David Cromer, Patrick Andrews and Mary Beth Fisher in Timeline’s “The Normal Heart”

Watching David Cromer as gay rights activist Ned Weeks storm the stage, with his hands over his face in a perpetual mixture of anger, outrage and fear, is not unlike watching a staged panic attack. And rightly so: the world is crumbling around Ned (a stand-in for playwright and groundbreaking activist Larry Kramer) with no end in sight. He’s fighting a battle against an unknown enemy, while those who should be supporting him are either cowering behind their shields or have their heads in the sand.

The Normal Heart is a necessary play. When it premiered Off Broadway in 1985 — when the HIV/AIDS epidemic was just starting to get a glimmer of exposure following thousands of deaths — it served primarily as an emotional gut punch to open the eyes of those looking the other direction. Nearly 30 years later, this play, which is receiving a powerful production by Timeline Theatre at Stage 773, proves a sobering reminder of a crisis that happened not too long ago — and continues to this day.

It’s also a solidly structured play, clearly written from a place of urgency. What makes this play connect at such a deep emotional level is the love story Kramer has embedded into it. As Ned’s lover, Felix, Patrick Andrews brings a youthful naiveté that balances out Ned’s intensity. It also personalizes the issue, giving a face and a story to this nondiscriminatory disease. Read the full review on The Huffington Post >