An Evening With Groucho

Frank Ferrante brought his portrayal of Groucho Marx to the stage of the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center on Saturday, May 18. He delighted the audience with the comedy of the late actor.

Ferrante is the recipient of New York’s Theatre World Award for ‘Outstanding Debut,’ a New York Outer Critics Circle nomination, London’s Laurence Olivier Award nomination for ‘Comedy Performance of the Year,’ Washington D.C.’s Helen Hayes nomination and two Connecticut Critics Circle Awards. He was picked a ‘top ten’ theater performance by the Wall Street Journal in 2017 and in 2019 the Chicago Tribune picked him as a ‘top ten’ stage performance for his role in cirque’s Teatro ZinZanni. His New York, London and PBS performances in the title role in Groucho: A Life in Revue received not only acclaim from critics and audiences but from the Marx family.

Ferrante was discovered by Groucho Marx’s son playwright Arthur Marx as a 22 year old drama student at USC performing An Evening With Groucho for a 1985 senior project. Arthur subsequently cast Frank to portray Groucho Marx for the heralded 1986-87 production of Arthur’s Groucho: A Life in Revue that played Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre for 254 performances. Ferrante, who was 23 at the time, portrayed legendary Groucho from age 15 to 85. Morrie Ryskind who co-wrote the Marx Brothers classic films Animal Crackers and A Night at the Opera and attended Ferrante’s USC show said, “Frank is the only actor aside from Groucho who delivered my lines as they were intended.”

Ferrante is one of the busiest touring performers in theater today with over 3,000 performances as ‘Groucho’ internationally in over 500 cities for over 35 years.

Ferrante was a friend of the late Hal Holbrook. Both men have performed on the Hal Holbrook stage in the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center.