Drake's Progress

'I've done the demos and I've written a million angry letters, but Fm more effective when l use my talents, " says David Drake. Though his solo show, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, marks Drake's debut as playwright, audiences have seen him wearing high heels and higher hairdos in Pageant, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, and NBC's Law and Order.For Larry Kramer,he steps out of his pumps and onto a political platform with dazzling dexterity. Drake thinks of the controversial Kramer as his Prince Charming. "Some people refused to invest in my show because of Larry's name, " he says, "but The Normal Heart awakened me to the AIDS epidemic and self-respect, and l want to pass it on." After Off Broadway, he plans to kiss-and-tell his way to California, taking Larry Kramerto L.A. and San Francisco.

DICK SCANLAN