Sky Gilbert is enjoying Feud: Bette and Joan, Neapolitan Novels, Amelia al ballo and Goya.Sean Howard
Is it possible that Sky Gilbert, the playwright of I Have AIDS!, can no longer surprise us? Of course not, even if the television show he's currently enjoying is exactly what we'd be expecting him to be watching. The provocateur's new play is It's All Tru, about a gay couple whose generational-spanning marriage is threatened by a sexy street boy. As for what else is taking up Gilbert's time these days, would you believe opera? It's all true.
What he's watching: "Confession. (Surprise!) I'm watching the FX television series Feud: Bette and Joan. Maybe because all my friends are watching it and they won't stop bugging me for my opinion. But, no. Really. Jessica Lange. OMG. And give me a break, Susan Sarandon is fabulous, too! It's just that Bette Davis isn't quite as messed up as Joan Crawford. But I'm only halfway through. Don't tell me."
What he's reading: "Elena Ferrante's four-part series Neapolitan Novels. I'm on the final one. It's very, very hard to stop reading them. (I've tried.) But what's really fascinating is that Ferrante is writing about very old-style abusive sexist relationships and women today seem to just love it. What's going on?"
What he's listening to: "Okay, here's something NO ONE ELSE is listening to. I just bought two of Gian Carlo Menotti's operas in Italian: Amelia al ballo and Goya. Did you know that the two most fabulous American composers that ever existed – Samuel Barber and Gian Carlo Menotti – were a gay couple? Well, anyway, now you know."
Sky Gilbert's It's All Tru runs to May 14. $29 to $39. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St., 416-975-8555 or buddiesinbadtimes.com.
Brad Wheeler