Say Goodnight, Gracie is a one-man play by Rupert Holmes.
Adapted from the reminiscences of George Burns, the multimedia presentation traces the comedian-raconteur's life from his childhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to his early career in vaudeville to his momentous meeting and subsequent personal and professional relationships with wife Gracie Allen.
After 27 previews, the Broadway production, directed by John Tillinger, opened on October 10, 2002, at the Helen Hayes Theatre, where it ran for 364 performances. It is the third-longest-running solo show in Broadway history. Frank Gorshin starred as Burns, and Didi Conn provided the pre-recorded voice of Allen.
Holmes was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play and Gorshin was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.
The production has toured extensively throughout the United States following its New York closing, with Joel Rooks, Don McArt, and Alan Safier taking over for Gorshin as George Burns. [1] Jamie Farr filled in for Gorshin on tour for two months when he became ill in 2004, but Gorshin returned to the role before his death in 2005. [2]
Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen was an American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, appearing with him on radio, television and film as the duo Burns and Allen.
George Burns was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebrow and cigar-smoke punctuation became familiar trademarks for over three-quarters of a century. He and his wife Gracie Allen appeared on radio, television and film as the comedy duo Burns and Allen.
Burns and Allen were an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen. They worked together as a successful comedy team that entertained vaudeville, film, radio, and television audiences for over forty years.
Raymond Stanley Noble was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United States.
David Goldstein, better known as Rupert Holmes, is a British-American composer, singer-songwriter, dramatist and author. He is widely known for the hit singles "Escape " (1979) and "Him" (1980). He is also known for his musicals The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which earned him two Tony Awards, and Curtains, and for his television series Remember WENN.
Frank John Gorshin Jr. was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on television variety and talk shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show, Tonight Starring Steve Allen, The Dean Martin Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, sometimes called The Burns and Allen Show, was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in entertainment history. Burns and Allen were headliners in vaudeville in the 1920s, and radio stars in the 1930s and 1940s. Their situation comedy TV series received Emmy Award nominations throughout its eight-year run.
A Damsel in Distress is a 1937 American English-themed Hollywood musical comedy film starring Fred Astaire, George Burns, Gracie Allen and Joan Fontaine. Loosely based upon P.G. Wodehouse's 1919 novel of the same name, and the 1928 stage play written by Wodehouse and Ian Hay, it has music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, and was directed by George Stevens, the second Astaire musical directed by Stevens; the first was Swing Time.
Henry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film, and television.
Austin Campbell Pendleton is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and instructor.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a musical written by Rupert Holmes based on the unfinished Charles Dickens novel of the same name. The show was the first Broadway musical with multiple endings. The musical won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical; from among eleven nominations. Holmes received Tony awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.
A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show, one-woman show, or one-person show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including autobiographical creations, comedy acts, novel adaptations, vaudeville, poetry, music and dance. In 1996, Rob Becker's Defending the Caveman became the longest-running one-person play in the history of Broadway theatre.
George Walter Rose was an English actor and singer in theatre and film. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for roles in My Fair Lady and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
John Tillinger is a theatre director and actor.
The Touring Broadway Awards (TBAs) recognized outstanding achievement in Broadway plays and musicals that tour North America. Founded in 2001 by The Broadway League, the TBAs celebrated excellence in touring Broadway by honoring artists and productions. Until 2004, they were known as the National Broadway Theatre Awards and were held until 2009. The TBAs were bestowed at a ceremony held in New York each spring. They were the 1st national awards that honored first class touring Broadway shows.
Ralph Pape was an American playwright best known for Say Goodnight, Gracie (1978), Soap Opera (1984) and Hearts Beating Faster (1997).
Bruce Lazarus is an entertainment attorney and theatrical producer notable for his work on Broadway and off-Broadway.
Sherlock Holmes is a four-act play by William Gillette and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, based on Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes. After three previews it premiered on Broadway November 6, 1899, at the Garrick Theatre in New York City.
Willard Morgan is an American performance artist and filmmaker, also founder and artistic director of the East Village art collective Ideal Glass. Son of opera singer Sylvia Side, he graduated from William Esper Studio and New York University.
Jonathan Stuart Cerullo is an American director and choreographer, executive producer, and former performer. Cerullo is known for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally. He has also worked in circus, film, and television.