A drama critic once wrote “there isn’t anything the matter with Levant that a few miracles wouldn’t cure”. Good Night, Oscar is a play about a man I knew nothing about. He was (and is now) a fascinating and complex personality.
Oscar Levant was many things, most notably an accomplished concert pianist. A composer, conductor, author, television host and actor were some of his many sidelines. He portrayed a piano player in many films including An American in Paris. He played himself in the fictionalized screen biography of George Gershwin titled Rhapsody in Blue.
Doug Wright’s play takes place in the spring of 1958 in the latter stages of his career. Oscar is scheduled to be a guest on The Tonight Show with Jack Paar. Famous for his eccentric and erratic behavior there is concern whether he will show up. Xavier Cougat is mentioned as the emergency backup. We are clearly in dated, early television land here.
There is a long (long!) wait as Jack and others set the stage for Oscar’s eventual arrival, literally, from the looney bin. His wife had him committed but this outing is a short break. Sean Hayes enters as Mr. Levant and the stagnant play erupts into a “can’t take your eyes off him” freak show.
Mr. Parr is thrilled knowing Oscar will be a great guest, spilling the tea in modern vernacular. Preshow antics will introduce this neurotic and sad person. How does he describe himself? “I’m controversial. People dislike me or they hate me”. Zingers fly from the mouth of an excruciatingly acerbic and tightly wound insecure artistic talent.
I did not use the word genius purposefully. His many anxieties include the realization he was no George Gershwin. That personal torture haunts him and is used to great effect in the storytelling. An extended late on camera scene demonstrates the heights of his ardor and the depths of his angst. The moment can easily be named scene of the year on Broadway this year. The unflinching audience watched Mr. Hayes in breathless awe.
Everything else in this production is a mixed bag. The aforementioned set up drags until the main course is served. John Zdrojeski’s take on George Gershwin was interestingly dapper, a “cooler than me” imagined nightmare from Mr. Levant’s highly strung imagination. Alex Wyse was amusing as the backstage handler who is no match for the wits of this wildly unhinged guest star.
The main reason to see Good Night, Oscar is for Sean Hayes’s remarkable performance. Rachel Hauck’s set design nicely invokes the era and also the ghosts looming inside the mania. The buildup to the television interview is long in a play containing some cardboard characters. The payoff, however, is spectacular.