Daniel Fish: KRAMER/FAUCI starring Will Brill & Thomas Jay Ryan

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 1/4/26 at 4:57pm

Don't know how this was not on our radar ...  Do Skirlball shows ever extend?  

Brill, after his Tony win for STEREOPHONIC and characters in MEET THE CARTOZIANS, will be interesting in this.  Interesting that Broadway producers, Oh, Henry Productions, are attached.

Internationally acclaimed director Daniel Fish (Oklahoma!) turns his eye to one of the most combustible conversations of the AIDS crisis: the 1993 televised clash between Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading AIDS researcher, and playwright-activist Larry Kramer. A confrontation charged with rage, urgency, and unexpected intimacy, it crystallized a turning point in the fight for care, treatment, and recognition. In this world premiere, Fish dramatizes their exchange as both history and provocation, a searing reminder of how art, activism, and public health collide on the most human terms.

With Tony Award-winner Will Brill (Stereophonic) and Thomas Jay Ryan (Henry Fool).

Feb 11-21.

https://nyuskirball.org/events/kramer-fauci/

Updated On: 1/4/26 at 04:57 PM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 1/5/26 at 1:28am

The exchange in 1993 was heated and illuminating, with Kramer acknowledging their complex relationship: “He is a man, an ordinary man, who is being asked to play God,” Kramer said at the time. “And he is being punished because he cannot be God. And that is a terrible position to be in.”

After Kramer’s death in 2020, Fish stumbled across the C-Span exchange. “I just thought it was really compelling and it kind of just stayed with me,” he said. “And after a while I thought, ‘I wonder what would happen if we made a performance out of this?’”

Fish doesn’t want to mount a literal recreation of the exchange, instead reaching for something more theatrical. In 1993, Kramer was beamed in from New York while Fauci was in the C-Span studio in Washington, D.C. For the play, Fish will put the two — plus the moderator — in the same room on stage. 

“There’s a moment where Kramer at one point says, ‘You know, I love Tony Fauci,’ and later on he says, ‘Tony, when you talk like that, I hate you.’ And Fauci says, ‘I know you do, Larry.’”

AP NEWS Kramer/Fauci play

Updated On: 1/5/26 at 01:28 AM

[John Adams]

Posted: 1/5/26 at 9:53am

CoffeeBreak said: "The exchange in 1993 was heated and illuminating, with Kramer acknowledging their complex relationship: 'He is a man, an ordinary man, who is being asked to play God,' Kramer said at the time. 'And he is being punished because he cannot be God. And that is a terrible position to be in.'"

I don't believe that history should be counted as being a "spoiler", so for anyone who wants to view it, here's the actual exchange. 

The emotional urgency of Kramer's demeanor, contrasted by Fauci's controlled, scientific approach to the discussion (and the sophomoric moderation of the discussion) is extremely compelling to watch. 

Another interesting character in the C-SPAN program is Donna Shalala (Health and Human Services Secretary). I'm curious to know if/how she might be included in the play.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 1/5/26 at 11:39am

curious how Fish will reach "for something more theatrical"... rather than the literal exchange.   interesting. 

[John Adams]

Posted: 1/5/26 at 12:37pm

CoffeeBreak said: "curious how Fish will reach "for something more theatrical"... rather than the literal exchange. interesting."

Keeping in mind that I'm certainly not the expert Fish is:
I think that because of the intensity of the dialogue, there will need to be some kind of levity to release the tension. 

If you watch the C-SPAN video, the image of Shalala stepping to the cluster of mics, being COMPLETELY dwarfed behind the podium is one opportunity. 

Another possibility for humor might be to exaggerate the character of the moderator who, IMO, seems pretty young, fresh-faced and perhaps less experienced (although major props to him for being so flexible about letting the dialogue play out organically, rather than trying to "keep order".

The other aspect that is so obvious in the C-SPAN video is the mutual respect Kramer and Fauci demonstrate for each other. The word, "love" is expressed more than once in their dialogue. Although it may seem unnecessary to some, for others, that element may require additional emphasis via the writing, or direction.

Updated On: 1/5/26 at 12:37 PM

[John Adams]

Posted: 1/6/26 at 12:12am

Brill will be playing Fauci and Ryan will portray Kramer. Greig Sargeant is playing the moderator. 

Performances are scheduled for February 11-14 and 18-21, 2026 at NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Ticket prices are $60-$90. Show times are 7:30 pm for all performances.

I wish I could see this. 

PS: After viewing the C-SPAN video in its entirety, I was completely wrong to describe the moderator as "sophomoric" and possibly "inexperienced". I didn't appreciate some of his initial questions, but he clearly does an excellent job at being a moderator - knowing how to keep the discussion and the two men front and center, within the restricted time frame (including the call-ins), and with as little personal intrusion as possible.

Updated On: 1/6/26 at 12:12 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 2/13/26 at 4:03pm

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/theater/larry-kramer-anthony-fauci-daniel-fish-aids.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L1A.oUHt.jctx4jUE59_r&smid=nytcore-android-share

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 2/13/26 at 4:04pm

Anyone seen this yet?

[Ptero2]

Posted: 2/13/26 at 7:13pm

CoffeeBreak said: "curious how Fish will reach "for something more theatrical"... rather than the literal exchange. interesting."

As it turns out, the answer is "bubbles."

[Kad]

Posted: 2/13/26 at 9:11pm

I saw this tonight and thought it was pretty tremendous. 

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 2/13/26 at 11:23pm

Both actors are wonderful!  Hard to believe how timely it is. (and sad).

The best part of the evening is when Larry Kramer's words make you laugh and cry and think all at the same time.  He was one of the greats!

[Skip23]

Posted: 2/15/26 at 12:18am

Bubbles and Chickens and Roller Skates, oh my!  
 

 

Updated On: 2/15/26 at 12:18 AM

[Chuck Lawrence]

Posted: 2/15/26 at 12:48am

When the director gets top billing with a font larger than the title, it’s not a good sign.

The text is so strong and the actors so good, why the self-indulgent gimmicks (bubbles, roller skates, and that inflatable chicken thing)?

Updated On: 2/15/26 at 12:48 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 2/15/26 at 12:36pm

I thought the foam created an incredible stage image- Thomas Jay Ryan as Kramer,  stewing in a chair as this ever-growing mountain of foam spreads over the stage and threatens to envelope him. While its meaning is not immediately clear- is it the cases and deaths, is it the "numbers game" discussed at several points, is it a lone voice trying to stop a deluge- there's enough in the transcript that allows you to find some meaning and give it power.  

[Skip23]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 1:54pm

Kad said: "I thought the foam created an incredible stage image- Thomas Jay Ryan as Kramer, stewing in a chair as this ever-growing mountain of foam spreads over the stage and threatens to envelope him. While its meaning is not immediately clear- is it the cases and deaths, is it the "numbers game" discussed at several points, is it a lone voice trying to stop a deluge- there's enough in the transcript that allows you to find some meaning and give it power."

Wish I felt the same.  For me, it felt silly and overstated.  What is it with these Directors who need to bash you over the head with "metaphor" and "deconstruction" and "silly siignificance".  Geesh.  And don't get me started on the chicken joke.

And I felt cheated that we didn't get free intermission refrreshments.