Almost four decades after its Australian premiere with the Sydney Theatre Company (STC) in 1989, Larry Kramer’s searing, semi-autobiographical drama The Normal Heart returns with blistering force to the Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House. And it feels as urgent as ever.
This STC production, directed by Dean Bryant, was first presented in 2022 by State Theatre Company South Australia, where it drew critical acclaim for its emotional intensity and clarity of vision. Now remounted for STC’s 2026 season, it arrives not as a museum piece, but as a living, breathing work that continues to demand attention.
First staged Off-Broadway in 1985 at The Public Theater – where it became the venue’s longest-running play at the time – The Normal Heart was born out of rage, grief and necessity. Written at the height of the AIDS crisis, when fear and political indifference were costing lives, the play quickly became a landmark of American theatre. It made its Broadway debut in 2011, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play and cementing its status as both cultural milestone and enduring call to action.
Set in early 1980s New York, the story follows Ned Weeks, a writer and relentless campaigner battling to uncover the truth about a mysterious illness devastating his community.
As Ned, STC Artistic Director Mitchell Butel delivers a towering performance – acerbic, impassioned and deeply human. He captures the character’s infuriating stubbornness and incandescent moral clarity, grounding the polemic in vulnerability. His Ned is not merely a firebrand; he is a man terrified of losing everyone he loves.
Nicholas Brown brings luminous tenderness to Felix Turner, charting a love story that unfolds with aching intimacy amid the chaos. Their relationship forms the emotional spine of the production, and its quiet domestic scenes land with devastating force.
Tim Draxl’s Bruce Niles offers a nuanced portrait of leadership under pressure, while Keiynan Lonsdale’s Tommy Boatwright radiates empathy and emotional intelligence.
Emma Jones delivers a steely, deeply affecting performance as Dr Emma Brookner, embodying the physician’s moral authority and simmering frustration with a system that refuses to act. Her scenes crackle with urgency, and she provides a vital counterweight to Ned’s volatility.
Fraser Morrison as Craig Donner, Evan Lever as Mickey Marcus, Michael Griffiths as Hiram Keebler (who also doubles as David and provides live piano accompaniment), and Mark Saturno, as Ned’s brother Ben, round out a finely tuned ensemble that evokes a community under siege yet bound by solidarity.
Bryant’s direction is both muscular and restrained. He trusts Kramer’s incendiary text, allowing its wit to crackle and its confrontations to unfold without melodrama. The laughter is sharp, but often catches in the throat; the romance is tender, but shadowed by inevitability.
Jeremy Allen’s spare production design (with Hailley Hunt assisting) shifts fluidly between activist meeting rooms and hospital spaces, underscoring the tension between public advocacy and private grief.
Nigel Levings’ lighting carves the stage into intimate and institutional zones, while composer Hilary Kleinig’s score, joined by cellist Rowena Macneish onstage, adds a mournful lyricism that deepens the emotional resonance without overwhelming the drama.
What makes this revival so affecting is its timeliness. While rooted in the 1980s, The Normal Heart speaks to any era in which communities must fight to be seen, heard and cared for. This production reaffirms why Kramer’s play remains a cornerstone of contemporary theatre.
Monumental, moving and necessary, The Normal Heart is a fierce reminder that silence can equal death… but that love, activism and collective courage can change history.
The Normal Heart
Drama Theatre – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney
Performance: Friday 13 February 2026
Season continues to 14 March 2026
Information and Bookings: www.sydneytheatre.com.au
Images: Mitchell Butel and Emma Jones in Sydney Theatre Company’s The Normal Heart (2026) – photo by Neil Bennett © | Nicholas Brown, Mitchell Butel and in background: Fraser Morrison and Michael Griffiths in Sydney Theatre Company’s The Normal Heart (2026) – photo by Neil Bennett © | Evan Lever, Keiynan Lonsdale, Mitchell Butel, Tim Draxl and in background: Michael Griffiths in Sydney Theatre Company’s The Normal Heart (2026) – photo by Neil Bennett © | Evan Lever, Fraser Morrison, Keiynan Lonsdale, Nicholas Brown, Mitchell Butel, Tim Draxl, Mark Saturno, Emma Jones and Michael Griffiths in Sydney Theatre Company’s The Normal Heart (2026) – photo by Neil Bennett ©
Review: Rohan Shearn