Date: Wednesday, November 30th
Time: 7pm
Admission: $8
Location: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 Third Avenue, 11215 Brooklyn NY
After vaudeville, before Hollywood, the Marx Brothers were the toast of Broadway. Their three legit stage musicals, I’LL SAY SHE IS, THE COCOANUTS, and ANIMAL CRACKERS established the team as the darlings of the New York smart set and the preeminent jesters of the Jazz Age.
These three musicals formed the basis of everything the Brothers did on film, and therefore of modern American comedy itself. All three shows have had noteworthy afterlives, with THE COCOANUTS and ANIMAL CRACKERS adapted as films starring the Marxes in 1929 and 1930, and I’LL SAY SHE IS finally enjoying its first theatrical revival Off Broadway in 2016.
In this hilarious and enlightening presentation, noted Marxist Noah Diamond will convey the history of this classic trilogy. Through video, sound, images, and live readings featuring members of the 2016 cast of I’LL SAY SHE IS, we’ll recreate moments from COCOANUTS and ANIMAL CRACKERS which weren’t included in the films, and revisit the legendary Napoleon scene from I’LL SAY SHE IS.
Noah Diamond adapted the book and lyrics of I’LL SAY SHE IS, and played the role of Groucho in the show’s 2014 FringeNYC and 2016 Off Broadway productions. He is the author of the book GIMME A THRILL: THE STORY OF I’LL SAY SHE IS (BearManor Media, 2016), and served on the Marxfest Committee. He has a long history of playing Groucho, on and off the stage, and has written and lectured extensively about the Marx Brothers and their work. His article “Bands of Brothers: The Marxes and the Johnstones on Broadway” appeared in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of Zelda Magazine.