News: Normal Heart returns

l-r Jeff Miller and Jonathan Wilson (Photo credit: John Karastamatis)

The smash hit of last year and one of the most-lauded productions in a decade will be returning to Buddies in Bad Times in October; The Normal Heart, by Larry Kramer, after a sensational Broadway revival in New York in 2011, played last season in Toronto to packed houses and became one of the hottest tickets in the city.


Produced by Studio 180 Theatre (now performing Claybourne Park at Canadian Stage), the production here  was directed by Joel Greenberg and featured an all-Canadian cast which will be returning as well for the new run.


The play tells the story of the early days of the AIDS epidemic and how activists fought amongst themselves and felt stymied by the unresponsive Reagan White House.


Read our review
Read Joel Greenberg's first-person piece on preparations for Claybourne Park


Read the press release:

Larry Kramer’s masterwork of love, rage and pride

October 19 – November 18, 2012

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street

Studio 180 will revive its 2011 acclaimed and smash hit production of THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer.  The show, directed Joel Greenberg, will return to Buddies in Bad Times Theatre for a limited run October 19 – November 18, 2012.

The story of a society in denial between 1981 and 1984, THE NORMAL HEART unfolds like a real-life political thriller—as a tight-knit group of friends refuse to let doctors, politicians and the press bury the truth of an unspoken epidemic behind a wall of silence. 

A quarter-century after it was written, this outrageous, unflinching, and totally unforgettable look at the sexual politics during the beginning of the AIDS crisis remains one of the theatre’s most powerful evenings ever. 

Studio 180’s production was recognized as one of the best of 2011:

GLOBE AND MAIL (Top 11 of 2011) 

TORONTO STAR (Theatrical Cheers) 

TORONTO SUN (Top 10)

NOW MAGAZINE (Top 10)

SLOTKIN LETTER/CIUT 89.5 FM (Top 10)

“More brilliant work from one of the most reliably interesting and challenging theatre companies in town.” 4 STARS (out of four) TORONTO STAR

“Outstanding!” 4 STARS (out of four) GLOBE AND MAIL

“Continues to anger, shock and move even three decades after its premiere.” NNNNN (out of five) NOW MAGAZINE

“Damn good theatre!” 5 STARS (out of five) TORONTO SUN 

“Normal is Outstanding!” 5 STARS (out of five) STAGE DOOR 

“An involving and passionate production.” FAB MAGAZINE

“You must go and see it!” MOONEY ON THEATRE 

THE NORMAL HEART won three 2011 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play, and was the biggest hit on Broadway this past season. THE NORMAL HEART’s call to arms caught audiences by storm when it was first produced in 1985. It became the longest-running play in the history of New York’s Public Theater, and is widely considered to be one of the most significant plays of the 20^th century.  Now it is produced by the acclaimed Studio 180 Theatre, in association with Buddies in Bad Times, with a star-studded, all-Canadian cast under the guidance of the distinguished director Joel Greenberg.  

Starring: John Bourgeois, Mark Crawford, Paul Essiembre, Ryan Kelly, Mark McGrinder, Jeff Miller, Sarah Orenstein, Jonathan Seinen and Jonathan Wilson

Set & Costume Design: John Thompson •  Lighting Design: Kimberly Purtell

Sound Design: Verne Good  •  Stage Manager: Robert Harding

Info: www.studio180theatre.com