Reawakening the lovable spirit of George Burns, Victoria Theatre Association's JPMorgan Chase Broadway Series takes audiences on a trip down memory lane with Say Goodnight Gracie, October 30 – November 11, at the Victoria Theatre.
The hit Broadway play Say Goodnight Gracie: The Life, Laughter & Love of George Burns and Gracie Allen invites audiences to spend a hilarious, heart-warming evening in the uplifting company of the world's favorite and funniest centenarian. George Burns, who spanned one hundred years of American entertainment history, is now miraculously alive and kicking in a stunning tour de force. Say Goodnight Gracie ranks as Broadway's third-longest-running solo performance show, and it was nominated for a 2003 Tony Award for Best Play and won the 2003-2004 National Broadway Theatre Award for Best Play.
Say Goodnight Gracie is a tender, funny, life-affirming love story - a personal guided tour through an American century in the company of George Burns, a man who laughingly lived and loved each day for all it had to offer, until he finally went "gently into that good night" to forever reunite with his beloved Gracie.
In Say Goodnight Gracie, we discover George in limbo between this world and the next, unable to join his beloved wife and partner Gracie Allen until he gives the command performance of his lifetime for God. George looks back upon his impoverished youth on the lower east side of New York, his disastrous but tenacious career in Vaudeville, the day he met a talented young Irish girl named Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen, their instant chemistry, marriage, and their rise to the pinnacles of vaudeville, movies, radio and television.
Gracie's passing away pressed George to start from square one in life and in his career, eventually achieving an equal level of success as a solo raconteur and Academy Award-winning actor, portraying everything from a Sunshine Boy to, Oh, God. Say Goodnight Gracie is a multimedia presentation featuring the vocal talents of actress Didi Conn (Frenchie in Grease) as well as evocative music and moving images from George's long life and good times. Starring in the role of George Burns is Don McArt, who starred in the Broadway production of Pajama Tops and whose film work includes The Absent Minded Professor and The Son of Flubber.
McArt enjoyed the Burns and Allen comedy routine on radio and television while growing up. After studying Burns' career and personal life, McArt says, "I found their comedy was delightful. The extra years of my life have given me a broader perspective and I've been able to relate to George Burns' personality beyond his comedy. Sometimes I feel like I really am George Burns."
About Say Goodnight Gracie, McArt says "The show is a fascinating look at the inner life of George Burns. There are some very frank revelations about George and Gracie's life together, with humor sprinkled throughout." Say Goodnight Gracie is authored by multiple Tony Award-winning playwright Rupert Holmes, whose Broadway credits include the Tony-winning musical The Mystery Of Edwin Drood. Holmes is also creator and writer of the nostalgic Emmy Award-winning comedy series Remember WENN and is currently represented on Broadway in the new Kander & Ebb musical Curtains. And yes, it's the same Rupert Holmes who scored a huge pop hit in the 1970s with "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)."
Say Goodnight Gracie is directed by Michael White, who has directed, stage managed and starred in many productions across the country. Say Goodnight Gracie is presented by Victoria Theatre Association with support from Leadership Sponsors The Dayton Power and Light Company Foundation and Projects Unlimited, Inc., and Performance Sponsor Wells Fargo Insurance Services of Ohio, LLC. Say Goodnight Gracie is on stage at the Victoria Theatre, October 30 – November 11. -- www.victoriatheatre.com
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