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Cocktail is a play about one woman’s audacious crusade to fight the AIDS epidemic and the pharmaceutical industry’s unyielding control over lifesaving drugs. Scientist-activist Dr. Krisana Kraisintu, a Thai national, defied politicians, patents, and restrictions to give the world its first generic “cocktail” pill for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Her generic drugs changed the course of HIV in her native Thailand and later in Africa, but brought her into direct conflict with some of the world’s leading drug manufacturers. Dr. Krisana’s life mission is poignantly portrayed by molecular biology professor Vincent LiCata, and Ping Chong, a noted performance artist in New York. Together they have produced riveting contemporary theatre for both viewer and reader. The script is prefaced with an introduction by Tamara Loos, a South Asian historian, who eloquently presents the historical and personal backdrop to Cocktail. The play powerfully dramatizes the worldwide explosion of AIDS and Dr. Krisana’s visionary work, from her research in a windowless storage room mixing and combining toxic raw materials in gruelling solitary toil, to her confrontation with corporate greed and political corruption—and ultimately to her single-handedly saving millions of lives. Cocktail is a mesmerizing experience of Kraisintu’s life that is in turns spine chilling, lyrical, heartbreaking, and funny, yet ultimately humbling and inspiring. About the Authors is associate professor in the Departments of Biological Studies and Chemistry at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. His research focuses on a family of proteins directly related to anti-HIV drugs. He is also an accomplished playwright and has acted in several stage plays. is a world-renowned choreographer, theatre director, video and installation artist, and recipient of two Obie awards. Since 1972, he has created more than 70 works for the stage, nearly a dozen of which have been published. Reviews
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