Theatre News Wire

This spring, the nostalgia of 1950s late-night talk-shows takes the stage in the world premiere of Good Night, Oscar - Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright's exploration of 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. Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor Sean Hayes leads the cast of seven as Oscar Levant-character actor, pianist and wild card. Director Lisa Peterson's production also features Emily Bergl (June Levant), Ben Rappaport (Jack Paar), Peter Grosz (Bob Sarnoff), Ethan Slater (Max Weinbaum), Tramell Tillman (Alvin Finney) and John Zdrojeski (George Gershwin). Good Night, Oscar appears March 12 - April 17 at the Goodman Theatre.

"We are thrilled to produce the world premiere of this incredible new play by Doug Wright-an author I've long admired for illuminating his characters' personal truths while infusing their stories with humor and wit. And we welcome director Lisa Peterson, who tackles classics and new works with equal vivacity and skill; her versatility makes her a perfect fit for Doug's psychologically rich and highly theatrical new play," said Artistic Director Robert Falls. "And we warmly welcome this stellar cast-led by Emmy Award-winning actor Sean Hayes, best known for his masterful portrayal of Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace. Sean has stepped elegantly between the screen and stage for many years, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in Promises, Promises, and appearing in films such as The Bucket List, The Three Stooges and Pixar's Monster's University. I am delighted that Sean, who grew up in Glen Ellyn, makes his Goodman debut playing the brilliant and achingly human Oscar Levant."

Halfway into the 20th century finds Americans glued to their TVs as Jack Paar's amusing and always unpredictable banter echoes across living rooms. One night, he is joined by the equally unbridled pianist and character actor Oscar Levant. During an evening of witty one-liners-"there's a fine line between genius and insanity; I have erased this line"-Oscar lays bare the necessity of insanity in the making of brilliant work and the cost he is willing to pay to entertain the masses in an episode that Paar's audience, and the rest of America, won't soon forget.

"I'm very excited to be back at the Goodman for a third time, with another play about a character plucked from history," said playwright Doug Wright, whose previous work at the Goodman include the musical War Paint (2016) and I Am My Own Wife (2005), for which he earned the Pulitzer Prize. "I hope Chicago audiences find Oscar Levant as irascible, lovable, infuriating and unexpectedly moving as I have during the process of writing about him."