Activist Larry Kramer and government scientist Dr. Anthony Fauci clash on live television over the federal government’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1993.

The bubble machine and the blocking make for a really smart metaphor for the AIDS crisis. Larry Kramer, skin in the game, sits in the thick of it as the bubbles multiply. Anthony Fauci stands at the periphery and speaks in scientific hedges and bureaucratic code as the bubbles collapse and leave a mess on the floor.

The working relationship between the two men is fascinating to consider as they repeatedly allude to more honest, behind-the-scenes conversations, but are forced to posture in their respective public positions. Fauci can’t get anything done if he antagonizes the politicians writing the checks. Kramer grasps that Fauci is his best, most important ally, but still has an obligation to drive the conversation forward. You get the sense as they yell at each other that they’re actually in cahoots, if perhaps only implicitly, but bound by their respective incentives. Will Brill and Thomas Jay Ryan do a great job capturing the subtext.

I think verbatim docu-theater specially invites the question of “why this story? Why now?” For as worthy and interesting as the dialogue is, it’s not clear if Daniel Fish has something to say by staging it in 2026. I feel like maybe he just thought of a cool bubble metaphor and wanted to do something with it. Some of the other stylized choices, especially - can’t believe this is a thing - the inflatable chicken suit, feel like they distract more than they contribute.