'Say Goodnight, Gracie'

George Burns and Gracie Allen Comedian George Burns is the subject of "Say Goodnight, Gracie," a one-act play written by Rupert Holmes, a pop singer who in recent years has turned to writing for the stage (the Tonywinning musical "The Mystery of Edwin Drood").

Playing Burns is Don McArt, an actor who has had about as varied a career as did Burns. McArt has trod the boards in a variety of Broadway shows and tours, played opposite Fred MacMurray and Antonio Banderas in films and was a regular character actor on television, in addition to performing at dinner theaters and in commercials.

George Burns (1896- 1996) was one of the most beloved entertainers of the 20th century. The show traces the entire span of his career, which began when he was part of a juvenile vocal quartet that performed on the streets of the Lower East Side of New York at the turn of the century.

It continues through the glory years of vaudeville, when he met his longtime partner and wife, Gracie Allen. The team of Burns and Allen was one of radio's most popular, and the duo successfully made the transition to television before Allen retired in 1958. Although she died in 1964 at the age of 69, Burns continued his career for another three decades, winning an Oscar at the age of 80 for the film "The Sunshine Boys."

The premise of the show is that Burns is in some sort of limbo after passing away, and so he auditions for God in order to get into "the big time" (i.e. Heaven).

As it turns out, the auditioning angle is unnecessary; Burns lived an exemplary life and doesn't really need to be judged by anyone. As a result, the God gimmick comes off as cloying and forced. Burns doesn't really perform for God anyway; he merely tells his life story. The anecdotes, incidents and jokes are mostly told in Burns' own words.

In the years after Allen's death, he was fond of telling stories about his days in vaudeville, singing patter songs in his gravelly voice and doing a few simple but deft dance steps. "Say Goodnight, Gracie" serves more as a liveaction biography one might see in a George Burns museum rather than on a Broadway stage.

McArt's performance is difficult to judge because we want to believe that he is Burns. He is made up to look like the wizened figure we became familiar with in the last decades of Burns' life: the toupee, the cigar and the oversized round-rimmed glasses.

But McArt's voice is higher than Burns', and he doesn't really sound like the comedian at all, which makes it harder to accept him as Burns.

George Burns had a way of reacting to his own jokes that was unique, smiling mischievously and taking a puff on his cigar while he gauged his audience's reaction. If McArt is indeed doing an impression of Burns, he didn't pay close enough attention to this. When he smiles broadly after telling a joke, it detracts from the illusion because it's something you just didn't see Burns do often.

Unlike other one-man tributes, such as Hal Holbrook's "Mark Twain Tonight" or the late James Whitmore's "Give 'Em Hell, Harry," "Say Goodnight, Gracie" includes (and needs) elements other than the actor talking to the audience, including stills, film clips and the recorded offstage voice of Didi Conn as Gracie Allen. The clips of the real Burns and Allen actually drew more laughs than McArt did; this element backfires because it only points out the weaknesses in McArt's characterization.

In the end, "Say Goodnight, Gracie" is more about Gracie Allen than it is about George Burns. Burns loved telling stories about Allen, and after her death he told stories to her during his weekly visits to her grave at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale. This poignant moment in the play shows that "'til death do us part" meant nothing to George Burns.

"Say Goodnight, Gracie" is not a play; it is a love story about two beloved entertainers whose devotion to each other went beyond the grave. It is that element that made it perfect for Valentine's Day weekend.