In 'Good Night, Oscar,' Alex Wyse Befriends Sean Hayes And Finds A Breakout Role
After more than a decade of appearing in Broadway musicals like āSpring Awakeningā and āWaitress,ā Alex Wyse is relishing the opportunity to be a part of new stage and screen projects that donāt require him to sing.
The Ohio-born actor can currently be seen in āGood Night, Oscar,ā now playing at New Yorkās Belasco Theatre. Primarily a biographical piece, āGood Night, Oscarā has moments of innate theatricality and even melodrama. Still, Wyse says the playās āgrounded realityā affords him a chance to inhabit a character with nuance, even when heās providing comic relief.
āIt feels like there was some kind of cosmic reason Iām supposed to be doing this, and I havenāt had too many moments like that,ā he told HuffPost in an interview. āNot to speak ill of musicals, which are still a major part of my life, but I feel like Iām finally getting the chance to show theater audiences that Iām a legitimate actor, which hasnāt always been validated by the industry around me.ā
Written by Doug Wright, āGood Night, Oscarā stars Sean Hayes as Oscar Levant, a classical pianist, composer and occasional actor who achieved global fame during Hollywoodās Golden Age, but is best remembered for his acerbic late-night talk show appearances during the 1950s and ā60s.
Alex Wyse (left) and Sean Hayes in "Good Night, Oscar," now on Broadway.
During his lifetime, Levant was also frank about his experiences with depression and drug addiction, prompting some to brand him āAmericaās first publicly dysfunctional celebrity.ā
Wyse plays Max Weinbaum, a Hollywood nepo-baby-turned-production-assistant who is tasked with keeping a strung-out Levant ā who has recently been checked out of a psychiatric facility under false pretenses ā in line before a 1958 appearance on āTonight Starring Jack Paar.ā
The role of Max was played by actor Ethan Slater when āGood Night, Oscarā debuted at Chicagoās Goodman Theatre last year. When Slater was unable to reprise his performance on Broadway after joining the movie adaptation of āWicked,ā Wyse actively sought out the role, auditioning for producers numerous times over a two-month period.
āI felt like it was meant to be from the moment [the script] came across my desk,ā he recalled. āIt was answering so many questions I had about the kind of work I want to be doing and the kind of people I want to be working with.ā
Levant, who died in 1972 at age 65, isnāt a well-known entertainment figure among modern audiences. Likewise, Wyse wasnāt familiar with Levantās work beyond his supporting role in 1951ās āAn American in Paris.ā
āIt was answering so many questions I had about the kind of work I want to be doing and the kind of people I want to be working with,ā Wyse (left, with co-star John Zdrojeski) said of āGood Night, Oscar.ā
Still, he believes āGood Night, Oscarā offers a look at how attitudes surrounding depression and addiction have shifted since the late 1950s by examining the way artists often āput their mental health on the line in order to put their work forward.ā
Hayesā portrayal of Levant has garnered widespread acclaim, and the āWill & Graceā actor is considered a front-runner for a Tony Award next month. For his part, Wyse describes his co-star as ārelentlessly positive, fun and grounded.ā
āHeās incredible in the play ā we all know that ā but he was incredible in the [rehearsal] room and backstage, too,ā he explained. āIāve never seen someone have such an understanding of their own power and harness it only for good. Nothing about him is a diva.ā
He went on to note: āSean has been a hero of mine for so long, and getting to work with him feels like it lifts my soul into the stratosphere every day. Iāve been on sets before, where a lead actor has been unkind or kept their distance, closed themselves off, and that really reverberates to every department. But Sean is here for the hang. He wants to make you his artistic equal.ā
āGood Night, Oscarā is actually Wyseās second major project this spring. āSummoning Sylvia,ā an independent film he co-wrote and co-directed with longtime pal Wesley Taylor, was released in March. The LGBTQ-inclusive horror-comedy follows a motley crew of friends who embark on a gay bachelor weekend getaway to a haunted house, and boasts an ensemble cast that includes Travis Coles, Frankie Grande and Michael Urie.
Wyse (left) with his "Summoning Sylvia" co-writer and co-director Wesley Taylor.
āThe most important thing to us is that we didnāt want to kill off gay characters,ā Wyse said of the film. āWeāve seen that enough. But we wanted to use the conventions of the horror genre to reveal things about queerness, and also for comedy and horror to work together in tandem to create different kinds of suspense throughout the movie.ā
Wyse and Taylor, a fellow Broadway veteran, previously worked on āIndoor Boys,ā an award-winning digital series. Theyāre hopeful the release of āSummoning Sylviaā will allow them to move forward with plans for three additional film projects, as well as a stage play.
Though Wyse is tight-lipped about what those forthcoming projects may entail, viewers can expect a deeper exploration of queer identity beyond the coming-out story, as well as a dynamite performance by a leading lady or two.
āI donāt take one step out the door with my queerness each day. I take one step out the door with my foot, and then I keep going,ā he said. āThatās one of the best ways I feel I can best be political without being overtly political ā just showing that weāre human beings who exist in the world and have problems that arenāt tied to our identities.ā