THE OAKLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS THE NORMAL HEART
By GUY D’ASTOLFO | dastolfo@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
The Oakland Center for the Arts’ season begins this weekend with “The Normal Heart,” Larry Kramer’s largely autobiographical play about the AIDS explosion in New York’s gay community in the early ’80s.
“The Normal Heart” premiered off-Broadway in 1985. After revivals in London and Los Angeles, if finally made it to the Broadway stage in 2011.
A movie starring Julia Roberts, Alec Baldwin and Mark Ruffalo is in the works, scheduled for a 2014 release.
The Oakland first produced the play in 1987, shortly after its release. Chris Fidram had a small role in that production.
In the current effort, Fidram plays the lead role of Ned Weeks, a screenwriter/novelist who became an activist overnight when the mysterious new disease began killing off his friends.
Fidram’s character falls in love with Felix, played by John Cox.
The rest of the veteran cast includes Molly Galano, James McClellan, Jason Green, Joe Marshall, Chuck Kettering, Paul Sauline, Craig Conrad and Matt Schomer.
Both Fidram and Cox have directed a number of plays in the area, and with all that experience on the stage, this would be a cast that could direct itself. In fact, that’s exactly what it’s doing: the play has no director.
“We consider our production director-less, but instead of no director, we have 10,” said Fidram. “The cast directs itself. We offer feedback, criticism and praise, so this production feels highly organic. I think it’s going very well. Sandy Vansuch, who directed the original production [in 1987], sat in on a rehearsal and gave us her blessing. That meant a lot.”
Fidram answered a few questions about the Oakland’s production of “The Normal Heart.”
Q. Now that the early-1980s tidal wave of AIDS has subsided into history, and medical advancement has brought the disease under control, this is an appropriate time to look back on the crisis through a historical lens. How does the play hold up in terms of providing a snapshot of that moment in time?
A. When the Oakland first produced ‘The Normal Heart’ in 1987, AIDS was still relatively new. There was so much misinformation and ignorance back then. We were terrified because — make no mistake — getting the virus in the ’80s was considered a death sentence. People would test positive and begin planning their funerals.
Twenty-five years later, it’s the same play, and it’s still incredibly powerful. But it also seems more comedic in parts and more romantic in others than it did in the ’80s — perhaps because we’re watching the play more educated and more aware than we were then. You see this play and think, “Were we really that stupid? Did we honestly think if we ignored this, it would go away?”
Q. What impact did that 1987 production have on the audience and yourself?
A. Oh, the talent in that [1987] production! I remember the audiences so visibly moved by it, and I’d never experienced anything like that in community theater. When I say the original production helped define who I am as an actor and the stories I most want to tell, I mean it. It made a huge impact on the theater scene at the time, and to this day people still remember it. “The Normal Heart” is one of the most powerful pieces of theater you’ll ever see.
Q. Describe the plot of “The Normal Heart” and the Oakland’s handling of it.
A. [With AIDS devastating the community], it’s up to Ned and his small legion of pals to get the word out about this epidemic before it takes over the entire city. The play really has the makings of a political thriller, and we play it that way.
In the midst of all this tragedy, Ned unexpectedly falls in love with Felix. I think audiences will find themselves deeply invested in this “opposites attract” type of pairing, because Ned is sometimes such an unlikeable loudmouth. But Felix brings out the best in him.
Q. What message does the play deliver?
A. I think the message of the play is that everyday people have the power to change their lives. Don’t wait for an elected official to do the right thing. Take it upon yourself to fight for what is yours. Never let anyone decide for you what you can and can’t have. When you see what Ned and the others accomplish, even against all odds, it’s pretty inspiring. Their actions helped to save lives and change the world. They were heroes.