The Destiny of Me

Play

Writers: Larry Kramer

Overview

Show Information

Category
Play
Number of Acts
3
First Produced
1992
Genres
Drama
Settings
Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
National Institutes of Health, just outside Washington D.C., Autumn 1992
Cast Size
small
Ideal for
College/University, Mature Audiences, Mostly Male Cast, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Male
Casting Notes
Mostly male cast
Includes adult, young adult, mature adult characters

Synopsis

The Destiny of Me is Larry Kramer’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated sequel to The Normal Heart. It continues to follow Ned Weeks after he loses his lover to AIDS. Now, Weeks is also HIV positive. Despite having spent years of life campaigning and protesting against the lack of medical research and progress being made in clinical trials, he has now voluntarily checked in to take part in the trial of a new treatment to fight the virus. As he battles with his complex and conflicting feelings over the medical establishment, he finds himself drifting back to his childhood. Moving from past to present, and often combining the two, Ned reflects on the challenges he faced growing up as young Alexander. While navigating a depressed and abusve father, an emotionally withdrawn older brother who can’t stand coming home, and an unhappy mother caught in the middle, Alexander must come to terms with his own sexuality and future.

Lead Characters


The Destiny of Me guide sections