To
Win a War You Have To Start One
A
Stage Play Review of the Necessary Theatre’s The Normal Heart
by: Carlisle Saldana
Jam-packed with socio-political
underpinnings of gay dynamism in New York during the early 1980s, “The Normal
Heart” highlighted the pressing issues bombarding the gay community
particularly the male homosexual population which are still observable in the
current times.
Produced by Actor’s Actors’ The
Necessary Theatre, the stage play was bodily lifted from the original
autobiographical play by Larry Kramer, an American playwright, author, public
health advocate, and LGBT activist. Kramer was able to witness first-hand the
spread of the disease later known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
among his friends, thus the inspiration for the stage play itself. The play was
also adapted into an HBO TV movie directed by Ryan Murphy and starred Mark
Ruffalo who played the role of Ned Week and Matt Bomer as Felix Turner, Weeks’
love interest.
Topnotch theater actor Bart Guingona,
who also directs the play, essayed the role of the very intense activist Ned
Weeks who is both difficult and charming. Richard Cunanan took on the role of
Ben Weeks — Ned’s brother, a lawyer, conservative, successful, tolerant of
gays, loves his brother. Topper Fabregas played the role of Felix, a closeted,
attractive, NY Times reporter. TV personality TJ Trinidad played the role of
Bruce, a very handsome, charismatic, closeted All-American banker, elected to
lead the organization. Also in the cast were Roselyn Perez, Red Concepcion, Nor
Domingo and Jef Flores.
The story revolved around the
character of Ned Weeks, a gay activist who struggled to pool resources and
mobilize an organization to heave awareness about the fact that an unknown
disease is killing off an incongruously unambiguous crowd: gay men mainly in
New York City. Various external and internal factors were at play and served as
hindrances for him to push further his advocacy. First was the government’s
inadequate (or lack of) response regarding the issue; local authorities,
particularly the mayor, just turned a deaf ear to the cries for help. Second
was the double-edged sword social stigma against gay men that existed during
those times. His character mirrored the immense push of advocates today to
better address the issues enveloping HIV/AIDS such as government budget
allocation, lack of education and information dissemination, research
constraints, the public shame against the LGBT community, and a whole lot more.
Towards the end of the theater play,
statistics and facts about HIV/AIDS condition in the Philippines were flashed
on the backdrop. Putting those side by side with the storyline of the play, one
can clearly say that New York 1980s is like Philippines 2015. The personal
conflicts of the characters echoed the daily struggles of PLHIVs in the
Philippines today. Kramer’s words are so powerful and emotionally charged that
it would take exceptional actors to give them justice. This cast is more than
up to the task.
Standouts were Roselyn Perez, who played the role of the
wheelchair-bound Dr. Brookner, whose delivery of an ardent speech paling
against the rejection of the US government to fund her research into the
disease is astounding in its intensity, and Domingo as Mickey, who also gets a pay
heed moment of his own as he breaks down amidst the pressure of volunteering
for the organization and keeping his job with the city government.
More than the emotional attack that
was greatly showcased during the play, the message of the lines and the script
served as a wakeup call to everyone: “HIV/AIDS is everybody’s concern.” How
many Felix has to die? I guess all of us would say: none. We should all strive
to unleash the hidden Ned Weeks in us: fearless, objective, and militant;
quoting him, “That's how I want to be remembered: as one of the men who won the
war.”