STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Oscar Levant has a gift for sharp witty humor and he can play George Gershwin classics like no one else, even adding his own prodigious touch.

But he lives in a world of extreme highs and devastating lows, a world where voices talk to him, giving him as a hard a time as the humans he surrounds himself with.

The Spot takes you into the world of this 1950s personality in its staging of Doug Wright’s Tony Award-winning comedy/drama “Good Night, Oscar.” It kicks off with tonight’s preview, with discounted tickets, and continues through Aug. 31.

The play directed by Yanna Lantz masterfully explores the consequences of fame, artistry and the fragility of genius, according to Brett Moellenberg, who plays Oscar. And that’s something that didn’t end with Levant on a single night in 1958 on Jack Paar’s late night TV show.

It is a common thread many of today’s celebrities share.

“Oftentimes, The Spot tends to choose a piece that becomes even more relevant right before we produce it, and the same is the case with ‘Good Night, Oscar,’ ” he said. “We seek to tell stories that feel meaningful to us from a character perspective. In this case, the idea of a brilliant and tortured artist who can't see past his own demons was incredibly compelling and with this recent crackdown on late night, the show has become even more interesting.”

Moellenberg is nearly unrecognizable he does such a good job as Levant, who vacillates between anger, sadness and being a lush.

As the show opens, Jack Paar, who is convincingly played by Kagen Albright, is pushing his NBC producer Bob Sarnoff, played appropriately haughtily by Andrew Alburger, to let the controversial comedian go on his show.

“The man is a musical genius,” he says. “I’m late night. I’m on the cheap. I need people with the danger of high wire and Oscar does that.”

There’s just one problem.

Oscar’s take-charge wife June played by Rachel Aanestad has just had him committed to the local mental ward. Happily, she was able to wrangle a four-hour pass for him to appear on the show, much to the chagrin of the chaperone who must accompany him, played by Jelani Pitcher.

And she’s come with Oscar’s best suit in hand.

Oscar is trying everything from pills to electroshock treatment, she acknowledges, and Jack Paar may be his last hope.

Poor Oscar, the audience learns, grew up a musical prodigy only to give up his own musical identity to become a footnote in Gershwin’s story. And it’s haunted him ever since.

His droll humor has become an outlet, even if it ruffles the feathers of NBC.

The NBC producer tells him that the Late Night Show is the last thing people see before they go to sleep.

“Debasing women, insulting Jesus…and when we laugh it makes us less kind,” he tells Levant.

Actually, Levant’s jokes are pretty tame by today’s standards—or non-standards. Take his quip about Elizabeth Taylor: “Always a bride, never a bridesmaid.”

“I don’t write jokes in advance,” Oscar replies. “I’m extemporaneous. Everyone knows that. You know what happens when people are surprised, uncomfortable, shocked? They laugh!”

“The play takes place in an era where live television was still somewhat nascent and celebrity was much more limited than it is today, so any antics that took place had much more attention drawn to them,” said Moellenberg. “With late night specifically, it feels like there was a very fine line that the talent was eager to cross but network executives were way more cautious to push boundaries.

“These days, none of the highly controversial personalities or one-liners that they said would probably register; but, in this fight for popularity in this burgeoning genre of TV, there was this push and pull. As time has gone on, late night has sort of made its mark with controversy, but the spectre of celebrity has shifted, and it makes sense that it now struggles to find the audience it needs to keep it on the air.” 

Moellenberg said it’s comforting to work on a period piece that still speaks to the exact same struggles modern society seems to be experiencing with identity, politics, humor and, yes, mental health.

“This piece confronts the morality of the exploitation of seriously mentally ill people. While Oscar desires an audience, despite his personal struggles, NBC is still profiting off his pain in this piece,” said Moellenberg. “This endless search for affirmation that Oscar struggles with is mirrored today in social media, advertising and politics.”

Moellenberg has a weighty role. Once he appears 15 minutes into the 95-minute production, he never leaves stage as he vacillates between comedy and sadness, even  convincingly playing Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” like a man possessed.

“At the end of the day, though, this is a comedy; and, while it has serious themes, like all of our work, we want people to laugh and enjoy it,” he said. “It reminds us of a time when we didn't have to be so worried about everything we say--that we can make a joke about something and still recognize the flaws that we all have. As Oscar says, ‘The best jokes, the ones worth tellin'? They're dangerous on accounts they tell the truth.’ "

Jack Paar offers that there’s a fine line between gnius and insanity, Oscar replies, “I have erased this line.”

Tammy Davis of The Crisis Hotline will offer a talkback about addiction and depression following the Aug. 30 show.

The show opens at 7 tonight with $20 tickets. Other shows are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 22-23; 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24; 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Aug. 27-29; 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31.

Tickets are $35 for adults and $20 for students and those 30 and under, available at https://www.spotsunvalley.com/spotseason/goodnightoscar.

The Spot is located at 220 Lewis St. in Ketchum. The Slot Lobby opens 30 minutes before showtime with donation-based concessions.

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