Playwright: David Drake. At: Glitterati Productions presents Pride Films and Plays at Teatro Luna, 3914 N. Clark St. Tickets: 800-838-3006 or www.pridefilmsandplays.com; $20. Runs through: July 1
There's a conundrum for theater companies interested in producing David Drake's hit 1992 semi-autobiographical one-man show The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me.
Do you cast someone in his late 40s to match the out playwright and performer's actual 1963 birth date (which is distinctly written into the script), or do you cast someone in his 20s who resembles Drake (complete with gym-toned torso framed by a leather jacket as seen on the iconic off-Broadway play poster) near the age when he first debuted the show?
Glitterati Productions' 20th-anniversary presentation of Pride Films and Plays' The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me at Teatro Luna wisely opts for the latter choice. It's a safe bet to guess that most audiences would rather see a cute twentysomething actor like Chad Ryan stripping down to his skivvies rather someone pushing 50.
But more importantly, Drake's play is representative of a young gay man reflecting on his life up to that point as a Baltimore-to-New York transplant at the height of the AIDS crisis. From his early love of Broadway show tunes to his political awakening by watching gay political playwright Larry Kramer's 1985 AIDS drama The Normal Heart and joining ACT UP, Drake's journey is not only particular to him but to anyone of his generation.
So, understandably, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed has the feel of a period piece, especially the title of the cruising monologue "12" Single" that carries a double meaning for a hit vinyl dance record and someone's manhood. Yet it also allows for younger generations to contemplate how so many young gay men back then watched their friends and lovers die from HIV/AIDS in Drake's touching rumination titled "Thousand Points of Light."
However, Drake's other observations on self-hatred and homophobia within the gay community are still timely. Drake's personal ad recitations in "12" Single" question negative attitudes toward sissy guys, while "Why I Go to the Gym" gives the viewpoint that bulking up is a way for gay guys to fight back and intimidate potential gay-bashers.
Ryan certainly fits the bill for being an attractive actor to perform Drake's poetry and prose. Although Ryan didn't emphasize some of the early punch lines like he could have (and his transitions could have been sped up a bit), he's engaging throughout the play under the fine direction of Andrew Souders.
Drake's new ending foreseeing things in the year 2019 is a quick fix to replace his original forecast set in 1999, where so many predictions didn't pan out. But it still feels out of place, even if it is full of so much more hope picturing a future for the LGBT generations who will follow in Drake's political and artistic footsteps.