The recent run of The Normal Heart at The National Theatre received much deserved audience and critical acclaim, and it’s a fair assumption that it will have had a profound effect on many of those who saw it, just as the autobiographical play did when it premiered at The Public Theater in 1985. David Drake’s semi-autobiographical play, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me uses this very premise to transport us back to an America in the grip of the AIDS crisis.
The central character, known simply as ‘performer’ in the script, takes us through nine stories; beginning with the evening of his sixth birthday (also the night of the Stonewall Riots) when he fell in love with a community theatre production of West Side Story, through to 1999, in which he envisages a future of equality. This is particularly poignant given that the proceeding scene pays tribute to a generation of men lost to AIDS.
The remaining stories unravel the life of the performer; the first kiss, moving to New York, the fear of AIDS, losing those he cares about, and of course, the night he saw The Normal Heart. Occasionally jumping back and forth, Drake’s script utilises a variety of styles to effectively tell a compelling story; some of the scenes have a hint of musicality to them, while others, such as ‘Why I Go To The Gym’ are told to a precise beat, which further emphasises the physical theatre elements.
Steven Dexter’s direction allows John Bell to command the stage, and what a beautiful stage it is too; simple and understated, but bringing the all the blaring sounds and quiet beauty of New York City to life through Aaron J Dootson’s thoughtful lighting design.
With musical theatre references aplenty, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me captures not only a moment in time, but a life that has been brutally affected by it, and by extension the countless other lives that were changed or cut short. The sympathetic way that the themes are approached allow the audience to really identify with the performer.
John Bell’s must-see performance sweeps and soars in a mesmerising tour-de-force, easily transitioning from naïve youngster to scarred and angry young gay man. Bell succeeds in never breaking rhythm, easing the audience through from one story to the next while drawing the audience in to the depths of the narrative.
Like The Normal Heart, the beautifully written The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me captures the prejudiced and cruel way in which the US government dealt with AIDS. In this play that is channelled through the performer, but it speaks for, and honours, an entire generation.
The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me is at The New Wimbledon Studio until 26th February 2022.
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