| It was a time
when the playwright and others had been fighting a losing battle in educating the public
about the dangers of the new disease. It was almost too late - a point made again and again in "Normal
Heart," the action of which begins in 1981 when few people, even in the medical
community, understood what was happening and why.
Star Graham brings hard-headed authority to the role
of Dr. Emma Brookner, one of the few at that early stage who realized an epidemic was at
hand - a larger-than-life figure, despite being in a wheelchair. She scolds and warns and
inspires the play's main character, Ned, based on Kramer himself.
Hughston Walkinshaw plays Ned as a volatile but
vulnerable character - probably less acerbic than the real Kramer, yet driven with
sirnilar single mindedness.
The play is constructed in short scenes, each with a
kind of lesson. Consequently it is at times highly rhetorical and occasionally a bit stiff
from all the exposition. Walkinshaw manages to humanize his character, despite the format,
and to create a true person, one full of compassion and concern, who struggles with his
own needs and problems.
"The Normal Heart" is relentless in its
criticism of promiscuous sex while at the same time filled with frustration at the
slowness of officialdom - political and medical - to pay attention to a deadly epidemic.
The play is a sociological investigation, reflecting
the attitudes toward homosexuality prevalent in the late 1970s and '80s, a barrier to
action. It is also, to some extent, a medical detective story. Ahove all, it's a human
tragedy - Ned's lover, Felix, is stricken with AIDS.
Impressive in a major role is Rick Brayshaw as Ben,
Ned's straight-world brother, who lends pro bono support from his wealthy law firm for his
brother's educational efforts. The complex, loving and feuding relationship between the
brothers is one of the strongest threads in the play. Also impressive is Eric O'Brien as
Felix, a lighter-hearted writer than Ned, a charming character who must face illness from
the dreaded virus. The final scene of the play is the culmination of Felix's relationship
with the illness and with Ned.
The large cast also includes Steven L. Barron as
Bruce, the first president of an activist gay organization, though in the closet at the
time; Mario Schugel as Mickey; Dan Adams as an examining doctor; Kyle Dibbern as Craig
Donner; and Ronald Soland as David.
Despite the serious themes, "The Normal
Heart" has plenty of humor, much of it self-directed by Ned. The title of the play is
taken from a poem by W.H. Auden that includes the lines: 'No one exists alone... we must
love one another or die."
The Sunday matinee performance, with a fund-raiser
brunch, attracted 100 people. The proceeds of this and other performances go to the
Nebraska AIDS Project. "The Normal Heart" will be presented tonight, Tuesday,
and Sept.27 and 28 at8 p.m. |
