An outspoken activist (Joe Mantello, left) faces the impending death of his boyfriend (John Benjamin Hickey) from AIDS. (Joan Marcus)
When Larry Kramer’s “The Normal Heart” premiered off-Broadway in 1985, it had a “right here, right now” impact. Set in 1981-84 New York, it imparted a powerful, radical immediacy to almost-current events — the early years of AIDS and the burgeoning fight against that new epidemic.
In its Broadway debut with a starry cast that includes Joe Mantello, Ellen Barkin and Jim Parsons, “The Normal Heart” hasn’t lost any of its anger or biting humor, but it feels more like a fascinating time capsule.
There still isn’t a cure for AIDS, so the stakes remain high. But along with its militant content, the show’s also a portrait — sometimes self-serving — of a specific man in a specific time and place. It’s a snapshot of a city and era that feel long gone, and this production, co-directed by Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, gives it a worthy frame.
Mantello plays Kramer’s alter ego, Ned Weeks, a successful writer thrown into activism. Since the powers that be — the medical establishment, City Hall and the New York Times — don’t care about something that seems to target only gay men, Ned and some of his friends start an advocacy group much like the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, which Kramer co-founded.
Kramer certainly loads the dice. To give scientific weight to his/Ned’s case, he uses Dr. Emma Brookner (the magnificent Barkin) as a mouthpiece who delivers screeds rather than dialogue. Ned’s lawyer brother, Ben (Mark Harelik), is the straight audience’s proxy, and needs to be reminded that “gay” doesn’t mean “inferior.”
But the show does have a formidable momentum because Ned himself is relentless. And he’s far from being a knight in shining armor: He’s often a judgmental jerk whose callowness is explained but not excused by his insecurities. After many years as the sought-after director of “Wicked” and much more, it’s exciting to see Mantello — who starred in the original “Angels in America” — onstage again, giving this complex role full justice.
The rest of the cast operates on a similarly high level. Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies”) avoid stereotypes as a self-described “Southern bitch” and a closeted businessman, respectively.
Most impressive is John Benjamin Hickey as Ned’s lover. As he changes from handsome, assured newspaper reporter into a shell of a man ravaged by disease, he embodies the painful intersection of the political and the personal where “The Normal Heart” beats.
elisabeth.vincentelli
@nypost.com