Come Back

The Judy Garland of the future tells it like she sees it

The year is 2050, and, contrary to popular belief, Judy Garland did not die in 1969. At the grand old age of 138, she’s re-embraced her real name, Frances Gumm; she’s a feminist scholar, working on her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto; and she’s writing her thesis on a little-known gay Canadian playwright and drag queen, Dash King, whose rather dismal career ended in a plethora of drugs and promiscuous sex. Obsessed with King’s antiquated notion of gay politics, Frances’s own meditations on addiction are triggered by his tragic story. Will she go back to drugs, or will she finish her thesis?

Framed in an intense communication between Frances and her Ph.D. advisor, Come Back explores a dystopian future and muses on everything from the merits and demerits of post-structuralism to the future of queer theory. Sky Gilbert’s Judy Garland is angry, profane, funny, and very, very smart.

AUTHOR

Sky Gilbert

Sky Gilbert is an accomplished author, actor, filmmaker, and drag queen. Born in Connecticut, Gilbert studied theatre at both York University and the University of Toronto before becoming the co-founder and artistic director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in 1979. Gilbert left Buddies in 1997 to focus on his creative pursuits, and accepted a post as an assistant professor at the University of Guelph. A year after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, Gilbert was named University Research Chair in Creative Writing and Theatre Studies at the University of Guelph.

Reviews

“This one’s recommended highly for Hollywood and stage buffs, queerness and feminist theorists, and anyone who has ever wondered about the singularity (yeah, that’s right; it goes cyber-queer. Awesomely).” — The Sacramento News and Review

“A crackling psychosexual satire.” — Toronto Star

“Featuring a unique narrative voice and rich character development, Come Back is a clever, thoughtful, and thoroughly imaginative read.” — Quill & Quire