Frank Ferrante's Premiere of AN EVENING WITH GROUCHO Comes to ACT, Now thru 5/20

Frank Ferrante, the award winning and internationally known comedic actor, stages his virtuoso tribute to Groucho Marx at ACT – A Contemporary Theatre, in An Evening With Groucho. Mr. Ferrante is the winner of the 1987 New York Theatre World Award, nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award and Laurence Olivier Award, and well-known for his comic creation "Caesar" with Teatro ZinZanni.

For the first time in Seattle, the Central Heating Lab at ACT presents, An Evening with Groucho; a fast paced 90-minute comedic juggernaut packed with vintage one-liners, anecdotes, songs, and vignettes. Ferrante, in grandiose Groucho Marx style, improvises with the crowd and uses his razor sharp comic timing to serve up a performance of spontaneity.   From age 5 to 105, audiences will be delighted by Mr. Ferrante's skilled and unique performance.

Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (1890-1977) was the middle son of five brothers, raised by his poor immigrant parents Sam and Minnie Marx in New York City. Groucho's first performance was at age 15 singing with a group called the "Leroy Trio". His brothers Harpo, Chico, Gummo, and Zeppo joined as the singing "Four Nightingales" which would later evolve into the legendary vaudeville act "The Marx Brothers." By 1924 the Marx Brothers were playing Broadway with their first hit show I'll Say She Is. By 1930 the Brothers moved to Hollywood and became comedic film sensations with Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, A Night at the Opera, and Go West among others. Groucho launched his successful solo career as a comic host for television and radio, and even enjoyed a renaissance in the 1960s as younger audiences took to Marx Brothers. Even in his final years he made many TV appearances, performed at Carnegie Hall at age 82 and received a special Academy Award in 1974 for the achievements of the Marx Brothers.

Frank Ferrante was discovered in the 1980s by Groucho's son Arthur, and together they worked to originate the Off-Broadway show Groucho: A Life in Revue (written by Arthur Marx). The intimate portrayal of the famous comedian garnered Ferrante international notoriety and his work with the now late Arthur Marx blossomed into its current incarnation An Evening With Groucho.

Visit www.acttheatre.org for more infromation and tickets.

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