The Destiny of Me

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/28/04 at 12:00pm

I finally had a chance to sit down and read The Destiny of Me all the way through; I've been meaning to for quite some time. I found it really powerful after seeing The Normal Heart and hearing Larry Kramer speak earlier this year.

Did anyone get to see this on stage? If you feel like sharing, I'd love to know what it was like.

Updated On: 12/28/04 at 12:00 PM

[robbiej]

Posted: 12/28/04 at 12:03pm

Unfortunately, I've never seen this on stage.

But I do believe (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that a certain poster known as Anthony Rapp replace John Cameron Mitchell in the piece.

You may want to ask him what that experience was like!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/28/04 at 12:32pm

Did he really? I'll be sure to ask him when he returns - I saw Raul Esparza, Edie Falco and John Cameron Mitchell read part of it a few months ago. Thank you!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/28/04 at 12:36pm

I saw Destiny of Me when it ran off-Broadway about a decade ago, I guess, starring John Cameron Mitchell, Piper Laurie and Peter Frechette -- all of whom were wonderful. I thought at the time and still believe now that it's easily Kramer's masterwork, far superior in every way to A Normal Heart and his prose writing. An accomplished and mature work, it doesn't get bogged down in the sorts of didactic polemics that plague his other writing -- that it managed to be so rich and perceptive about gay issues and family dynamics made it all the more remarkable. Perhaps someone will revive it here one of these days.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/28/04 at 12:46pm

Thank you, Margo. I had a feeling you'd be able to give me some information.
Hopefully it will get revived some day, even after what happened with the revival of The Normal Heart. I'd love to see Raul try this one when he gets a bit older.