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?
A neurotic hypochondriac, possibly suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Schizophrenia, and definitely suffering from the weight of his intellect, Levant is a fascinating figure, portrayed by Hayes in a mannered, hand-wringing performance that’s as full of tics as it is charged with pathos. He enters Rachel Hauck’s clever set, which finds the common ground between padded cell and soundstage, and immediately blows the rest of his castmates’ stiff deliveries out of the water. Not to be too hard on the ensemble who, to their credit, are doing their best with a wooden, unoriginal script and Lisa Peterson’s farcical direction. Again and again, we learn that a star’s entourage might not have their best interests at heart, that talent is burdensome, and fame is a prison, et cetera. And creaky exposition fills us in on the man’s bonafides—though it is nice to learn about this icon of mid-century American culture
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 |
| 2025 | West End |
West End |
| 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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