Sean Hayes in Good Night, Oscar. Picture: Joan Marcus
Tony and Emmy Award-winner Sean Hayes will bring his Tony Award-winning performance in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright’s Good Night, Oscar to London this summer.
Direct from a critically acclaimed Broadway run, the Will & Grace star will make his West End debut as Hollywood Golden Age concert pianist, actor and raconteur, Oscar Levant, in the production which will play a strictly limited seven-week season at the Barbican Theatre from 31 July until 21 September.
Commenting on his eagerness to bring the show which earned him his first Tony Award, Hayes said: “It’s thrilling to be making my West End debut at the Barbican this summer with Good Night, Oscar. I’m eager to introduce one of the all-time greats, Oscar Levant, to the UK. The response we received on Broadway was incredible and I’m hoping British audiences will appreciate the history of this fascinating man – a multi-faceted pioneer, from concert pianist to infamous raconteur. It’s an honour to bring this production to London.”
The play’s creator, Wright said: “Good Night, Oscar was one of my very happiest Broadway experiences, and a richly satisfying collaboration with the celebrated Sean Hayes and our director Lisa Peterson. I can’t wait to introduce the irascible, indefatigable whirlwind that was Oscar Levant to London audiences. He’d be thrilled to play the Barbican, even posthumously.”
Producer Howard Panter added: “We are delighted to be bringing Good Night, Oscar to the Barbican this summer. Following the huge success of our previous summer productions, including Anything Goes, A Strange Loop and Kiss Me, Kate, the Barbican summer has become a highly anticipated fixture in London’s theatrical calendar. With the addition of Good Night, Oscar alongside our recently announced Fiddler on the Roof, this season once again promises world-class storytelling and unforgettable performances.”
Toni Racklin, the Barbican’s head of theatre and dance, said: “We are delighted that major Broadway hit, Good Night, Oscar, will be part of the Barbican’s summer season this year, led by its Tony Award-winning star, Sean Hayes. Along with the transfer of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s glorious production of Fiddler on the Roof, we are thrilled to offer this terrific double bill of theatrical magic to our audiences, brought to our stage by our partners Trafalgar Theatre Productions.”
Centered on a fictionalised 1950s episode of the late-night US talk show The Tonight Show featuring Levant with host Jack Paar, the play opened on Broadway in 2023.
Further casting and the full creative team will be confirmed at a later date.
Angela Thomas
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