Anything can happen on live TV. And one night, it did. Sean Hayes stars as the irrepressible Oscar Levant. It’s 1958, and Jack Paar hosts the hottest late-night talk-show on television. His favorite guest? Character actor, pianist and wild card Oscar Levant. Good Night, Oscar explores the nexus of humor and heartbreak, the ever-dwindling distinction between exploitation and entertainment, and the high cost of baring one’s soul for public consumption.
It’s not so much that Hayes, whose work as Levant has only deepened since I first saw it in Chicago, sets out here to impersonate as to channel Levant’s psychological and performative state of being. All in all, it’s a spectacularly intense and unstinting performance, a Broadway tour-de-force wherein the honest work bespeaks of a beautiful homage to this phenomenally talented real-life character, a perennial second banana previously in danger of being forgotten in the passage of time. How many non-retirees remembered him prior to the buzz around this show?
Then there’s that piano performance. The piece Hayes plays is, as it turns out, crucial to the plot, so I won’t get into it, but the way he plays it is more important than either the title or his skill (though yes, Sean Hayes can play the piano very well). He conveys depths in the way that Levant reluctantly slides back into his virtuosity over the course of the performance—a coiling resentment of and yet thrill at his own talent. The play, having hit its high point, wraps up quickly soon after, and it’s a letdown to return both Hayes and Oscar to earth. There’s a lesson in there: to understand performers, you have to see them in action, no amount of describing can substitute. But if you nail that re-creation, you can get at something deep about them. The playing’s the thing, to mangle that another famous quote-vehicle, wherein to catch their consciousness.
General Rush
Price: $35
Where: Belasco Theatre box office
When: Tickets are available day-of when the box office opens. The Belasco Theatre box office is open Monday through Saturday at 10am, and will open Sundays at 12pm beginning April 30.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Determined at the discretion of the box office. Subject to daily availability.
Digital Lottery
Price: $40
Where: rush.telecharge.com.
When: Entries for the digital lottery open at 12 AM one day before the performance. Winners are drawn the same day at 10 AM and 3 PM.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Subject to availability.
2021 | Regional (US) |
Goodman Theatre's Premiere Production Regional (US) |
2023 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play | Emily Bergl |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Sean Hayes |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Sean Hayes |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Good Night, Oscar |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Sean Hayes |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Good Night, Oscar |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical) | Andre Pluess |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Sean Hayes |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Emilio Sosa |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Rachel Hauck |
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