Displaying items by tag: Goodnight, Oscar

It’s hard to imagine a life without late night talk shows. Since the dawn of TV, late night talk shows have been a means for Americans to get to know celebrities better. During the pandemic these nightly comedy hours provided a necessary platform for connection and laughter. We watched the studio audiences fade away and our favorite hosts compressed to a Zoom call. Even if imperfect, their presence provided a sense of comfort.

The art of conversation is a gift. Jack Paar certainly had that gift, and was one of the first hosts of The Tonight Show on NBC in the 1950s. His playful banter with his often-intoxicated celebrity guests was unpredictable and made for must-watch TV.

Doug Wright’s new play “Goodnight Oscar” premiering at Goodman Theatre, imagines the backstage drama of a taping of The Jack Paar Show with Oscar Levant, who was a frequent guest and one of Paar’s favorites. “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes gives a powerful performance as Oscar Levant. Hayes is nearly unrecognizable donning the slurred vocal mannerisms of a comedian struggling with substance abuse.

A lot of the world’s funniest comedians have led sad lives. Oscar Levant was both a gifted classical pianist and a Hollywood comedy actor. He struggled with mental health and substance abuse as many celebrities did in an era before rehab existed.

In Doug Wright’s telling, Oscar has been sprung from a mental institution on a four-hour pass in order to make an appearance on the show. Oscar’s quick thinking, off-color humor makes the NBC studio executives nervous, but his deteriorating health are what make his wife June (Emily Bergl) nervous.

Doug Wright has a knack for taking somewhat obscure pop culture and crafting an unlikely narrative around it. Wright and Goodman have a long history of collaboration, his last play “War Paint” premiered at Goodman before opening on Broadway. “Goodnight Oscar” nicely fits into his catalog. While the plot is fairly straight forward, it’s the character study of Oscar Levant where the heart of the script lies.

This play is mostly driven by Sean Hayes’ extraordinary performance. Hayes is best known as a comedic actor, but “Goodnight Oscar” gives audiences a chance to see him do a dramatic role. His transformative appearance and skills on the piano had the audience giving a standing ovation long before the curtain call.

This briskly paced 90-minute script is so full of one-liners, you don’t want to miss a word. While some of the humor is very specific to the 1950s, those with knowledge of classic Hollywood will find much to chuckle about. Jack Paar was not the first late night TV show host, but he knew good TV. He encouraged his guests to push the boundaries. So many of TVs most shocking moments have happened on late night talk shows. Doug Wright’s play provides the origin story of how late night TV became a nightly ritual for many Americans.

Through April 24^th at Goodman Theatre. 170 North Dearborn 312-443-3800