Name: Good Night, Oscar on Broadway starring Sean Hayes
Start: 2023-04-07
End: 2023-08-27
Location: Belasco Theatre

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Good Night, Oscar on Broadway starring Sean Hayes

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Good Night, Oscar on Broadway Starring Sean Hayes - Hero

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Sean Hayes is an Emmy Award-winning actor who is best known for playing Jack McFarland on the hit NBC sitcom *Will & Grace*. He has also appeared in several stage productions, including *Damn Yankees* off Broadway and *An Act of God* on Broadway.

Born June 26, 1970, Hayes was raised in the suburbs of Chicago, where he eventually went on to study piano performance at Illinois State University. He left college early and worked as a music director, classical pianist, and composer before moving to Los Angeles and taking up acting.

His first major role was in the indie movie Billy’s *Hollywood Screen Kiss*, and he was cast soon after in *Will & Grace*, which brought him mainstream success. Over the show’s seven seasons, Hayes earned numerous award nominations and won an Emmy.

Throughout his career, Hayes has also acted and provided voice work for many films, most notably *The Cat in the Hat*, *Pieces of April*, and *The Bucket List*. He’s also starred in many television shows, playing the lead in the NBC sitcom *Sean Saves the World* from 2013 to 2014 and Steve Maryweather in the 2021 Netflix animated series *Q-Force*.

On stage, Hayes played Mr. Applegate in the 2008 Off-Broadway revival of *Damn Yankees* and made his Broadway debut in the 2010 revival of *Promises, Promises* as Chuck Baxter. He returned to the stage as God for a limited engagement in *An Act of God* in 2016.

In 2023, Hayes returned to Broadway to star as pianist Oscar Levant in the new play *Good Night, Oscar* on Broadway at the [Belasco Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/belasco-theatre).

Sean Hayes - NY

The star of Douglas Wright’s play [*Good Night, Oscar*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26390-good-night-oscar-tickets), now running on Broadway at the [Belasco Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/belasco-theatre), is [Sean Hayes](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/sean-hayes), who receives above-the-title billing and will no doubt receive numerous accolades. But the second star is Jacqueline E. Lawton, the production’s dramaturg on Broadway and at the Goodman Theatre, where it premiered last year. Lawton ensures that the show balances its dips into the fantastical with historical truths, a difficult tone deftly achieved in Lisa Peterson’s adroit production. If only Broadway would embrace the lobby display to immerse audiences even more in Oscar Levant’s world.

Set on one turbulent night of Levant’s life, *Good Night, Oscar* sees Hayes not at the heyday of Levant’s career as a composer, pianist, and radio star, but as an ailing man struggling to control his addiction to the drugs his doctors have prescribed. The play tries to tackle the whole of Levant’s life in a few short scenes; a one-man show, like Wright’s Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning *I Am My Own Wife*, may have better suited the veneration of Levant’s talents and idiosyncrasies, channeling his alleged schizophrenia into different characters contained in one body.

But Hayes works best sparring with other actors, even if their characters aren’t fully developed. At one point, NBC president Bob Sarnoff (Peter Grosz) tries to cool Levant down: “The network feels —” to which Levant immediately interrupts, in a perfect distillation of the contemporary politics of corporate brands, “The network *feels*?”

Many characters exist only as devices: Fast-talking TV host Jack Paar (Ben Rappaport) upholds the play’s frame of *The Tonight Show* and delineates entertainment and exploitation. June (Emily Bergl), Levant’s wife, though granted no interiority, grounds the piece in historicity, as she had Levant committed to psychiatric institutions multiple times over their marriage. Sarnoff is stiff and corny, mostly speaking in platitudes and warnings and dwarfed by Levant’s boisterousness.

Alvin Finney (Marchánt Davis), an orderly from the hospital where Levant is staying (and from which June has concocted an ill-advised escape so he may appear on TV), serves only as a reminder of Levant’s condition; his note that Levant’s old pal George Gershwin (John Zdrojeski) stole musical inspiration from Black New Yorkers is a too-brief insight that, absent any other political or social commentary, feels out of place in the script. Only Alex Wyse delights as the nervous Max Weinbaum, a nepotism-hire page desperate to win the approval of those in charge and move up the movie-making ladder.

Gershwin himself appears as a figment of Levant’s imagination, the boldest choice in the play that suffers from a lack of direction. He enters in smoke effects, whipping his coattails behind him like Dracula, a haunting manifestation of Levant's survivor’s guilt (over Gershwin’s early death at 38) and supreme performance anxiety. He would rather discuss Levant’s psychoses than modern music, which makes sense only because of his boxed existence in Levant’s mind, a reminder of all Levant has yet to achieve. The character could be a game-changer in *Good Night, Oscar*, more a guide than a ghost, but Zdrojeski plays him like a haunted house attraction.

