NYC Actor Chuck Muckle to Make London Debut in AT WIT'S END, 6/14

Veteran New York stage actor Chuck Muckle will star in the London premiere of the acclaimed one-man stateside production of At Wit's End. Muckle transforms himself into Oscar Levant, the acclaimedcomposer, satirist and hypochondriac who was dubbed "America's favorite neurotic."

At Wit's End was written by Joel Kimmel and directed by June Prager. It has been touring the United States for the past two years.

Chuck Muckle, who offers a tour de force performance as Oscar Levant, is a musical theatre veteran with extensive credits that include the post-Broadway national tour of Camelot with Robert Goulet, a revival of South Pacific with Robert Goulet, as well as the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Sam Harris and a tour with John Astin in A Christmas Carol. Muckle has played lead roles in New York City and regional American theatre, including Judgment at Nuremberg,Cabaret and Lend Me a Tenor.

Oscar Levant was the popular second banana of classic American films such as "An American in Paris," "The Barkleys of Broadway" and "The Bandwagon." An accomplished pianist and author who found his greatest fame from the 1930s through 1960s, Levant gained a reputation as a bon vivant and was a friend to leading stars of the era. Because he spoke his mind freely on matters of politics and celebrity, he was sought out continuously for radio and TV -- often with unsettling results. Levant battled depression throughout his life and was plagued by an addiction to prescription drugs, but transformed his tortures into lacerating and eminently quotable wit.

Of himself, he remarked, "There is a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased that line."

In the one-man show At Wit's End, Levant has returned to the stage after a period of institutionalization. As he shares celebrity anecdotes, biting musings and his sterling musicianship at the piano, we realize that performing may be the only joy that Levant possesses as he battles relentless inner demons.

Among playwright Joel Kimmel's other credits is the original musical play Lullaby of Broadway; The Life and Lyrics of Al Dubin, which was selected as one of the 10 best plays of 1997 by the Los Angeles Times. His original musi­cal play, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, had its world premiere at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami. His career in American television as producer and story editor includes such sitcom classics as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Facts of Life, The Jeffersons,The Love Boat and Chico and the Man.

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