John Shea (11/86 Normal Heart)
Excerpt from Chicago Tribune 11/20/86: John Shea
Next Theatre Tackles Explosive Aids Drama
November 20, 1986|By Sid Smith
"The Normal Heart," Larry Kramer`s explosive drama about AIDS and New York`s political reaction to the disease, will receive its Chicago area premiere production Feb. 25-March 21 at Evanston`s Next Theatre Company. The effort is a joint project between Next and David Dillon, a Chicago actor and independent producer who secured local rights to the 1985 script.
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The show has received at least eight productions around the country and in London and has attracted several prominent film actors in its starring role: Brad Davis (who originated the lead role at the Public Theatre in New York), Martin Sheen, Joel Grey, Richard Dreyfuss, John Shea and Tom Hulce. The London production won Kramer a nomination for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for best play.
© Chicago Tribune
Excerpt from New Straits Times 9/29/92: John Shea
Shea Wins Fame for role as Baby M's Dad
He has never made the mistake of rushing into a part purely for the money. "I hate to say how many movies I tested for and never got." Shea is objective about his roles -- and they include real life spy Elie Cohen in The Impossible Spy, a death-defying illusionist in Magic Moments and an AIDS campaigner in the theatre play The Normal Heart. (Shea will also be seen on TV2 in Small Sacrifices later.) Part of this objectivity stems from his interest in I-Ching, the oriental philosophy which is his guide. "It is an integral part of me. I look upon the system as a navigational device that mirrors your own conscience. Intuition is your best bet as far as I am concerned. I am double Aries with both moon and sun, so I am full of energy. That must be why I love theatre so much, even though it is much more demanding than the movies."
© New Straits Times
Excerpt from Broadway World 4/27/11: John Shea
Sir Elton To Give 'Heart' To The West End
Posted: 4/27/11 at 02:41pm
Twenty six years after it was first written and performed off-Broadway, 'The Normal Heart' by the American playwright, polemist and activist, Larry Kramer opens on Broadway for the very first time tonight-April 27th.
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'The Normal Heart' opened at the Albery Theatre (now The Noel Coward) in 1986 and starred Martin Sheen, John Shea and Tom Hulce, famed for the movie 'Amadeus'. The show got very mixed reviews and ran for 3 months.
© Broadway World
Excerpt from Smile Politely 3/23/13: John Shea
“Who cares if a faggot dies?”
March 29, 2013 / 12:00pm / By Thom Schnarre
The title of this review is a line from an early scene in Larry Kramer’s award winning play, The Normal Heart.
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When it transferred to the Albery Theatre (now the Noel Coward Theatre), Ned Weeks was initially played by Amadeus’, Tom Hulce, and then John Shea.
© Smile Politely