Frank Ferrante's GROUCHO Returns To Chicago This Month

Actor/comedian Frank Ferrante returns to his internationally heralded stage performance for one night only in Frank Ferrante'S GROUCHO on Tuesday, November 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Cabaret ZaZou, located on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel Chicago Loop (32 W. Randolph Street). Ferrante, who currently plays the comic lead "Forte" in the cirque extravaganza at the same venue, was deemed "nothing short of masterful" by the Chicago Tribune for his role as legendary comedian, Groucho Marx.

Frank Ferrante'S GROUCHO is a laugh-filled theatrical portrait of "America's most gifted funny man" (The New York Times) written by Ferrante, directed by Cabaret ZaZou artistic director Dreya Weber, and accompanied by Gerald Sternbach. The two-act comedy celebrates the style and spirit of Groucho (1890-1977) through songs, stories, one-liners, and improvisation. The filmed version of Frank Ferrante's Groucho is currently running on national public television and was broadcast on Chicago's WTTW in July 2022.

'GROUCHO' revels in the icon's prime, complete with greasepaint, keen wit, and unbridled comic physicality. The show is equal parts biography, musical, pop culture history, and stand-up comedy and the result is a riotous romp. 'Groucho' sings ("Hooray for Captain Spaulding," "Lydia the Tattooed Lady," Gilbert & Sullivan's "Willow, Tit-Willow," etc.), dances, and relates stories of his brothers (Harpo and Chico) and friends (Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, and poet T.S. Eliot). Ferrante as Groucho liberally ad-libs throughout, wending his way through the theater while engaging his audience.

Performed for over 35 years and over 3,000 times in more than 500 cities, Ferrante's 'GROUCHO' played New York Off-Broadway, London's West End, Los Angeles, and Australia. For the role, Ferrante earned the New York Theatre World Award for 'Outstanding Debut,' a London Laurence Olivier Award nomination (Tony Award equivalent) for 'Comedy Performance of the Year,' a New York Outer Critics Circle nomination, a Washington D.C. Helen Hayes nomination, and two Connecticut Critics Circle Awards.

Frank Ferrante was discovered by Groucho's son, playwright Arthur Marx, who cast Ferrante when he was 22 to portray the elder Marx from age 15 to age 85 in the New York and London premieres of Arthur's own Groucho: A Life in Revue. The show played Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre during the 1986-87 theatrical season for 254 performances. Frank is the owner of Groucho Marx Productions, Inc.