The film version of David Drake's acclaimed one-man show, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, is now available on DVD and video.
Directed by Tim Kirkman, the film — shot at the Baltimore Theater Project following a run of the play — consists of seven monologues that trace the development of a "self-realized urban gay male." Kirkman, who met Drake at the 1999 South By Southwest Film Festival, explains in a statement, "My main goal the whole time was to make the theatrical cinematic. I wanted to take the cinema audience to places the theatre audience can never go, such as up on the stage with the performer."
Like the Off-Broadway play, the film drew universal acclaim and was subsequently screened at more than two-dozen film festivals with runs in nearly 20 cities. About the celluloid version of his heralded play, the Obie winning Drake has this to say: "As an old-fashioned 'show 'em a good time' entertainer, I simply wanted folks to have a thrilling time throughout the whole experience of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me — laugh, cry, identify, get hot and all that. But on a more serious note, as a person who draws a lot of strength and compassion from learning about the world's history, I hope that the stories in The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me will help show audiences a pivotal moment in the spirit, energy and drive of the gay and lesbian civil right movement in America, when ACT UP changed the course of history and shifted us toward a future of greater freedom."
TLA Releasing is distributing the DVD and video, which has a retail price of $29.99 (DVD) or $39.99 (VHS) and is available through the TLA website (www.tlavideo.com), amazon.com, Borders Books and Music, Tower Records and Virgin Megastores. The film can also be purchased by calling (800) 333 8521, ext. 1. The TLA Video store in Manhattan, located at 52-54 West Eighth Street, will host a release party for the DVD/video on June 20 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Drake will be on hand to sign copies.
In related news: Actor-writer Drake will present the New York City premiere of his new play, Son of Drakula, Oct. 24-Nov. 10 at Dance Theatre Workshop. The show, which had its world premiere at Baltimore's Theatre Project in May, is an autobiographical monologue that concerns Drake's quest to explore the hidden truths and meaning in his birth name, David Drakula. The quest takes the performer through an Eastern European journey where he tackles such cultural phenomena as "the endurance of Bram Stoker's creation, the familial obstacles of male intimacy, modern gay identity politics, post-Communist Eastern Europe and the wild world of vampire worship." —By Andrew Gans
