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Backstory Blog

January 23, 2012 | Carolyn Simon

Category: Health, HIV & AIDS, Media

Julia Roberts, Alec Baldwin Among Celebs Joining “The Normal Heart”

The Broadway revival of “The Normal Heart” ran for just 12 weeks last spring, but don’t fret if you missed out. The Tony Award-winning play about the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s will soon be coming to the big screen and will star Julia Roberts, Alec Baldwin and other big-name celebrities.

Written by Larry Kramer, the story follows a group of friends who refused to let doctors, politicians and press bury the truth about the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Roberts and Baldwin join “The Kids Are All Right” star Mark Ruffalo, “White Collar”actor Matt Bomer, and “The Big Bang Theory” Emmy-winner Jim Parsons in the cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film will be directed by Ryan Murphy of “Glee” and produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Shingle.

The 2011 Broadway run took home Tony Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Ellen Barkin), Best Performance by an Actor in a Fetaured Role in a Play (John Benjamin Hickey) and Best Revival of a Play.

"The Normal Heart" stage production will begin regional performances in June. For more information, visit www.thenormalheartbroadway.com.