Oscar Levant

... uh, about it.

Maybe Oscar Levant, [laughs] you know, did it, you know, back in the '60s.

Yeah, he middled for me and-

Exactly.

And it is actually and they would remain friends their whole lives.

It's Hirschfeld that introduced they were in their 20s, introduced George Gershwin to Oscar Levant, who would become one of the leading interpreters of Gershwin's music.

Um, so, and, and, and so Hirschfeld was, it was, it's a, it's a really fascinating time to be in the teens and the early twenties in New York, because so much of what we know of popular culture of the 20th century is being formed at that time.

So Hirschfeld's really there at the beginning and his childhood just sort of bleeds into, uh, really the popular culture that he would be a part of for the rest of his life.

He spoke with my colleague Alejandro Alonso-Galva about a couple of exciting shows happening around town now, and about a few folks doing some of their best work.

One of the shows that I'm most excited about seeing is, uh, currently being staged at Miner's Alley Playhouse in Golden called Good Night, Oscar.

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

Which is, uh, a Tony Award-winning play that starred Sean Hayes on Broadway, and it looks at the four hours that Oscar Levant spent in the waiting room preparing to go on to The Tonight Show with Jack Parr.

And the twist of that all, it's this true story, but it's, like, he was on, he was on a four-hour leave from a psychiatric hospital.

[laughs]

And what makes it such a important play right now is that this is the kind of play that requires so much of the actor-

He's huge.

Or Oscar Levant too.

[laughs]

[laughs]

His life takes a turn when he is discovered by Milo Roberts, played by Nina Foch, a wealthy heiress with more than just a professional interest in him.

However, Jerry's heart is captured by Lise Bouvier, played by Leslie Caron, a young French girl engaged to Henri Borel, played by Georges Guattari, a cabaret singer and friend of Jerry's pianist roommate Adam Cook, played by Oscar Levant.

The film's narrative is relatively straightforward, focusing more on the musical and dance sequences than on the complexity of the story.

The romantic entanglements are predictable, yet they serve as a backdrop for the film's true stars, the music and dance.

It really feels like it's about him.

Yeah, like, I mean, I love, like, the Adam Cooke character played by Oscar LeVant, but, I mean, it's really just about Jerry and his mission.

And, I mean, even, like, even the lead actress in this film, like... you know she she's kind of not given a lot to do like she has her own like that kind of when they're talking about her in the cafe and she in as a performer she's doing like what five different kind of mini dance routines And then obviously the dismount at the end.

But, you know, this is a clear ISO for Gene Kelly.