Joel Grey to Direct Lisa Kudrow, Clark Gregg and David Eigenberg in L.A. Benefit Reading of The Normal Heart

Joel Grey will direct Lisa Kudrow, David Eigenberg and Clark Gregg in a staged reading of Larry Kramer’s drama The Normal Heart at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles on May 17. The performance will benefit the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

The Normal Heart is Kramer’s semi-autobiographical recount of the rise of HIV in New York City during the early ‘80s, from the perspective of a writer/activist named Ned Weeks. The show opened at the Public Theater on April 21, 1985, and ran for 294 performances.

Grey, who was a replacement for the role of Ned in the original production, is best known for his Academy and Tony Award winning performance as the Emcee in the film and stage versions of Cabaret. His other stage credits include Wicked, Chicago and George M!.

Kudrow is best known for her ten-year-long Emmy-winning turn on the hit sitcom Friends. She has also starred in The Comeback as well as films such as Happy Endings and Hotel For Dogs. Gregg is a series regular on the hit show The New Adventures of Old Christine and appeared on stage in The Night Heron, Sexual Perversity in Chicago and Nothing Sacred. David Eigenberg is best known for his role as Steve on TV’s Sex and the City. He will reprise that role in the sequel to the film version, Sex and the City 2, out next month.