John Glover gets Albee's 'Goat'

Philadelphia Gay News

By Doug Gruse
PGN Associate Editor
© 2004 Philadelphia Gay News
May 21, 2004

John Glover has a lot on his mind these days - particularly goats.

The openly gay actor, who won a Tony Award for his work in Terrence McNally's "Love! Valour! Compassion!," has been busy preparing for his role in the Philadelphia Theatre Company production of Edward Albee's "The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?"

The Tony Award-winning play, which tells the story of a successful architect who must come to terms with his forbidden love for a farm animal, runs through June 20 at Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey St.

"I like a good challenge, and I've got one here," Glover said in a recent telephone interview.

Working through his character's motivation, Glover has had to look at goats in a whole new light.

"It is hard to imagine, but that is part of the challenge," he said. "This guy seems very, very normal, and he is so baffled by it. He keeps searching to try to explain it."

Just to make things clear, it's the kind of relationship Rick Santorum warned us about.

"It's not really sexual, but sex is a part of it," Glover explained. "It's more of a spiritual thing. That's what's so baffling."

The character may be confused by his feelings, but Glover said the play is not about shame.

"I think it is unfathomable for most of us to believe," Glover said. "We think there is something dirty or sneaky or wrong. But the man who has fallen in love does not feel that way. He keeps talking about an ecstasy and a purity. He doesn't feel ashamed of it, and that is part of his dilemma."

Although it is unlikely we will see goat lovers any time soon in a pride parade, Glover sees Albee's script as a timely commentary on gay and lesbian civil rights.

In an era when issues like same-sex marriage are fought with civility rather than radical protests, "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?" is the openly gay playwright's attempt to stir up some controversy.

"I think that is why Albee is pushing the limits, and making it a goat," Glover said. "This time we are in now is so tricky. He is pushing limits, and getting people to think, and you do that by making people angry."

Glover likens the play to the strategies used by ACT UP in the 1980s.

"ACT UP made people angry," he explained. "They were acting rude. But what ACT UP did worked. Change is brought about by revolution. You have to upset people."

The actor believes Albee's work has a similar energy.

"I think it will anger a lot of people, but I think they will be thinking about things that they haven't thought about in awhile," he said.

But Glover is comfortable working with controversial material.

The male nudity in "Love! Valour! Compassion!" shocked a number of theater patrons during its off-Broadway and Broadway runs.

Glover seemed surprised to realize that it has been a decade since he first portrayed polar opposite twins John and James Jeckyll - roles that won him a Tony Award for featured actor in 1995.

"It was almost 10 years ago," he said. "Oh my God how the time flies."

Glover credits his success in the play to McNally's clever script.

"It was just brilliantly written," he said. "One was the hateful one, and one was the lovable one, but they wouldn't have worked without each other."

Glover reprised the roles in the 1997 film adaptation, which was released recently by New Line Home Entertainment.

"John was so afraid of people not liking him, that he dared them not to," he said. "He just wanted to be loved so much. And James, the lovable one, just gave love out everywhere."

Although Glover has played a multitude of characters on stage, television and film, he may be best known for his roles as a villain. Glover says he can link his frequent castings as a "bad guy" to a single role.

"It really started when I did '52 Pick-up,' " he explained. "I got a lot of attention from it, and it was a well-written role. And I got a lot of offers to do similar roles. Sometimes I would take them, and other times I would be stronger and turn them down."

Glover can currently be seen as the mean-spirited father of Lex Luther on the WB's "Smallville," a contemporary incarnation of Superman.

What started out as a few scenes in a pilot episode has developed into a recurring character on a hit series.

"The second season, they offered me a contract, and we are about to finish the third season," he said.

Although the part is yet another "heavy," Glover is realistic about his status as a first-class Hollywood villain.

"I've gotten typecast, but I like to work," he said.

Perhaps portraying a "goat fucker" - as Glover amusingly refers to his character in "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?" - will help change his image.

"I just like interesting roles," he said.

If you go
What: Philadelphia premiere of Edward Albee's "The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia?"
When: Through June 20
Where: Plays and Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St.
Information: (215) 569-9700; Web site: http://www.phillytheatreco.com

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