On September 12, seven years after its off-Broadway debut, OLTL Associate Director Anthony J. Wilkinson is bringing back his original comedy My Big Gay Italian Wedding for one night only, to benefit The Lustgarten Foundation for pancreatic cancer research. “I guess because gay marriage is such a hot topic, so many people have said to me, ‘You should try to bring it back,’ ” Wilkinson tells soapoperadigest.com. “We thought this was a good time for it, so we said, ‘Let’s do a one-night revival.’ “
The production is being co-directed by OLTL Associate Director Teresa Anna Cicala and AS THE WORLD TURNS Director Sonia Blangiardo. “Sonia’s brother is suffering with pancreatic cancer, so we decided to do it for him,” explains Wilkinson. “The St. George Theater [in Staten Island, NY] has 2,000 seats, so it could be very profitable for the charity, which would be really nice.” Wilkinson, who also wrote the comedy, plays the gay Italian groom-to-be Anthony (“I’m basically playing myself,” he laughs), opposite Scott Evans‘s reformed party boy, Andrew. “With his storyline on ONE LIFE TO LIVE [as recently out Fish], being the new gay guy really works out,” laughs Wilkinson. “And he is fantastic to work with! He is so talented; I’m very lucky.”
“I’m excited!” enthuses Evans. “It’s crazy because I play, for lack of a better word, the ‘straight’ character in the show. The whole family is just so, so hysterical. Being the one who doesn’t make the jokes and is trying to make everything go off without a problem is fun.”
So what can soap fans expect? “It’s got all those fun, one-liner moments,” teases Wilkinson. “Gregorio, one of Anthony’s past lovers, comes to foil the whole wedding because they had a little bit of a fling in the beginning of Anthony and Andrew’s relationship. He has his big Susan Lucci [Erica, AMC] moment and basically says, ‘Well, since God’s not here to punish you, allow me!’ So if you like soap operas, you’ll love this show.”
My Big Gay Italian Wedding takes place on Saturday, September 12, 8 p.m. at the St. George Theater in Staten Island, NY. For tickets and pricing information, visit www.ticketmaster.com. To learn more about The Lustgarten Foundation, go to www.lustgarten.org.
