The Normal Heart (National Theatre)
The Normal Heart (National Theatre)
92

The Normal Heart (National Theatre) London Reviews and Tickets

92%
(8 Ratings)
Positive
100%
Mixed
0%
Negative
0%
Members say
Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Great acting, Exquisite, Resonant

Dominic Cooke's production of Larry Kramer's highly influential play about the 1980s AIDS crisis.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (8)

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98 Reviews | 4 Followers
100
Outstanding, Emotional, Clever, Absorbing

See it if You enjoy storytelling and emotional dramas. Everyone left the theatre in a respectful silence

Don't see it if You are triggered by the theme of the play. It was emotionally draining in a good way

446 Reviews | 81 Followers
95
Great writing, Great acting

See it if essential.

Don't see it if you can't sit still for the run time. Read more

91 Reviews | 5 Followers
90
Profound, Lgbtqia+, Relevant, Thought-provoking, Intense

See it if Intense and dramatic plots. Great acting. Thought-provoking shows that keep you engaged. LGBTQIA+ topics.

Don't see it if You don't care for the themes of the show or you're looking for something light hearted.

106 Reviews | 12 Followers
85
Profound, Intense, Great writing, Great staging, Absorbing

See it if You want to see a great story with heartbreaking characters

Don't see it if You dont like serious plays

139 Reviews | 4 Followers
85
Love & friendships, Tragic, Important, Powerful, Absorbing

See it if you want to see forgotten history & the humiliating way society dealt with an epidemic that threatened communities.

Don't see it if mature themes & bad language is offensive to you.

88 Reviews | 1 Follower
84
Thought-provoking, Resonant, Great acting, Absorbing, Clever

See it if You like a powerful drama. Amazing look at the early time of the Aids epidemic and the need for news. Powerful LGBTQ drama.

Don't see it if You only like fun or escapism shows or hate shows based on news.

31 Reviews | 2 Followers
100
Epic, Great acting, Exquisite, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if You like amazing performances. A poignant and powerful, gripping show. A real roller coaster of a show.

Don't see it if You have no taste!

23 Reviews | 4 Followers
98
Must see, Exquisite, Thought-provoking, Resonant, Absorbing

See it if You enjoy poignant shows. Incredible performances by the entire company, who took on a sensitive subject with sensitivity & grace.

Don't see it if Stories about the AIDS epidemic are triggering for you.

Critic Reviews (5)

The Guardian (UK)
October 1st, 2021

Nonetheless, this is a resonant moment to revive Kramer’s poignant and incendiary drama about the politics and prejudice around infectious disease, as well as gay love and activism...The play captures the anger and internal schisms in the community with searing clarity.
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WhatsOnStage
September 30th, 2021

The triumph of Cooke's production is the way it respects every beat of Kramer's political arguments and all his play's wit and style – it is often very funny – while never letting us forget that this here is above all a tragedy of men who lost men they loved, as friends and as partners.
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London Theatre
October 4th, 2021

It is astonishing to think that Larry Kramer’s largely autobiographical play debuted in 1985, right in the midst of the AIDS crisis. No wonder it feels like a missive from the battlefield, blood and shrapnel clinging to every word.
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The Arts Desk
October 4th, 2021

Although Kramer’s militant drama is light on subjectivity, and his writing style is impersonal, with a preference for debate over imaginative metaphor, there is a clarity and pace in this story, with its good guys, bad guys and in-between guys, that lifts the play above the usual run of docu-dramas.
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The Stage (UK)
October 1st, 2021

Kramer’s play sometimes feels like it is a series of speeches, but they’re speeches still capable of making you sob...Kramer’s play is living history, written without the benefit of hindsight, and it remains undimmed by time.
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