Customer Reviews

Groucho - A Life in Revue

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I was astounded by the performance that burst forth from Frank Ferrante in this DVD. The other 2 players were also impeccable. Admittedly, I am an almost life-long fan of the Marx Bros., and was enthralled, taken back in history, and even teary at the end. Ferrante acts as Groucho at various intervals in his life from Teens to 85. He puts on the make-up as he performs, for goodnessake! Its lovingly written by none other than Grouch's son, Arthur, who first met Ferrante dressed as his father in the street - it was the fright of his life, as you can understand.
Fans must own this.

This is a funny, moving, insightful and at times poignant and bittersweet tribute to a man who has touched so many lives. I know this sounds cliche but I laughed, I cried, and I came back for more.

Frank Ferrante's portrayal of Groucho is a classic of performance art. His current one-man (plus pianist) show practically creates a new Marx Bros. movie around and about the audience as Ferrante/Groucho interacts with audience members as well as pianist James Furmston. This show is an outgrowth of the biographical play "Groucho: A Life in Revue," by Arthur Marx and Robert Fisher, which is presented on the disc.

The multimedia musical play takes Groucho from his early vaudeville days through his movie and television careers, and winds up with the wistful and frail man that many of us remember from his final public appearances in the '70s. Ferrante's ability to capture the essence of Groucho at each phase of his life is uncanny, almost eerie (as Arthur Marx admits in one of the disc's few bonus features).

The supporting cast is excellent as well. Roy Abramsohn matches Ferrante's finesse as he portrays both Chico and Harpo (something I didn't realize till I checked the cast list on the box)and Marguerite Lowell does a tour de force as ten different women in Groucho's life. This was probably a much more "electric" show seen in person. Most of what Ferrante is seen doing here as the movie Groucho has been transferred to his current one-man show, where it plays like comedic lightning. The presentation on this dvd feels a bit remote and dampened, but that is a constant hazard of filming stage shows. At no time does the show feel grim or depressing, which there was certainly a potential for, given the downturn of Groucho's life and energies in his final years. If the conclusion isn't upbeat, its bittersweetness is a satisfactory compromise.

The extra features are tiny but worthwhile: an appearance by Groucno's son Arthur, and home movie footage of the youthful Ferrante performing Marx Bros. sketches with his friends. This program is an excellent overview of the Marx Bros. career as well as an effective "teaser" for Ferrante's one-man show. Groucho was a complicated man, but above all, his stage and movie character was a classic comedy creation. And Ferrante is a benevolent genius for keeping that comic legacy alive.

Groucho - a Life in Revue, is really a play filmed about the life of the Marx Brothers...mostly from Groucho's point of reference. It has the main actor...Frank Ferrante age from adult to old guy. With famous lines of Groucho through out. An amazing job. I wish it would play longer so that it didn't have to end. Truly funny and touching too.

I first saw this production during a PBS pledge drive several years ago, and I promised myself to buy a copy when available. I'm not disappointed. This is a good show. Frank Ferrante (the male lead) does a accurate impression of Groucho throughout his career (vaudeville, movies, radio/television, old age) in a way that you forget the impression (unlike so many Groucho impersonators) and can concentrate on Groucho himself. The small supporting cast (Roy Abramsohn as Chico and Harpo and Marguerite Lowell as The Girls -- e.g., Margaret Dumont, Groucho ex-wives, a chorus girl) is excellent, especially when the play presents the interactions between Groucho and Chico/Harpo; in fact, a lot of the play is as much about Chico as about Groucho. The most fascinating aspect is how Groucho's character ages, to include Ferrante applying makeup on stage to turn the young Julius Marx into Groucho and to turn the middle-aged Groucho into the senior Groucho.

Everything to recommend -- nothing to criticize. This play may not be in the same category as Hal Holbrook's "Mark Twain Tonight" but it is really good.