Beth Williams (Grove Entertainment), Barbara Whitman Productions and Hazy Mills Productions are pleased to announce the development of a new play based on the life of the legendary performer Oscar Levant. Levant was known for his roles in films such as An American in Paris and The Band Wagon as well as for his virtuosic skills as a composer and concert pianist. The play will star Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Sean Hayes, who has also worked as a composer and classical pianist in addition to his numerous roles on TV, stage, and film.
Information regarding the creative team will be announced at a later date.
"Oscar Levant was a brilliant entertainer and a complex man," said producer Beth Williams. "Barbara and I are excited to have this opportunity to work with the equally brilliant Sean Hayes in bringing Mr. Levant to life again on the stage."
"I've been wanting to play Oscar Levant for over 10 years and this partnership is a dream come true," said Sean Hayes. "I have a deep passion for this project and an enduring love for my dear, Oscar."
Oscar Levant (1906-1972) was an American pianist, composer, author, arranger, comedian, and actor. Following his father's death in 1922 he moved to New York to pursue music, where he quickly became a favorite with New York columnists - most notably Walter Winchell - and audiences alike. He made his Broadway debut in 1927's Burlesque, which was his sole Broadway performing credit. In 1928, Levant moved west for Hollywood where his friendship and collaborations with George Gershwin began. Over the next 20 years, he composed music for more than twenty films and wrote or co-wrote notable songs including "Blame It on My Youth," now considered a standard. When Gershwin passed away in 1937, Levant became the virtuoso performer of his music and was considered the most accomplished interpreter of the Gershwin songbook. Levant was featured in many films including 1945's Rhapsody in Blue, where he played himself, and is possibly best known for An American in Paris and The Band Wagon. In An American in Paris, Levant played Adam Cook, Gene Kelly's sidekick and was able to showcase not only his piano skills but also his comedic timing. Those same talents were on display in The Band Wagon, where Levant played Lester Marton, a character based on the film's co-screenwriter and songwriter Adolph Green, alongside Fred Astaire. Throughout his career, Levant charmed audiences with his virtuosic musicianship and sharp wit on the radio, in films and on television.
GROVE ENTERTAINMENT (Producer). Grove Entertainment is a production company dedicated to developing, producing and presenting new work. Helmed by producer Beth Williams, and in partnership with Mindy and Bob Rich, Jeremiah J. Harris, Darren P. DeVerna and Allan Williams, current and upcoming Grove projects include Tuck Everlasting, On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan, The Blonde Streak, Bull Durham, and the tours of Dirty Dancing and The Sound of Music. Grove has also presented Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert at Avery Fisher Hall and has three projects under commission including a new musical by Ryan Scott Oliver. Prior to founding Grove, Ms. Williams helped launch Key Brand Entertainment in the United States and served as its COO and Head of Production. Prior productions Ms. Williams has produced include Million Dollar Quartet (New York, US Tour, London), Hands on a Hardbody, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette, Promises, Promises starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth, Harry Connick, Jr. In Concert On Broadway, Grey Gardens, The Producers - The New Mel Brooks Musical, Sweet Smell of Success, and Fosse (Broadway, US Tour, London).
BARBARA WHITMAN PRODUCTIONS (Producer). Barbara Whitman is currently represented on Broadway by Fun Home (Tony Award, Best Musical) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award, Best Musical Revival), and on tour by Murder for Two. She made her Broadway debut producing A Raisin in the Sun, starring Sean Combs. Other Broadway credits include If/Then starring Idina Menzel, Hands on a Hardbody, Red (Tony Award, Best Play), Next to Normal (Pulitzer Prize), Hamlet starring Jude Law, 33 Variations starring Jane Fonda, Mary Stuart, Legally Blonde - The Musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. In the West End, she produced Piaf, starring Elena Roger. National tours include If/Then, Next to Normal, Legally Blonde - The Musical, ...Spelling Bee, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Frost/Nixon. A native New Yorker, Barbara attended NYU's Gallatin School and received an MFA in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University. She serves on Northwestern University's School of Communications National Advisory Committee, the board of the Tectonic Theater Project, is a member of the Leadership Council of BroadwayCares/Equity Fights Aids and is Chair Emeritus of Play Group Theatre, a Westchester based youth theater. Her proudest productions are her two sons, Daniel and Will.
HAZY MILLS PRODUCTIONS (Producer). In 2004, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner formed Hazy Mills Productions. This project is their first venture into theatre and has been a passion project for many years. Formerly, Hayes starred in "Promises, Promises" on Broadway for which he garnered a Tony Award nomination. He won an Emmy for hosting the Tony's that same year. In addition, Milliner and Hayes shared writing credit for the ceremony in 2010. Together, their production company has produced a number of award winning television shows: "Hot in Cleveland", "The Soul Man", "Grimm", "Hollywood Game Night" and the upcoming NBC comedy "Crowded" starring Patrick Warburton & Carrie Preston.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos
