Ever since the great Swing Era trumpeter Bunny Berigan drank himself to death at age 33, the enduring mystery has been "Why?"
CAST
Renee Beaumont is ...
... Donna Berigan
Susan Brickell is ...
... Mayme Berigan
Paul Keegan is ...
... Bunny Berigan
Noah Kleinberg is...
... Bix Benderback (inspired by Bix Beiderbecke)
David Nash is ...
... Tommy Dorsey
... Lee Wilson (inspired by Lee Wiley)
ABOUT THE PLAY
Bunny Berigan had it made. A virtuoso trumpet player, handsome and successful, he became a national sensation with his 1937 hit, "I Can’t Get Started."
Five years later, he was dead.
The official cause of death, at age 33, was cirrhosis of the liver – in this case, too much whiskey.
Ever since, the jazz world has been haunted by the mystery of how this brilliant artist, in the prime of life, could have self-destructed so quickly and completely.
During his research, Keegan was struck by what an enigma the musician was, even to his biographers. “There’s endless detail about the exterior of Bunny’s world – bands, recording dates, tours – but almost nothing about his inner life," he says. "That provided an irresistible blank canvas to work with, and it's been fascinating to venture beyond his public facade to imagine Bunny's ambitions and disappointments, his joys and fears – then follow those leads to the play's dénouement."
Though not a musical, I Can’t Get Started is saturated with music, from the swinging sounds of a live jazz band to a storyline that dramatizes the power of music to shape our understanding of the world. Productions at nightclubs around New York City are designed to re-create the atmosphere of the Onyx Club, a vibrant speakeasy on 52nd Street, giving audiences a thrillingly immersive experience.
Most of the top-notch actors in this production – including Keegan’s co-director, Noah Kleinberg – study at the venerable HB Studio in Manhattan, where the play was developed under the tutelage of the late playwrights Donna DeMatteo and William Packard and the distinguished acting teacher Michael Beckett.
"We've been so fortunate to work with Michael and the talented actors in HB's professional-level program," says Kleinberg. "It's been exciting to watch the play grow and come alive."
During the project’s long gestation, Keegan kept his eye on his ultimate goal. “I want to bring people to that magical place where only live theater and music can take us,” he says. "That's the place where Bunny experiences his greatest happiness and deepest sorrows. We hope the audience goes with him, giving Bunny's music — and his spirit — a second life.”
Photo: Rehearsal at HB Studio with Renee Beaumont as Donna Berigan, co-director Kleinberg, and Keegan as Bunny Berigan.