Good Night, Oscar

B

As a fan of both Oscar Levant and Sean Hayes (Promises, Promises; “Will & Grace”), I was excited by the opportunity to see the latter portray the former on a Broadway stage. Hayes has been developing the project for almost a decade and, after a false start with another playwright, chose Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife, Grey Gardens) to do the script. The result is a cleverly crafted showcase for dramatic and pianistic talents that Hayes has not had a previous opportunity to display. The emotionally unstable Levant was a frequent guest on Jack Paar’s show because Paar (Ben Rappaport, Fiddler on the Roof) thought his unpredictability was good for ratings. He did appear on Paar’s LA debut show, but not, as the play posits, after being sprung under false pretenses for a four-hour pass from a mental institution by his wife June (Emily Bergl, The Ferryman). Until the telecast begins, we must get through lots and lots of exposition supplied by Paar, June, NBC head Bob Sarnoff (Peter Grosz, A Kid Like Jake), a star-struck aide Max (Alex Wyse, Waitress) who just happens to be Sarnoff’s nephew and Alvin (Marchant Davis, Ain’t No Mo’), the orderly who is tasked to keep an eye on Levant during his brief leave. We also get two rather awkward appearances by George Gershwin (a dapper John Zdrojeski, Heroes of the Fourth Turning) who, although dead for 20 years, appears to Levant during his hallucinations. At the end of his live on-screen conversation with Paar, Levant is wheedled into playing an excerpt from Rhapsody in Blue, which Hayes performs superbly while also remaining in character. Designer Rachel Hauck’s (Hadestown) set is an apt homage to mid-century modern and Emilio Sosa’s (Sweeney Todd) costume for June is a delight. Director Lisa Peterson (Light Shining in Buckinghamshire) gets us through the long exposition before the fun begins as expeditiously as possible. While the other actors served their roles well, most of the success or failure of the play rests on whether Hayes can create a plausible version of Levant. Although I thought he initially overdid the tics and restlessness, I found him increasingly convincing as the play progressed. Although he bears absolutely no physical resemblance to Levant, he actually started to look more and more like him. I’m not sure how much those who did not know Levant as actor, conductor, raconteur or pianist will appreciate the show, but Hayes’ performance is well worth seeing. Running time: one hour 40 minutes; no intermission.