The One... The Only... Frank Ferrante!

Yes, I know I'm behind on Marvel Studios releases. 

They're great, watch them, you don't need me for that anymore. 

Plus this is more important. 

There are people who don't know who the Marx Brothers are. 

I asked the young engineers at work if they knew and they all stared blankly until one said, 

"The communism guy?"  

This is a serious issue. 

My trend for just missing anniversaries continues.  

The famous Carnegie Hall evening with Groucho was fifty years...

and thirteen days... 

ago.

Luckily, one of the greatest sources of Marx comedy in the modern world is more accessible than ever.

Frank Ferrante brought his one man show "An Evening With Groucho" out east again! 

He was supposed to come a couple years ago, but plagues being what they are...

Technically, because he has a deep understanding of the Marx Brothers in general, Groucho in particular and how important music was to them, it is a one man show with another man providing piano accompaniment (and acting as a target for Groucho's wit) but never mind that now.

Chico's daughter Maxine, said the boys were much funnier on stage than in the movies, and much funnier at the dinner table than on stage. (I'm paraphrasing rather than looking up the quote. If Minnie's boys themselves could change stories with each telling, I'm sure I can be forgiven a bit of license.)

The point is- as the Marx Brothers on stage are lost to history, and it is unlikely that Mr. Ferrante will be inviting all of us to dinner, seeing him live is the closest we current Marx Brothers' fans will get to the  higher level of comedy.

"He becomes Groucho Marx" features in every review of his show, including my older one, and rightly so. Instead of saying that again, I'll dip more into some highlights of that becoming.

First I need to point out he has been "Becoming Groucho Marx" in his -running, leaping, dancing doing push ups on a piano - prime, for thirty-nine years. Even the real Groucho didn't do it at that level for that long.

However, when recounting the roles, relationships and performances of Groucho's life, the show covers the time up to and beyond You Bet Your Life.

A big part of why he "Becomes Groucho Marx" is the mix of reverence and irreverence. 

Groucho (and Frank as Groucho) finds targets everywhere, including himself. Whether it is planned anecdotes, or ad libbed audience interactions, no one is safe. 

At the start and end of the performance, when it is Frank Ferrante on stage, the reverence for Groucho and his brothers is obvious.

It's the in-between times that have subtle layers that really prove this isn't only an imitation, it is an impressive acting performance.

The love and respect for his brothers is clear beneath the barbs he tosses at them as Groucho. There are also the twinges of jealousy that Groucho had for Harpo's happy home life, and Chico's success with the ladies, plus his oldest brother's ability to not worry about money.

The love and respect of Margaret Dumont is additionally clearly felt. However, he also continues Groucho's joke (that any Marx Brothers' fans who've seen her timing and reactions knows is inaccurate) that "Maggie" didn't get any of the jokes.

He conveyed Groucho's respect for Chaplain and Fields excellently as well. I'm sure the real Groucho is smiling with wiggling eyebrows from wherever he is, that his comedy is still so effective today, probably far moreso than the other two. 

(Ferrante doing Groucho doing Fields is a multi level delight.)

In other words, this isn't a fully accurate history lesson.

For those (like myself) that find the Brothers' off stage life as interesting as their on stage antics and would like that history lesson, I have the highest reccomendations for Four of the Three Musketeers The Marx Brothers on Stage by Robert S. Bader. He piled a huge amount of research on top of the boys largely conflicting tales and stitched together an impressive, almost day by day, history.

An Evening With Groucho is much more of a stunning recreation of the on stage persona of Groucho that we all fell in love with, and thanks to Mr. Ferrante can still experience.

For those that can't make it to a performance, it has been released on DVD and also on PBS stations across the country.  (Groucho A Life In Review  is also available.  It's has less audience interaction, but you get to see how amazingly Frank Ferrante plays Groucho at every age.)  Marx Brothers' fans shouldn't miss him because it brings the humor we love to life.  Those who don't know the Marx Brothers should also go, because it's still relevant and funny today. 

(And we Marx Brothers' fans have an almost evangelical need to introduce others to their humor, because we know what greatness they are missing.)

Having said all that, as I stated in the beginning (just like the real Marx Brothers) seeing him live is the best. He's fast, he's captivating, and he's impeccable at making every moment seem spontaneous, even the lines from ninety year old movies based on even older stage acts.  We got seats in the front of one of the side sections. It was worth being closer in to sacrifice a center view.  Groucho is all over the stage, so when he was up there he always was in view. He spent much of the time down in the crowd as well. While we couldn't see him as well on the other side, it was more than made up for when he was directly in front of us, and we could appreciate all the fantastic facial expressions that went along with the routines. 

After the show, he sat at the merchandise stand himself, and was willing to sign autographs and take photos with all of us.  This is an element of kindness not shared by many performers.

It was great to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to thank him personally for keeping the genius of comedy alive in such an effective and accurate manner.

Naturally, there were folks with Marx Brothers shirts, Groucho glasses, and one guy in full Harpo cosplay. 

I didn't say anything at first, but as my turn to buy stuff and thank him for the photo ended, I said, "I don't own a Marx Brothers shirt but I do have this,"  I opened my coat further revealing a marine based Hawaiian design. Before I could drop into the mediocre Chico impression I used on Flywheel Shyster and Flywheel on college radio all those years ago, he reacted.  

He looked surprised and yelled "Swordfish!" before laughing, (and I hope I'm not deluding myself) as Frank Ferrante.  He immediately waggled his cigar, dropping back into character and yelled, 

"Everyone's a comedian!"

I really do hope I was able to give him an honest laugh, as after the huge number of them he's given me since I first discovered his amazing recreation, I owe him.

So make sure you see Frank Ferrante's Groucho when he comes to your neck of the woods...

And tell 'em Jeff sent you!

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