Tag Archives: bazinga

Females of the world, take note.

If you’ve ever wondered what would capture the attention of men young or old, married or single, here’s your answer:

BAZINGA t-shirt

I’ll explain.

I attended the matinee performance of the revival of The Normal Heart on Broadway yesterday.  Jim Parsons — Dr. Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory — makes his Broadway debut in the play.  That’s why I went.  That’s why I wore the tee (with a black leather jacket).  Girl’s gotta represent.

I certainly didn’t expect to get smiles and hellos from every guy I passed — some with their wives and girlfriends in tow.

I also never expected to be mesmerized by this play.

The Normal Heart takes place during the rise of the AIDS crisis in New York City, centering around the experience of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay Jewish founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group.

Joe Mantello, who plays Ned, gives a master class in acting.  Joe normally spends his time behind the scenes, directing award-winning Broadway productions.  Assassins.  Wicked.  Take Me Out.  Angels in America: Millennium Approaches.

Yep.  Those were all Joe.

He is surrounded by an amazing ensemble cast in The Normal Heart. John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C), who plays Ned’s lover Felix,  is the heart of the play, and Ellen Barkin, as the doctor fighting this new unknown disease, is its backbone, strong and sure.  (All three are nominated for Tony Awards, deservedly so.)

The Normal Heart is shades of light and dark, funny and sad, bitter and sweet.  I learned a lot about New York City and its response — or lack there of — to the AIDS crisis.  I saw some incredible performances.  I shed a tear or two.

And I learned the power of a tee.  Not a bad afternoon.