Inside the confines of a non-descript space the size of a small apartment adjacent to the large boulevard named “Las Vegas,” a handful of actors from Theatre7 gather. They’re in the throes of final preparations for “Oscar: A Good Man,” a sketch about an individual whose popularity as mayor rivals that of some prominent entertainers along Las Vegas Boulevard.
Oscar Goodman’s twelve-year tenure as mayor of Las Vegas has provided ample material for the show’s writers. Few government representatives have exhibited such a high level of support for this desert community. Curiously, there was a time when Goodman stood on the opposite side of the government, serving as legal defense for some Mafiosi doing business in the town he now represents.
As the stage performance unfolds, the audience sees a young Oscar Goodfella, the production’s principal character, hearing some parental advice. “Fight with your words, not with your hands,” says his mother during a well-executed scene that alternates between live acting and on-screen video depicting Goodman’s rough-and-tumble childhood in Philadelphia. As the scene plays out, the audience begins to understand how that advice steered the young Goodfella away from the streets. By the time we see an older and more mature Goodfella, portrayed by Derek Stonebarger, the show’s producer, co-writer and lead actor, the tough kid has set aside his boxing gloves to pursue a formal education and ultimately begins a career in Las Vegas as an attorney.
Wife Carolyn Goodfella, played by Paige Billiot, exerts a heavy influence as a “life and career coach” on the attorney-in-making and somewhat bumbling Goodfella, providing reason to believe that behind every good fella there’s a good gal.
It’s doubtful whether “Oscar: A Good Man” would find an audience unfamiliar with Clark County, where Goodman’s rock star persona is well-known and on display whenever he takes of of his strolls along Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas.
In the waning days of Goodman’s tenure as mayor, polls show wife Carolyn Goodman’s lead in the race to become new mayor. This may provide writers at Theater7 with enough material for a sequel to the Goodfella sage. The original was an enjoyable comedy that provided a delightful tribute and remembrance of a good mayor and a good man.
By Jay Barber, Catalina Media Group