Maurice Benard celebrated 25 years as General Hospital’s Sonny Corinthos last month, and in honor of such a soap milestone, he’s hoping to take a one-man (plus guests) show on the road to entertain fans and reflect on the last quarter of a century.
The first stop was The Irvine Improv, known for their outstanding comedy acts, from the early days of Garry Shandling, to Bill Maher, to Jerry Seinfeld. You come to expect the best of the best when you attend one of their shows.
So I had no idea what to expect from an afternoon with Benard, as Sonny is a character not exactly known for his raucous sense of humor.
But he didn’t disappoint. He regaled us with anecdotes of his fellow castmates, shared a few jokes, brought his father up on stage to give us a glimpse of his childhood, briefly mentioned his struggles with bipolar disorder, and covered the gamut of his career.
From his role as Desi Arnaz in Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, to his 25-year stint on GH, through his latest venture – the soon-to-be-released Lifetime movie, Gotti, he told stories with humor, wit, and a bit of poignancy.
Benard took great delight in poking fun at castmate, Steve Burton (Jason Morgan), particularly when it came to his hair. Rather than say his name, he encouraged the audience to shout out “Steve” every time he placed his hand on his forehead with splayed fingers to resemble a coxcomb.
He joked about the three very different women who have played Carly over the years and gave his opinions on each, to the delight of the crowd.
And he kept …continue reading on the next page —>
And he kept us guessing when asked who Sonny loved more, Brenda or Carly. I don’t think he’ll be revealing the answer to that any time soon.
Benard mixed his reel life with his real life when he invited his own father on stage to talk about the actor as a small boy.
He spoke fondly of his son, and shared a memory of how the only song that would put a young Benard to sleep as a young child was his version of “La Cucaracha.” To the audience’s delight, they performed a brief duet of the song.
The rest of the afternoon was full of humor, honest-to-God belly-laugh-out-loud humor. He told stories about meeting a goat… yes, a goat… that he insisted was asking him, “Didn’t you play Sonny on General Hospital?” and with whom he felt an instant connection.
Even though his wife encourages him not to share this particular story, as his fondness for the goat could be misconstrued, she was obviously moved by their affection for one another – because several months later, she bought him not one, but two goats, to add to his already growing collection of animals – 23 to be exact.
About 45 minutes into the show, Maurice was joined onstage by former General Hospital castmate, Dominic Zamprogna, who portrayed his son and good cop, Dante Falconeri.
Zamprogna ran late due to traffic, but his arrival was well worth the wait. The two bantered and bounced off each other like old comedic pros.
While Zamprogna is “fairly certain” he won’t be returning to GH, Benard hinted that perhaps they could find a project to work on together, and “that’s all I have to say about that.”
While Benard has no plans to leave his “day job,” as he frequently referred to his role as Sonny, he did say he’d like to continue taking his live performances on the road, with more of an emphasis on his struggles with bipolar disorder and how one can not only survive with mental illness but thrive and conquer.
General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
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