The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me

For its 20th anniversary, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me will be re-imagined from a one-man show to one featuring an ensemble cast performing a play that The New York Times originally called “rivetingly angry, intense, frenetic, frank and touching.” The special performance is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and benefits BC/EFA and Sero Project.

Actor and activist David Drake wrote The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me in the early 1990s. After joining ACT UP, he began writing autobiographical monologues about the AIDS crisis that eventually became a one-man show about this critical point in American history.

Originally performed by Drake himself, who won an Obie Award for his work, the original off-Broadway run at the Perry Street Theatre became one of the longest-running solo shows in New York theatre history. There now have been nearly 100 productions worldwide and it’s been translated into French, Portuguese, Spanish and Greek.

What began as an expression of my feelings became a work that reflected the cultural zeitgeist of a community," Drake says. “When the 20th anniversary of the play approached, I started thinking about a reconfigured version with a cast, rather than as a solo performance. Incorporating a full cast conveys today’s passionate cries from our community’s heart while honoring the legacy of activism that brought us to this transformative moment in our history.”

The one-night-only benefit performance of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me features an ensemble of talented actors taking on the story, including author Drake, Brandon Cordeiro, two-time Tony Award nominee Robin De Jesús, two-time Tony nominee André De Shields, Claybourne Elder, Tony nominee Rory O’Malley, Anthony Rapp, Chad Ryan, Donald C. Shorter, Jr., Wesley Taylor, Aaron Tone and Tony winner BD Wong.