When people think of George Wendt, they usually think Norm, the amiable barfly forever nursing a beer in all 275 episodes of the TV sitcom “Cheers.” But there’s far more to the Chicago native than the iconic fixture at the bar where everyone knows you name. Wendt has racked up dozens of film and theater credits over the course of a career spanning nearly 40 years. The star of Broadway shows ranging from the exuberant musical “Elf” to the eviscerating drama “Art” is now in residence in Skokie. As lead in Bruce Graham’s “Funnyman,” Wendt takes on a role that hits close to home and reunites him with fellow funnyman Tim Kazurinsky.
“What attracted me to this show is the combination of drama and humor it pulls off,” says Wendt of the script Kazurinsky deems a “commerama.” “Funnyman” is the fourth Northlight world premiere of a Bruce Graham play, following box office/critical hits “The Outgoing Tide,” “Stella and Lou” and “White Guy on the Bus.” Graham’s potent mix of drollness and drama also pulled Wendt toward the project.
“What I love is to be in things that are funny, but also have a lot of dramatic tension,” Wendt says. “I think the best nights at the theater are the ones that make you laugh and cry. It’s like you get into two amusement parks for one admission fee.”
In “Funnyman,” Wendt plays Chick Sherman, a one-time red-hot vaudevillian whose breakout movie role has left him pigeonholed. The story is partially inspired by Bert Lahr, the vaudeville star who became a household name after playing the Cowardly Lion in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz.” Post- “Oz”, Lahr found that the lion’s share of the parts he was offered were variations on Dorothy’s fuzzy friend. Lahr sought to break from typecasting by starring in the premiere of “Waiting for Godot.”
More Top Picks Best Home Gym Equipment For Muscle Gain Beginners
In “Funnyman,” Kazurinsky plays Chick’s agent Milt, who is devoted to getting his client into an avant-garde play that will put him back in the spotlight.
“The whole project is hugely meta if you will, although I don’t know if I’m using that word right, ” says Wendt. “I’m playing this character who is known primarily for one thing, although he’s worked virtually every day of his life. I’ve been in things other than ‘Cheers’ over the decades, but I will always be Norm. That’s entirely a blessing — there’s no way, nope, absolutely none, could you ever say it was anything else.”
Wendy and Kazurinsky have known each other since the mid-1970s, when both were aspiring comics working for peanuts at the Chateau Louise, the fabled, now defunct West Dundee resort. Their careers have converged frequently, including sharing the stage in “Hairspray” (Kazurinsky played Wilbur Turnblad to Wendt’s dragtastic Edna) and at Chicago’s Second City. Both are vets of “Saturday Night Live,” Kazurinsky as a writer and cast member and Wendt as a host.
“I guess we just look cute together,” says Kazurinsky, who comes to “Funnyman” from Broadway’s “An Act of God.” “We know each other’s rhythms. We know what makes each other laugh.”
‘Funnyman’
Sept. 11-17 previews; Sept. 18-Oct. 18 open run
Northlight Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie
Northlight.org