the dialect coach, and Josh Seymour is associate director.
