Frank Ferrante balks at the label impersonator when talking about the role he’s played for a quarter-century.
Since 1986, Ferrante has tread stages worldwide as the legendary American comedian Groucho Marx in performances such as “An Evening with Groucho” and “Groucho A Life In Revue”.
“It’s hard for me to identify it as strictly an impersonation,” Ferrante said. “I’ve done it for 25 years, and I like to think it’s what Hal Holbrook does as Mark Twain. It’s about trying to communicate the spirit of the man.”
Ferrante brings the spirit of Groucho to life at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Auburn Performing Arts Center.
“The way I see the show, it’s what it would have been like to see Groucho live as a solo act in 1935 in a live setting,” Ferrante said. “We try to convey the wildness and danger that he had in his comedy.”
Accompanied by pianist Jim Furmston, a longtime collaborator, Ferrante as Groucho brings the comedian to life through music – including the Groucho standards “Lydia The Tattooed Lady” and “Hello I Must Be Going” – as well as lines and routines from Groucho’s movies, including “Duck Soup” and “Horse Feathers”.
The show also features improvisational bits where Ferrante interacts with the audience.
“What really makes the show sing is that improvisation,” Ferrante said. “About a third of it is improvisational, very interactive. We don’t know exactly what is going to happen every night.”
For Ferrante – a lifelong Groucho fan who was discovered by the comedian’s son, Arthur Marx – the real key to the magic of the man is the irreverence inherent in the comedy and persona.
“I’ve always referred to him as a truth teller,” Ferrante said. “He says what we want to say and does what we want to do, within his artwork. We all wanted to be Groucho when we were in a classroom. We all wanted to be able to crack-wise like Groucho and get away with it. It’s always exciting, exhilarating and threatening. He was an alter ego for so many of us, especially me growing up.
“He didn’t play by the rules and he made fun of the people who had power over us, like lawyers and doctors,” he added. “He really took some wonderful swipes at big business and the legal system, and it’s that irreverence that marks him. He held a mirror up to society and really shook it up.”
Ferrante also keeps busy performing as Caesar in the Teatro ZinZanni musical theater group in San Francisco and Seattle. But it’s the 35 to 40 one-nighters as Groucho he does annually that truly make him happy.
“The most important thing for me is to make people laugh as hard as possible for 90 minutes and let them forget their problems for a while.”
====
Showtime
• What: Bravo presents An Evening With Groucho and Marx Brothers Film Series
• When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 1.
• Where: Auburn Performing Arts Center, 700 E. Main St.
• Tickets: $17 regular/$15 student, senior. Call 253-931-3043, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or online through Brown Paper Tickets at www.auburnwa.gov/arts.
