Your Obedient Blogger had a very good time last night at a performance of For Piano and Harpo, a new play by Dan Castellaneta. It's about pianist, author and superwit Oscar Levant, who was one of the smartest and most troubled figures in the arts back in the previous century. Dan plays Levant and gives a performance that should make the playwright (i.e., him) very happy. He does not do this alone. He's aided by an amazing cast — Deb Lacusta, Jonathan Stark, J.D. Cullum, Gail Matthius and Phil Proctor, all of whom play at least three different people in Levant's life, often making lightning changes of wardrobe and emotion.
One of Cullum's roles is Harpo Marx, who was a friend of Levant's and who welcomed the pianist into his home for a year…not that Levant gave him much of a choice. The contrast of the two men is stunning: Harpo played crazy. Oscar was crazy. And most of the play is watching Oscar work through his neurotic quirks and depressions in an asylum and in his everyday life. Cullum was terrific as Harpo and even better as a mute inmate in that asylum.
There are moments that are very funny and then abruptly, they become moments of human suffering and tolerance. Deb Lacusta has some chilling scenes, keeping it frighteningly real as Levant's wife June, who suffers because of the man she married. It is, in a way, the most important role in the play besides Mr. Levant. She plays other women in his life as well…and I kept saying to myself, "Gee, she's a good actor."
But then so is everyone on that stage. Stark is amazing as Jack Paar, George Gershwin, Levant's doctor and several other parts. Matthius portrays a mesmerizing (and at times, very funny) asylum resident, June's sister, Oscar's mother and others. Proctor expertly acts as Harpo's butler, Oscar's father, another asylum dweller and others. You could hear members of the audience gasping at the sheer versatility and the rapid pace…and at the delivery of dialogue clever enough to be in Oscar Levant's life.
Dan wrote a very good play, disappeared into the lead role and surrounded himself with a compelling world, sane when it is least believable and insane when it is most believable. We have director Stefan Novinski to thank for much of that. I guess you'd call this a rave so — full disclosure — I confess that I know most of these people.
Following the performance, I played emcee for a 20-minute "talk back," interviewing the actors and the two musicians — David O, who played the piano and Jillian Risigari-Gai, who played the harp. Among those in the audience who participated were two Marx Brothers authorities — Steve Stoliar, who was Groucho's secretary in the last years of that great comedian's life, and Joe Adamson, who wrote one of the best books on the brothers, Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo. We didn't have nearly enough time but I did ask Dan about the future of this play, which closes at the Falcon Theater on March 5. He said there is no future yet to speak of but he's hopeful of other productions.
If you live within commuting distance of Burbank, you might still be able to score some seats and go see it. There are some available. If not, be like Dan — hopeful of other productions, preferably near you. This play is too good to not live on.