Good Night, Oscar Tickets

Good Night, Oscar in London

Will and Grace star Sean Hayes reprises his Tony Award-winning turn as troubled composer Oscar Levant in new play Good Night, Oscar at the world-famous Barbican Theatre this summer for a strictly limited run. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Doug Wright, this comedy-drama about an unforgettable interview “demands to be seen” (Variety) and is sure to be a sell-out, so make sure to book ahead!

What is the play Good Night, Oscar about?

It’s 1958 and late-night host Jack Paar has invited his favourite guest onto The Tonight Show show - virtuoso pianist and witty wild-card Oscar Levant, known for his entertaining quips, subversive humour and unpredictable behaviour. Struggling with addiction and mental health, Levant has been committed as an in-patient at a psychiatric hospital and has been granted a four-hour break from the institution to appear on the show. One of Levant’s catchphrases is "there's a fine line between genius and insanity, and I have erased that line", and over the course of the interview Levant toes that line. The result is a night of unforgettable television.

A masterful exploration of fame, exploitation, and the fragility of genius, Good Night, Oscar is a fictionalised account of a real event in Levant’s life, also drawing from various other interviews with Levant. It premiered in Chicago in 2022, before transferring to Broadway for a critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning run.

Who was Oscar Levant?

Oscar Levant (1906 – 1972) was an American pianist, composer, conductor, actor and comedian. A close friend of George Gershwin, Levant conducted Broadway musicals, co-wrote numerous hit songs, and appeared in films such as Rhapsody in Blue, The Barkleys of Broadway and An American in Paris , often as a composer or pianist. Known for his witty bon-mots, Levant was a regular on the chat and quiz show circuit. Unusually for the time, Levant openly spoke about his struggles with his mental health and addiction to prescription drugs.

Who are the cast and creatives of Good Night Oscar?

Sean Hayes reprises his tour de force role as Oscar Levant, a performance that earned him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play during its Broadway run. Hayes is best known for his role as Jack McFarland on the long-running NBC sitcom Will & Grace , for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award and four SAG Awards, and earned six Golden Globe nominations. In Good Night, Oscar , playing Levant also allows Hayes to show off his classical training in piano in a key scene, a performance “as remarkable as it is impressive” (Variety). Further casting for the production is yet to be announced.

Good Night, Oscar is written by Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, librettist and screenwriter Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife, Grey Gardens, Quills ) and is directed by two-time Obie Award winner Lisa Peterson (SLAVS!, An Iliad, The Waves ).

Book Tickets for Good Night, Oscar at the Barbican Theatre Today!

This explosive, darkly funny play has a strictly limited run, and Sean Hayes’ turn as Levant “traverses an entire emotional rollercoaster of pain and ecstasy” (Variety). Don’t miss the performance of the season and a good night at the theatre - book for Good Night, Oscar at the Barbican Theatre today!