The brother of the late Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchinson has paid tribute to him in an emotional post, five years on from his tragic death.
25.04.2023 - 01:05 / deadline.com
If ever a play had good reason to front-load itself with exposition, Good Night, Oscar is it. Once among America’s premiere wits and raconteurs, Oscar Levant has gone the way of many another once-famous wits and raconteurs. Which is to say, he needs lots of exposition.
Good Night, Oscar, the new bio-play by Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife) starring Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) as Levant, goes a long way in introducing this long-ago talk-show staple to modern audiences. Whether it justifies the effort is considerably less certain.
A talented pianist and occasional second-banana movie actor, Levant is better known today for his frequent talk- and game-show appearances of the 1950s and ’60s, his aptitude for the improvised zinger and no-holds-barred confessional humor making him a sought-after, if controversial, Golden Age presence. Others would follow in his wake – the Gore Vidals and Truman Capotes and Phyllis Newmans, but Levant was first.
And before you ask Phyllis Who?, consider that even those of fleeting fame can make for fine, compelling biographies. Wright, Hayes and director Lisa Peterson are likely very sure that Levant ranks among that list, but Good Night, Oscar is less than convincing.
So here goes. Levant largely made his name as a pianist interpreting the work of his friend and musical better George Gershwin. He made his name as an actor as a wingman in films like An American in Paris, The Band Wagon and Humoresque. He made his name as a TV personality with quirky, sophisticated late-night appearances that delighted audiences with vaguely risque quips, self-deprecating jokes about his homely appearance, and candid disclosures about his addictions and mental health challenges. He was a man forever on the verge
The brother of the late Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchinson has paid tribute to him in an emotional post, five years on from his tragic death.
Kurt Vile has paid tribute to his late bandmate Rob Laakso in a lengthy and touching post on Instagram following the latter’s death earlier this month.Laakso, a guitarist and keys player who joined Vile’s The Violators in 2013 as a full-time member, died last week (May 4) from cancer at the age of 44. Rob Laakso is survived by his wife and their two children.Kurt Vile has now uploaded a lengthy post on Instagram, reflecting on his relationship with Laakso.
Stars arrived at Westminster Abbey early this morning to watch the Coronation of King Charles. Amongst the famous attendees – which includes Lionel Richie and Emma Thompson – is pop singer Katy Perry, who arrived alongside British Vogue Editor Edward Enninful.The 38 year old paid homage to the late British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who sadly passed away in December 2022, with her outfit.
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READ MORE: Rod Stewart warns teen son 'keep it in your trousers'A self-taught guitarist and keyboard player, she appeared at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970 and had four top 40 hits throughout the next decade - the first coming with Rock-a-Doodle-Doo which reached number 15 in the UK in 1973. Her biggest hit came with It's In His Kiss - a cover of Cher's The Shoop Shoop Song - which reached number six in 1975.
REFRESH FOR UDPATES: The nominations for the 76th Annual Tony Awards will be announced on CBS Mornings today by Funny Girl star Lea Michele and MJ‘s Tony Award winner Myles Frost. The complete list of nominations will be posted here at 9:10 a.m. ET./6 a.m. PT.
Ain’t No Mo, Cost of Living, Leopoldstadt, Good Night, Oscar, and now, The Thanksgiving Play (★★★★★), a dark and devilish satire by Larissa FastHorse.While gratitude should be a reflection and practice we incorporate into our daily lives, it is a virtue most closely associated with the fourth Thursday of November. That’s when we gather with friends and family, stuff ourselves silly with turkey, watch football, and fall asleep on the couch — all in the name of a long-perpetuated myth.FastHorse is having none of it.
Life of Pi leaves audiences in a state of wonder. Not only one that is spiritual, philosophical, and intellectual (more on that later), but one that is more practical. One that forces us to question why other producers sell ticket buyers short when it comes to delivering a quality product on Broadway.
Editor’s Note: Decorated live event TV director-producer Don Mischer, a fifteen-time Emmy Award winner, has worked frequently with country legend Willie Nelson, who turns 90 today. The following is a chapter from Mischer’s forthcoming book,10 Seconds To Air: A Life in the Director’s Chair, written by him and Sara Lukinson.
American TV legend Jerry Springer has passed away at the age of 79. The talk show host passed away peacefully in his Chicago home, according to family members. It has not yet been confirmed what his cause of death was.
Imagine a New York where construction workers tap dance on steel girders high above the city, sorta like that famous photograph you’ve seen a million times, and where kindly landladies who once played Carnegie Hall might tutor a young Holocaust refugee to a Julliard scholarship, and breezy jam sessions do away with generations of friction between races, genders and sexual identities. You’d go there, right?
Ricky Tomlinson has issued a tribute to Royle Family co-star Peter Martin following his death aged 82. The two shared the screen together in the legendary BBCsitcom.
Broadway can be a loud place, with belters belting and orchestras swelling and actors playing to rafters in the theater across the street, so it’s both comforting and mesmerizing to see a play as quietly poignant as David Auburn’s Summer, 1976.
The stars are stepping out for the opening of a new Broadway show!
Christian Lewis Today’s audiences are unlikely to know the name Oscar Levant, the once-famed pianist, composer, comedian and actor at the center of Doug Wright’s new Broadway play “Good Night, Oscar.”Despite that, many aspects of the story, which takes place over the filming of a single episode of “The Tonight Show with Jack Paar”in 1958, might feel familiar: a high-stress taping of a late-night show, big celebrity personalities, exploitation in the name of good television. Any fan of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will feel familiar with Paar and generally at home in this world. In some ways, “Good Night, Oscar”even feels like an episode of “Mrs. Maisel” — zany, fast-paced and smartly humorous, with references flying a mile a minute, some battle-of-the-sexes content, sumptuous dresses, well-tailored suits and occasional moments of sincere emotion. Instead of Midge, here we have Oscar, played by Sean Hayes, a one-man show in his own right.
Good Night, Oscar,” there is no doubt. Whether the end result is a human being or a bag of tricks depends on your taste for ham.One hour and 40 minutes with no intermission.
Tributes have begun pouring in from friends and co-stars of the late Len Goodman, who died on Saturday at the age of 78.
Len Goodman tragically passed away from bone cancer at the age of 78 over the weekend.