Joel Grey to Direct Anniversary Benefit Reading of The Normal Heart

Tony Award winner Joel Grey will direct a special benefit reading of Larry Kramer’s drama The Normal Heart on October 18. The one-night only event, which will fill the Walter Kerr Theatre with an “all-star” cast to be announced, marks the 25th anniversary of the play. Proceeds will benefit the Actors Fund, a national human services organization for the entertainment community, and Friends in Deed, a charity and crisis center for individuals with life-threatening illnesses.

Kramer’s The Normal Heart chronicles the terrifying early years of the AIDS epidemic in New York and the silence of official America in dealing with it. Originally produced by Public Theater founder Joseph Papp and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg for the Public, the piece debuted off-Broadway on April 21, 1985, going on to play 294 performances. Grey himself joined the production midway through the run, replacing Brad Davis in the starring role of Ned Weeks. The Normal Heart was revived at the Public in April 2004, running two months with Raul Esparza as Ned.

Producer Daryl Roth will present the benefit