Overview
New York City, 1959. Fading vaudeville comic Chick Sherman, along with his long-suffering agent, tries to revive his career with a role in an avant-garde off-Broadway play. While his grown daughter searches for answers from her absentee showbiz father, a lifetime of private and professional struggles rise to the surface, cracking the polished public persona of the world’s favorite former “funny man.”
Casting & Production
Casting
CHICK Sherman
DIRECTOR (OFF STAGE VOICE)*
Milt “JUNIOR” Karp
KATHARINE Sherman
NATHAN Wise
MATTHEW Baroni
VICTOR La Plant
*Any of the actors who play Nathan, Matthew or Victor can double as the voice of the Director.
Setting
Place
New York City
Time
1959
Reviews
“Highly Recommended. FUNNYMAN really is a shrewdly penned and highly involving affair that captures a moment of momentous change in art, even as it probes the universal truth that comedians rarely have funny lives.”
—Chicago Tribune
—Chicago Tribune
“Ultimately, that’s what makes FUNNYMAN soar: not the historical references, not the clever invention of Chick’s career highlights (like his trademark “Wowza!”), not even the wise commentary about how comedy has changed post-World War II — but the personal growth of all Graham’s characters.”
—Broad Street Review
Media