With a less compelling performance from its lead, *Good Night, Oscar* would fall flat. Its first half suffers from a lack of urgency; its second is burdened by hacky late-night antics. Almost everyone but Hayes’s Levant is forgettable in both performance and characterizations. Hayes is a marvel, embodying Levant in voice, spirit, physicality, and, eventually, music. He shakes like he’s davening prayer, fidgets like he's inebriated, and yells like his mind has left him without a choice.

Carolina Ortiz Herrera and Ben Stanton’s lighting design closes in on Levant as he hallucinates, fantasizes, and opines; these shifts, some subtle and some overt, call to mind the Brian Wilson biopic *Love & Mercy*, another exploration of both songwriting and schizophrenia. Rachel Hauck’s set serves as both recording studio and padded cell, further insulating Levant. Though the supporting personae fall flat, these design elements fuse with Hayes’s performance for a powerful and cohesive character study.

[*Good Night, Oscar* is at the Belasco Theatre through August 27. Get *Good Night, Oscar* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26390-good-night-oscar-tickets)

*Correction: A previous version of this review incorrectly named Neena Arndt as dramaturg of Good Night, Oscar at the Goodman Theatre, not Jacqueline E. Lawton.*

*Photo credit: Sean Hayes in Good Night, Oscar. (Photo by Joan Marcus)*

'Good Night, Oscar' review — Sean Hayes delivers a virtuosic character study

Read our review of *Good Night, Oscar*, a new Broadway play written by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Doug Wright and starring Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes.

The Belasco Theatre is nestled in the heart of New York City and is an icon of old-world luxury and high-end performances. With origins dating back to 1907, famed architect George Keister designed this opulent treasure, which was eventually named after its first owner, David Belasco. It boasts an elegant façade with a richly ornamented interior, including Tiffany glass and murals by Everett Shinn. The theatre retains its plush red velvet grandeur, providing an intimate setting and ambience. It attracts a broad spectrum of audiences, hosting a mix of events, from Broadway shows to concerts. In recent years, it has seen a revival of iconic plays and has been the launching stage for contemporary hits. Known for its unbeatable acoustics and perfect sightlines, it offers guests an unperturbed stage view with its seating capacity of 1016 over three categories: Orchestra, Mezzanine, and Balcony seats.

**How to get to the Belasco Theatre**

The Belasco Theatre is easily accessible with various modes of transport. Located at 111 West 44th Street, it's close to Times Square. You can take the subway to Times Square-42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal using lines 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W, S. A short walk and you're at the theatre's doors. If you're driving, pre-booking a parking space is suggested as these tend to fill up quickly.

Belasco Theatre - NYC

Belasco Theatre

Historic Belasco Theatre, in New York City, is acclaimed for luxury and performances. It's easily accessible, located near Times Square.

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Belasco Theatre - TodayTix

The Belasco Theatre originally opened as the Stuyvesant Theatre on October 16, 1907 with a production of *A Grand Army Man*. The Belasco Theatre was designed by George Keister for impresario David Belasco, who renamed the theatre for himself in 1910.

The first production to be staged under the theatre's new name was *The Lily*, an adaptation by Belasco of Leroux's *Le Lys*. In 1931, the theatre was leased to Katherine Cornell, and the Shubert Organization purchased it in 1948. From 1949 to 1953, the building was leased to NBC for broadcasting, before it was once again used as a traditional theatre.

The Belasco, located on 44th St. near the corner of Sixth Avenue, is the easternmost Broadway theatre.

## How to get to the Belasco Theatre on Broadway

The Belasco Theatre is nearest to the 42nd Street - Bryant Park subway stop on the B, D, F, M, and 7 lines. There are also two bus stops near the theatre, accessible by multiple bus lines: 6th Ave/W 44th St. on the M55, QM2, QM3, QM4, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, and QM20 lines; and 6th Ave/West 45th St. on the QM1, QM5, QM6, M5, and M7 lines.

## Restaurants near the Belasco Theatre

Popular restaurants near the Belasco Theatre include Junior's (American), Carmine's (Italian), Havana Central (Cuban), and Connolly's Irish pub. [Learn more about popular pre- and post-show restaurants in the Theatre District.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/where-to-eat-before-and-after-a-broadway-show)

Belasco Theatre - New York Theatre Guide

The Belasco Theatre, originally the Stuyvesant Theatre, opened in 1907 and is situated near 42nd Street - Bryant Park subway station.

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