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The cast has been revealed for The Public Theater’s one-night-only reading of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart. In honor of the groundbreaking play’s 40th anniversary, Tony Kushner will direct the benefit reading on Monday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. in The Public’s Barbaralee Theater (formerly the Anspacher Theater), where the original production moved for an extended run after the play’s world premiere in the LuEsther Hall. The original production is the longest-running play ever produced at The Public, running April 1985-January 1986.
The cast will include Michael Cyril Creighton (David/Hiram Keebler/Examining Doctor), Billy Eichner (Ned Weeks), David Greenspan (Mickey Marcus), Jeff Hiller (Tommy Boatwright), Cory Michael Smith (Bruce Niles), Ben Stiller (Ben Weeks), Ali Stroker (Dr. Emma Brookner), and Michael Urie (Felix Turner).
Widely regarded as one of the most politically impactful plays of the late 20th century, championed by then-Director of New Plays and Musicals Development Gail Merrifield Papp when no other theater would take the risk, it forced a national conversation around HIV/AIDS, bringing urgency, visibility, and humanity to a crisis our government was ignoring. In a moment of profound fear and silence, its impact was felt far beyond the stage, shaping public discourse and forcing institutions like The New York Times to begin to reckon with the devastating epidemic.
Benefit tickets are available online at publictheater.org or via email at [email protected]. Proceeds from this event will support The Public Theater, helping us to produce theater that is of, by, and for ALL New Yorkers, and God’s Love We Deliver, founded to support people with HIV/AIDS and now providing medically tailored meals, nutrition care, and education to individuals living with serious illness.
A limited number of $40 tickets will be available via an in-person lottery in the main lobby of The Public Theater (425 Lafayette St). The lottery will open for entries at 4:00PM the day of the reading, and the drawing will take place at 5:00PM.
