Writer and performer Adriano Cappalletta is heading to Perth for his one-man show this February as part of The Blue Room Theatre’s Summer Nights programme. The Parisian trained clown is a man of many talents, all of which he draws on for his one man show, ‘This Boy’s In Love’. We spoke to Adriano ahead of his all-singing, all-dancing exploration of the urban jungle that is contemporary gay dating.
Tell us about ‘This Boy’s In Love’
It’s billed as a sort of one-man gay rom-com and I wrote it because I had to do a comedy night and I thought what do I know – because as they say, write what you know – I know I’m single, I’m 25, I’m gay and I’ve never been in love. So I thought, “What would it be like to play out the experience of the ultimate boyfriend.”
So this isn’t a tale of tragedy and love lost as we tend to see in queer love stories?
Yeah, I guess it comes from a place of not seeing a lot of gay stories that don’t have a lot of tragedy in them. Whenever you watch a gay story there’s disease involved, or violence or loneliness or death. So I thought “What would it be like to have a love story that’s just really beautiful, normal and personal. A happy ending!”
We almost expect to hear a sad tale when hearing stories from queer perspectives.
Totally. It doesn’t have to be sad. I know so many gay people who are happy. Happy being gay, happy in their relationships. We just don’t see enough of those stories, and I think we really should be telling them.
With the rise of equal marriage rights around the world, do you think we’ll see more positive stories like this?
I hope so! What I found doing the show in Sydney – the people who’ve come to see it haven’t responded to it as a gay story. Straight women and men have come to me and said “Wow, you’ve expressed exactly how I’ve felt.” That surprised me too. Wanting to fall in love, being lonely, they’re universal themes and I think that’s what’s so great about same-sex marriage. Its saying love is universal, and I think as gay people we need to remind ourselves of that too.
Catch ‘This Boy’s In Love’ at The Blue Room from Tuesday 2nd February – Saturday 6th February. Tickets available from Fringeworld.com.au.
