Hello, I must be going...

One of the best times I ever had in the Thee-A-ter was when I saw a revival of The Cocoanuts off-Broadway. It must have been October 1996 and it was the final night of the World Series. The Yankees won the whole enchilada that night and New York took on a more festive atmosphere, to say the least. But that night I was safely huddled in a smallish theater watching Frank Ferrante take the stage as Groucho. He had replaced the original actor playing Groucho just before I saw this performance, and the cast was still getting used to him. And on that night, Ferrante wasn't just playing Groucho, he was channeling him. The audience was treated to ongoing Yankees scores, and ad libs galore. You could see the other actors not quite knowing what to do. It was a great night at the theatre.

I wrote about this in Innocent Bystander #3, my all Marx Brothers issue and lo and behold, got an actual fan letter from Frank himself. Frank wrote:

"I just finished gobbling up IB3. Now, I've been featured in hundreds of publications: The New York Times, The London Times, you name it, but nothing has thrilled me more than your inclusion of me in your Marx Brothers issue (page 14 to be exact).

Though I direct for the stage and have played many roles in the theatre, the world of comic books and Mad Magazine is what first inspired me. Soon after came the Marx Brothers. Thanks for bringing it all together for me with IB3."

I actually met Frank once, at one of Paul Wesolowski's Marx Brothers open houses. Paul is one of the leading collectors of Marxian memorabilia in the world, and his house is a shrine to the boys, filled with all kinds of amazing things. I'm pretty sure it was at the first one I attended (probably in 1995 or so) and before I did the Marx Brothers issue. He was a really nice guy, and was there as just a fan, too.

Frank still plays Groucho these days. Here's a link to his 2005 schedule, including one close to home here on March 5 in Escondido, that I hope to attend. But I'm "burying the lead" here. As you can see from the above illustration, Frank has a new DVD coming out. His PBS special, Groucho A Life in Revue, debuts on March 29. You can order it here at Amazon. I know I will.

Frank brings a lot more to his Groucho performances than just imitation. He refines Groucho and shapes him through his own experiences. Frank is funny, fast and witty on his own, and his Groucho contains all of that, plus an incredibly detailed and moving recreation of the one, the only, himself. If you have a chance to see him perform live, grab it. If not, than this DVD will be the next best thing.