Emmy and Tony Award-winner Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) is set to reprise his Tony Award-winning performance in Good Night, Oscar at London’s Barbican Theatre this summer.
Direct from an acclaimed Broadway run, Good Night, Oscar will play at the Barbican Theatre in London from 31 July to 21 September 2025.
Sean Hayes makes his West End debut in the new play, which is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright.
Further casting is to be announced.
In Good Night, Oscar Hayes plays Oscar Levant: Hollywood actor, concert pianist, and the most subversive wit ever to appear on television during its Golden Age.
It’s 1958, and Jack Paar hosts the hottest late-night talk-show on television. His favourite guest? Wild card Oscar Levant. Famous for his witty one-liners, Oscar has a favourite: “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity; I have erased this line.” Tonight, Oscar will prove just that, when he appears live on national TV in an episode that Paar’s audience – and the rest of America – won’t soon forget.
Good Night, Oscar is directed by Lisa Peterson, with further creatives to be announced.
Sean won the 2023 Tony Award for Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play for his role in Good Night, Oscar at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway. He is best known for his role as Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom “Will & Grace,” for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award and four SAG Awards, along with six Golden Globe nominations.
Hayes is currently filming The Running Man for Paramount with Glen Powell, and will begin production on Is This Thing On, directed by Bradley Cooper, later this year.
Actor Sean Hayes said in a statement: “It’s thrilling to be making my West End debut at the Barbican this summer with Good Night, Oscar. I’m eager to introduce one of the all-time greats, Oscar Levant, to the UK. The response we received on Broadway was incredible and I’m hoping British audiences will appreciate the history of this fascinating man – a multi-faceted pioneer, from concert pianist to infamous raconteur. It’s an honour to bring this production to London.”
Writer Doug Wright said: “Good Night, Oscar was one of my very happiest Broadway experiences, and a richly satisfying collaboration with the celebrated Sean Hayes and our director Lisa Peterson. I can’t wait to introduce the irascible, indefatigable whirlwind that was Oscar Levant to London audiences. He’d be thrilled to play the Barbican, even posthumously.”
Producer Howard Panter said: “We are delighted to be bringing Good Night, Oscar to the Barbican this summer. Following the huge success of our previous summer productions, including Anything Goes, A Strange Loop and Kiss Me, Kate, the Barbican summer has become a highly anticipated fixture in London’s theatrical calendar. With the addition of Good Night, Oscar alongside our recently announced Fiddler on the Roof, this season once again promises world-class storytelling and unforgettable performances.”
Toni Racklin, Barbican Head of Theatre & Dance, says: “We are delighted that major Broadway hit, Good Night, Oscar, will be part of the Barbican’s summer season this year, led by its Tony Award-winning star, Sean Hayes. Along with the transfer of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s glorious production of Fiddler on the Roof, we are thrilled to offer this terrific double bill of theatrical magic to our audiences, brought to our stage by our partners Trafalgar Theatre Productions.”
More about tickets to Good Night, Oscar at the Barbican Theatre in London
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