Gay London Life | Feb '26 Edition - Magazine - Page 26
Loud, Queer and
Unapologetic, The Night
Larry Kramer Kissed Me
Comes to London
Some shows arrive quietly. Others kick the door in,
with urgency and heart. Clark brings warmth, wit
demand your attention, and refuse to let go. The Night
and vulnerability, never slipping into nostalgia or
Larry Kramer Kissed Me very much does the latter.
sainthood. Kramer’s influence looms large, but the
Written by Obie Award-winner David Drake, this
story feels startlingly current, especially in a moment
iconic solo piece is a love letter, a rallying cry, and
where queer voices are once again being told to be
a sharp, funny gut-punch rolled into 70 electrifying
quieter, nicer, more grateful.
minutes. It follows one man’s journey through sex,
For a London audience that knows its queer
shame, joy, grief and political awakening, all set
theatre and doesn’t need things sanding down to be
against the raw, raging backdrop of the AIDS crisis
palatable, this is essential viewing. It’s a reminder of
in 1980s New York. At its heart is the spirit of Larry
where we’ve come from, what we survived, and why
Kramer, writer, activist, troublemaker, and the sort
being unapologetically queer, political and visible still
of gay who never asked for permission and never
matters. Go for the storytelling. Stay for the catharsis.
apologised for being loud.
Leave buzzing, maybe a little shaken, and very glad
This isn’t history as a dusty museum exhibit. It’s
you showed up.
Photo: Dan Collins
intimate, messy, horny, furious and deeply human.
26
One performer shifts through a kaleidoscope of
The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me
characters and moments, pulling us from bathhouses
Tuesday 17th February to Sunday 1st March
to hospital wards, from first crushes to protests
Seven Dials Playhouse
fuelled by rage and love in equal measure. You laugh,
1A Tower Street, WC2H 9NP
you wince, you feel seen, and then you realise your
Nearest Station: Leicester Square
chest hurts because you’ve been holding your breath.
Tickets: www.sevendialsplayhouse.co.uk
Under the direction of Adam Zane, and
performed by Gabriel Clark, this production lands
