Threaded Order Chronological Order
| Goodnight Oscar | |
| Posted by: Berrygirl49 (motherstrawberry@hotmail.com) 02:06 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
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| Let me begin by saying it's been decades since I've been so impressed with a performance. I saw this over the weekend, making the trip just for this, and the Goodman's other offering "The Notebooks of Leonardo daVinci". I wondered how this might play with a younger audience who might have no memory or knowledge of Levant. Doug Wright put together a play that skillfully tells you about Levant, television at the time, and mental illness. What is extraordinary is that while I was guffawing at some of Levant's quips, my heart was breaking for the suffering he was living through. Quite an accomplishment! Sean Hayes was so superb that I felt he had gotten to the depths of Levant's soul and revealed all the pain and anguish of mental illness on an individual and on those close to him. Ethan Slater was a surprise and a delight in the role of assistant and Emily Bergl was heartbreaking as Levant's suffering wife. I'd be surprised if this doesn't make its way to New York--it's just what we need to remind of of how truly glorious theatre can, and should be. No reimagining here! (The other impressive show was TRU with Robert Morse.) | |
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| re: Goodnight Oscar | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 05:13 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
| In reply to: Goodnight Oscar - Berrygirl49 02:06 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
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| I felt similarly, although I disagree about Ethan Slater. The role and the performance was too much the clichéd, eager, office boy for my liking. | |
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| re: Goodnight Oscar | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 02:54 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
| In reply to: Goodnight Oscar - Berrygirl49 02:06 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
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| I saw this too, over the weekend - perhaps a bit less enthusiastic. Scenery was immense and cost a pretty penny. I learned how well Sean Hayes can play Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue on the piano. I thought Hayes performance was impressive, without in many ways reminding me of Oscar Levant, who I was a fan of. Hayes had learned all of Levant's physical tics - and did them non stop for 90 minutes - something Levant didnt do. Hayes tried to approximate Levant's voice and delivery (sounding like he was doing damage to his voice), Having watched a number of clips of Levant on the Paar show since I returned yesterday to NYC, I was reminded that Levants voice was nothing like what Hayes is doing - and Levant never spoke as fast or as loudly as Hayes does. Or carried himself physically as Hayes does.. Levant ,as we know, was a great friend of Gershwin. Though a composer of some note himself for film, after Gershwins death Levant was always asked to play Gershwins music, and was considered his best interpreter. The play gives Levant an African American minder from the hospital Levant has been staying at, for his Demerol addiction. At the mention of Gershwin, the attendant politely but pointedly makes a speech about how Gershwin stole his music from African Americans = as did virtually all popular 'white' song writers, And we had to sit and listen to this speech although it in no way informed, or related to the play. Gershwin is one of the greatest composers, popular and serious our country has ever produced. Certainly there is a 4 note figure in a piece by William Grant Still which is the same as the four notes of the words 'I got rhythm;' in the hit Gershwin tune - sorry to the woke police, but if Gershwin heard that piece (there is no proof he ever did), and those four notes stuck - well - thats not enough for copyright infringement. That's not stealing or borrowing. He took 4 notes and created a great pop song hit out of it. Rhapsody in Blue has figures from klezmer riffs. And so what? Much oif the nain theme of OVER THE RAINBOW was in an opera intermezzo. The main figure of Bernsteins TONIGHT is in a piece by Kurt Weill. There is a them in Dvorak's NEW WORLD SYMPHONY which has African American roots . An African American composer studied with Dvorak in America. He introduced Dvorak to African American spirituals. 'Swing low sweet chariot' might be quoted in the symphony - its not a sure thing. The spiritual 'Goin' Home' is in the Symphony, but lo and behold, Dvorak wrote the melody, he didnt borrow or steal it. It later had lyrics added and became a spiritual. Written by Gershwin. One can go on and on. As the play does. The very long first scene is all exposition very clunkily written. Ben Rappaport, the actor playing Jack Paar, makes no effort to recreate Paar's very identifiable speech patterns and cadences. Or Paar's general character. And Robert Sarnoff was portrayed as the pushy Jewish TV exec, with only money on his mind - one dimensional if there is such a thing. n 2022 we are telling THAT story again. What the play does well is string together a zillion of Levant's witticisms, in the place of actual dialogue. Personally, I think the show will likely not come in to Broadway. Hayes is no 'must see' actor in NY, and we no longer rush to see this tv star. And the subject matter is very specialized. When Sarnoff is explaining why Levant cant talk about certain topics on the Tonight SHow, Levant defends what he does wittily. Lots of talk back from the audience, in his corner against the mean executive. Bread and circuses. IMHO, not a good play - and I don't know who the target audience is nor whey they | |
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| re: Goodnight Oscar | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 05:20 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Goodnight Oscar - NewtonUK 02:54 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
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| I think I liked the show and Hayes better than you, but I very much agree with this: "the attendant politely but pointedly makes a speech about how Gershwin stole his music from African Americans = as did virtually all popular 'white' song writers, And we had to sit and listen to this speech although it in no way informed, or related to the play. " The lines (too brief to call a speech in my opinion) felt out place and inauthentic to the time period. It was jarring. I do think the show will come to Broadway though. I wouldn't necessarily say it will be a hit. |
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| re: Goodnight Oscar | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 03:49 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Goodnight Oscar - NewtonUK 02:54 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
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| I am dismayed to hear about Doug Wright’s swipe at Gershwin here. Laura in LA |
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| re: Goodnight Oscar--off-Broadway? | |
| Posted by: Showtunegal 07:31 pm EDT 03/22/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Goodnight Oscar - showtunetrivia 03:49 pm EDT 03/21/22 | |
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| I'm always grinding this axe, but does the play have to come to Broadway to be seen in New York? I'd really like to see it, but if I were a producer, I wouldn't want to back it on Broadway. Are none of the off-Broadway theaters a possibility, such as the Cherry Lane? | |
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| re: Goodnight Oscar--off-Broadway? | |
| Posted by: writerkev 10:39 am EDT 03/23/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Goodnight Oscar--off-Broadway? - Showtunegal 07:31 pm EDT 03/22/22 | |
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| Why is it that you're grinding that axe? Commercial Off-Broadway has been pretty much dead for a while now, no? | |
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| re: Goodnight Oscar--off-Broadway? | |
| Posted by: Showtunegal 12:43 pm EDT 03/23/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Goodnight Oscar--off-Broadway? - writerkev 10:39 am EDT 03/23/22 | |
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| yes! I just keep hoping against hope that some smart producer will figure out how to make it work. I guess I can't let it go. I feel like we so sincerely need a good, less expensive alternative to Broadway where shows not produced by subscription theaters can thrive. I suppose I'm clinging to my youth! | |
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