By Jasmine Agnes T. Cruz
Theater
The Normal Heart
Presented by The Necessary Theatre
Oct. 2 to 11
Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala cor. Buendia Aves., Makati City

THE HISTORICAL figure Antonio Luna came alive on the big screen through Jerrold Tarog’s film Heneral Luna. There we learn of a man who was hated because of his abrasive personality and yet whose judgment was right all along. This persona of a hated visionary is similar to that of gay activist Ned Weeks, said director Bart Guingona, making a comparison with the lead character in The Normal Heart, the 2011 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Play.

TNH Vladimeir Gonzales 20
Vladimeir Gonzales

Based on the experiences of its playwright Larry Kramer, the play is set during the 1980s when an unnamed disease (now known as HIV/AIDS) plagued New York. Largely affecting the gay community, the was largely ignored by both politicians and the medical establishment because of the stigma against homosexuals.

First staged in 1985, transferring to Broadway in 2011, the play was produced for Manila by The Necessary Theatre last July, and it is returning for a second run from Oct. 2 to 11 at Makati’s Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium.

Directed by Mr. Guingona — who also plays Mr. Weeks — the play stars Topper Fabregas, Roselyn Perez, Richard Cunanan, Red Concepcion, TJ Trinidad, Nor Domingo, and Jef Flores.

PEDANTIC CHARACTER
Throughout the play, we see just how pedantic and abrasive Ned Weeks is and how, as a result, he makes enemies. After realizing this trait of the character he was playing, Mr. Guingona’s reaction was “Wow, it’s so me!” Asked him about this, he laughed, clarifying, “Well, I don’t really mean to be pedantic.” But he can’t turn off being opinionated, he said.

Just like Heneral Luna, this kind of personality can turn people off. “But then I realized that people like that actually get things done,” said Mr. Guingona. “They keep rubbing people the wrong way because of what they believe in, but these are the kinds of people who become heroes. They are not likable, but they certainly are admirable.”

Ned Week’s war against HIV isn’t just embodied in dialogue, but is represented visually by littering the stage with props. During the first run, more and more props would litter the floor after each scene concluded, accumulating until the end. This was intentional, Mr. Guingona said, explaining that when he was studying the script, he came across a line where his character says — “We’re living in a war zone.” “It was my eureka moment,” said Mr. Guingona, explaining that he wanted the stage to look like a war zone, with detritus scattered throughout the floor.

ALARM BELLS
Mr. Guingona recalled how in the early 2000, the incidence of AIDS was rising in China and Thailand but the Philippines was basically spared — but not for long. In 2014, Mr. Guingona read an article that said that our country had the highest increase of new AIDS cases in Asia. “I realized that if we had been more vigilant years earlier, we wouldn’t get to this stage,” he told BusinessWorld in an interview on Sept. 24. “It’s time to sound the alarm bells.”

The play does this through dialog and the depiction of death. Scenes such as these are difficult. “As an actor, it takes a lot from me,” said Mr. Guingona. “I dread that scene. It’s emotionally wrenching.” As a director, Mr. Guingona said that it was hard to figure out how to do the scene where the HIV research done by Dr. Brookner (Roselyn Perez) is dismissed. Instead of facing the actor she is talking to as she explains why her research deserves funding and support, she faces the audience, while the other actor is behind her. The blocking symbolizes how we, the audience, are culpable in the epidemic, said Mr. Guingona. If we continue to ignore this problem, we, the audience, have blood on our hands.

For tickets call TicketWorld at 891-9999 or text 0928-507-2924 or 0917-537-8313. For details visit the official Web site at http://thenormalheartmnl.jimdo.com.

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