George C. Wolfe to Assist Anything Goes Star Joel Grey in Directing The Normal Heart on Broadway

George C. Wolfe will lend a hand to The Normal Heart on Broadway, according to The New York Times. Joel Grey, who is directing the show, is currently preparing to star as Moonface Martin in the Broadway revival of Anything Goes, which begins previews March 10 and opens April 7 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. When Grey’s schedule conflicts with preparations for The Normal Heart, which begins previews April 19, he has asked Tony winner Wolfe to step in and help supervise through the show’s opening at the Golden Theatre on April 27.

Wolfe, who is a former artistic director of The Public Theater, most recently directed John Guare’s A Free Man of Color at Lincoln Center, and has also directed such Broadway shows as Caroline, or Change, Take Me Out and Topdog/Underdog. He won Tony Awards for Best Direction for his productions of Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk and Angels in America: Millenium Approaches.

The Normal Heart focuses on the  early years of the AIDS epidemic in New York and centers on writer/activist Ned Weeks, played by Joe Mantello. The supporting cast includes John Benjamin Hickey as Ned’s lover, Felix Turner, and Ellen Barkin as Dr. Emma Brookner. Cheyenne Jackson is in talks to join the project. Additional casting is expected to be announced shortly.