Festival celebrates the legacy of Broadway and film comedy icons the Marx Brothers.
May 17 - 26, 2024 in Manhattan and Brooklyn
In May 1914, four brothers at a poker table sat down as Leonard, Arthur, Julius, and Milton, and stood up as Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and Gummo. (Zeppo came later.) In May 2014, five intrepid fans observed the centennial of this event with MARXFEST, a festival celebrating the Marx Brothers in the city of their birth.
A decade later, MARXFEST 2024 will be an even more momentous Marx Brothers celebration, marking a second centennial — their Broadway debut in I’ll Say She Is on May 19, 1924. Taking place over two glorious weekends (May 17-19 in Manhattan, May 24-26 at Coney Island), this commemoration of unprecedented proportions will be packed with special guests, talks, screenings, parties, performances, and surprises.
Notable names among the presenters and participants for MARXFEST 20244 include Tony and Emmy nominated actor/comedian ROBERT KLEIN, New Yorker staff writer ADAM GOPNIK, Marx Brothers biographer ROBERT S. BADER, New York Times comedy columnist JASON ZINOMAN, stage performer and director FRANK FERRANTE, revivalist NOAH DIAMOND, burlesque impresario JONNY PORKPIE, vaudevillian historian TRAV S.D., and Groucho’s grandson, ANDY MARX.
Performances, discussions, presentations, and remembrances will shed new light (and, of course, laughter) on one of the most famous comedy teams of all time, with surprises including a program of rare and never publicly heard Marx audio, a Broadway walking tour, a screening of Duck Soup at a historic cinema, a trivia hour at the legendary performer’s club The Lambs, live shows ranging from music to variety to burlesque, and much more.
Additional info and a calendar of events are available at www.Marxfest.org. Tickets will go on sale April 2.
Highlights of MARXFEST 2024 follow:
FRIDAY, MAY 17:
Five hours of Marx madness at The 3 West Club, including sights, sounds, and slapstick, including: OUT OF LINE: AL HIRSCHFELD DRAWS THE MARXES & FRIENDS presented by KATHERINE EASTMAN, Archives Manager of The Al Hirschfeld Foundation and co-host of The Hirschfeld Century podcast; American writer and essayist best known as a staff writer for The New Yorker ADAM GOPNIK on the relationship between Groucho and S.J. Perelman; and UNHEARD PARK BROTHERS by archivist JOHN TEFTELLER, featuring never-before-heard Marx audio (and amazing video) from 1933 to 1977. The Party of the First Part, including music by JOSH MAX, closes out Marxfest’s opening day celebrations.
SATURDAY, MAY 18:
A full day in the cozy 3 West 5th Floor Clubhouse of America’s oldest professional theatrical organization, The Lambs, featuring SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS, an animated look at the Marxes; THE MARX BROS: VAUDEVILLE, SILENT FILM & BROADWAY by TRAV S.D., author of numerous popular books on vaudeville and silent comedy; a salon of Marx Brothers stories and anecdotes; YOU BRETT YOUR LIFE, a Marx Trivia hour hosted by Marxfest committee member BRETT LEVERIDGE, and more.
Additional Saturday 5/18 events include THE MARX BROTHERS ON BROADWAY WALKING TOUR with Marx Brothers revivalist and licensed New York City tour guide NOAH DIAMOND, and THE HERRING BARREL REVUE, a night filled with Marx-inspired stage shenanigans, live at the sumptuous 42nd Street cabaret The Laurie Beechman Theater.
SUNDAY, MAY 19:
Another day of hysteria and history at the 3 West Club as ROBERT BADER takes you on the road with the Marxes for their 1914-1915 tour of HOME AGAIN; NY Times comedy critic JASON ZINOMAN chats with comedian, actor, and personal Groucho friend ROBERT KLEIN; and Marx Brothers revivalist NOAH DIAMOND shares THE THRILL OF “I’LL SAY SHE IS” in a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Broadway opening that forever changed the Marx Brothers’ lives… and comedy itself. Includes a multimedia look at the original 1924 production and previously unseen video highlights from the 2016 revival.
Sunday festivities conclude at the historic UNITED PALACE THEATER for a screening of the 1933 Classic DUCK SOUP.
MONDAY, MAY 20:
A NIGHT OF MARX BROTHERS ERA MUSIC with Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks at legendary jazz club Birdland.
FRIDAY, MAY 24:
Marxfest’s weekend at Coney Island USA kicks off in high style with AN EVENING WITH MARX & FERRANTE, a dream-come-true double bill Marx Brothers fans: ANDY MARX (artist, entertainer, and grandson of Groucho and Gus Kahn, on stage with FRANK FERRANTE (star of An Evening with Groucho, and Groucho: A Life in Revue). Followed by the first of three performances of A DAY ON THE BOARDWALK, A NIGHT AT THE STRIPSHOW, a burlesque tribute to the Marx Brothers by JONNY PORKPIE featuring a cast of burlesque stars.
SATURDAY, MAY 25:
Step upstairs to the Coney Island Museum for THE WISECRACKS AROUND HERE WERE NOT APPRECIATED, film professor and Slapsticon founder ROBERT FARR’s surprising look at the films of the Marx Brothers as seen through the eyes of small-town motion picture exhibitors, MARXES IN THE STARS: THE ASTROLOGY OF THE BROTHERS & THEIR MOTHER with KATHY BIEHL, an award-winning professional astrologer with more than 30 years experience, and THE MARX BROTHERS, CONEY ISLAND, AND SIDESHOW with TRAV S.D., author of The Marx Brothers Miscellany. In the evening, head downstairs to the sideshow for an encore presentation of the burlesque show.
SUNDAY, MAY 26:
Just down the block from where Arthur Marx made his stage debut, the epic HARPO SUMMIT at Coney Island USA is a celebration of the unique artistry of Harpo Marx featuring performers who have taken on the challenge of recreating his character, including LES MARSDEN, (A Night at Harpo’s), SETH SHELDEN (I’ll Say She Is!), and more, as well as a look at the silent brother as an archetypal trickster. Marxfest 2024 concludes that night, with the final performance of the burlesque and a toast in Coney Island USA’s Freak Bar.
Tickets and info for all MARXFEST 2024 events will be available at www.Marxfest.org.