Walnut Street Theatre is going to be awash in unapologetic retro glitz and glamour with the Philadelphia premiere of “Liberace!” March 24-April 12. The performer’s life and times will come to life on stage, tracing the child piano prodigy’s rise to an iconic, internationally renowned musical, television and film superstar.
Pianist, actor, singer and Milwaukee native Jack Forbes Wilson has been portraying Liberace, seated behind a massive 7-foot, black baby grand piano on stage since the production debuted to acclaim and sold-out audiences this winter in Wisconsin.
Wilson said the show walks the line between concert and biography, as Liberace tells his story to the audience in between songs.
“In this play, Liberace plays the piano for, and speaks directly to, the audience: his friends,” Wilson said, noting that the production is very different from the 2013 HBO movie, “Behind the Candelabra,” about Liberace. “Brent Hazleton, the writer and director of the play, really wanted to tell the whole story of Liberace’s life, not from a perspective of ‘behind the candelabra,’ but in front of it, in his own words.”
The story includes details about Liberace’s parents, brother George, boyfriend Scott, critics, fans and even Rock Hudson.
Wilson said the production seeks to bring honesty to a life cloaked in mystery.
“Unbelievable as it may seem to some audiences of today, the man never publicly acknowledged that he was gay, had boyfriends or even that he died of AIDS,” he said. “But our production does tell that story, and so I think it makes it pretty interesting.”
Another thing younger audiences might not fathom is how unique Liberace’s level of fame was for his time.
Today it’s common for musicians to be seen on stage, TV and in movies. But in Liberace’s day, long before anybody had heard of Cher, Jennifer Lopez and the like, it was rare for a successful musician to have an equal amount to success and fame on the small and big screens.
And even though Wilson admits Liberace’s TV show and his fashion seem campy and dated by today’s standards, his popularity as a result was impressive and undeniable.
“It is easy to look at some of those early Liberace TV shows and think that they look fairly cheesy,” Wilson said. “But TV was just being ‘invented’ in the early ’50s, and Liberace jumped right into it and was not afraid to play around with all of the television techniques that were available to him at the time. It paid off. At his peak, he played on 219 stations nationwide, and had twice the audience of ‘I Love Lucy.’”
Wilson said it wasn’t until he started researching Liberace after being offered the role that he started to develop a real appreciation for his work.
“Doing the role of Liberace in the original production was not something I sought out,” he said. “It was offered to me as a possibility and I decided to say yes. Of course I knew about Liberace, but had never been a big fan. When I was younger, I had some terrific piano teachers, and they all came from the ‘serious classical tradition.’ They were from that world of musicians that looked down upon Liberace’s playing, something he had to battle against his whole life. It wasn’t until I accepted the role and started really, really listening to recordings and watching movies and videos that I realized what a terrific and prodigious pianist the man was.”
Wilson added that, despite what people though about his flashy persona, Liberace was a world-class talent behind the keys.
“I learned how much practicing I would need to do to pull the thing off,” he said in immersing himself in Liberace’s work. “There was plenty of music to choose from, from the years of weekly television shows and specials and more that 70 LPs.”
(That’s records and/or CDs for you younger listeners.)
Wilson said that Liberace’s record helped inspire him to write original pieces for the show.
“I have done lots of listening, and created arrangements of my own based on all of those sources,” he said. “There is plenty of classical music in the show, along with boogie woogie, ragtime and popular songs. But even with Chopin, Liszt and Paderewski, he loved to play around. So I stole some of his classical ‘improvements’ and had some fun of my own as well. And no matter what he played, it was always very effortless, even elegant, playing. I am sure he worked very hard to achieve that easy feel, and I am still aiming for it.”
Wilson added that Liberace’s over-the-top sense of fashion adds a degree pf difficulty to executing the songs in a live setting.
“Playing all those notes with all of those rings on my fingers has been a challenge, but I’m pretty used to it now.”
Wilson said Liberace fans will enjoy the show for its music and that those not familiar will come to appreciate Liberace as a gay icon of a bygone era — seeing how he influenced generations after bursting into the mainstream consciousness with a big talent backed up by an even bigger image.
“Liberace had a big influence on so many performers and entertainers that came after him, and I think that influence is still felt today,” Wilson said. “Remember that Elvis’ gold lamé jacket was a gift from Liberace, and that Michael Jackson said his red ‘Thriller’ jacket was inspired by Liberace’s famous glittery red hot pants. Lady Gaga references him in her lyrics, and that’s to say nothing of Elton John, David Bowie, Gary Glitter and all of the other Liberace imitators. They were definitely following the course that Mr. Showmanship charted.”
Walnut Street Theatre presents “Liberace!” March 24-April 12 at Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St. For more information or tickets, call 215-574-3550 or visit www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org.