Dancer and actor Michael McILwee references Scranton in his new novel and is coming home for a book signing promoting his gay romantic comedy.
McILwee, a 2008 graduate of Mid Valley High School and an alumnus of Ballet Theatre of Scranton, based “A Summer with Dean” in part on his own life. Like his character of Patrick, he is a dancer who studied at a prestigious London acting school. He grew up in Dickson City, but moved his character to Scranton.
The book signing is April 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Dickson City Barnes & Noble. The self-published book is available on Amazon.
While Scranton isn’t the center of the book, it is a “love letter” to the city, he said. “I wanted to make sure to thank these people, and honor these people and these places, because I would not be where I am or who I am without these places.”
. Cover design and illustration by Gowtham Thangaraj. (COURTESY OF MICHAEL MCILWEE)
Michael McILwee dances the role of the prince in the Ballet Theatre of Scranton’s production of “The Nutcracker.” (COURTESY OF MICHAEL MCILWEE)
In 2013, he was part of a touring company of “A Chorus Line” and performed at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts when the tour came to Wilkes-Barre. He understudied several parts and played the part of Bobby in Wilkes-Barre.
(COURTESY OF MICHAEL MCILWEE)
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. Cover design and illustration by Gowtham Thangaraj. (COURTESY OF MICHAEL MCILWEE)
The book calls it “A small town where gossip moved faster than buses.”
McILwee divides his time between New York City and California performing and teaching dance, writing and doing some acting.
He has performed widely in the U.S. and abroad and went viral in 2016 for performing the opening number of “A Chorus Line” in an inflatable T. Rex costume.
In his novel, he mentions the Northern Light Espresso Bar on Courthouse Square, where he clutched a coffee cup covered in ladybug stickers as he came out to a friend for the first time.
His character’s mother is based on his mother, Rosemary Cusick-McILwee of Dickson City.
He hasn’t received Amazon sales numbers yet. As of Thursday, it ranked 11th on Amazon in the category of “dramas and plays,” 30th in “LGBTQ dramas and plays” and 43rd in the same category in Kindle format.
McILwee returned several times to dance in Ballet Theatre of Scranton’s “The Nutcracker,” most recently in 2018.
He thinks Americans are less receptive to male ballet dancers than in many parts of the world, even though the golden age of American movies highlighted male dancers and Mikhail Baryshnikov was a household name during his career.
“It’s made fun of still when young boys do it,” he said.
McILwee pointed to actor Timothée Chalamet’s recent flippant comments about ballet and opera, which Chalamet referred to as art forms that “no one cares about” anymore. He admires Chalamet but was happy to see jokes aimed Chalamet’s way during the Oscars ceremony.
Like his character of Patrick, he spent time at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He spent a summer enrolled in a Shakespeare course.
He also has a bachelor’s degree from The New School, a college in New York City. He later earned a master’s degree in journalism from New York University and worked as a news producer in Florida.