“Gene & Gilda” is an intelligent, funny romance

One of the great love stories of the late 20th Century was that of comic actor Gene Wilder and quicksilver comedienne Gilda Radner. George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick has brought forth for this holiday season the smartly loving tale of their lives together in Gene & Gilda, written by Cary Gitter and directed by Joe Brancato. It is a tale of love and loss and all the messiness that keeps the course of true love from ever running smoothly. It is a heart-warming, uplifting story, and it is one you should take the opportunity to see.

Gene & Gilda starts out in a television studio, where Gene Wilder (Jonathan Randell Silver) is about to give a rare interview. Wilder, adamant that the topic of his marriage to the late Gilda Radner (Jordan Kai Burnett) not be discussed, resists as the unseen interviewer tries to repeatedly steer back to it. But Gilda’s ghost appears and convinces Wilder to open up on the subject. 

From here, the play moves to their first meeting on the set of the 1982 movie Hanky Panky. Gilda, in a shaky marriage, pursues the twice-divorced, reluctant Gene, wearing down his neuroses until they become lovers — and we see them express their joy in a quirky, improvisational dance. Radner and Wilder’s relationship grows deeper while they make their second film together, 1984’s The Woman in Red, and they marry in Saint-Tropez after the movie’s release. 

During the filming of their third and final film, 1986’s Haunted Honeymoon, Gilda starts to experience the symptoms that, misdiagnosed by various doctors, was later discovered to be ovarian cancer. While aggressively fighting the disease, Radner reaches a stage of remission. But the reprieve is short-lived, and Radner succumbs to cancer in 1989.

Throughout her illness, Gilda advocates for early cancer detection, especially those forms of cancer that run in families. 

Gene & Gilda is blessed with two extraordinary actors. Both Silver and Burnett bear a passing resemblance to the real-life characters they portray. Under Brancato’s direction they channel the spirits, the quirks, the neuroses, and the deep well of underlying humor and love Gene and Gilda had into solid performances that hold back from being imitations. Dance consultant Ryan Kasprzak added to the enjoyment of the show whenever Gene and Gilda found themselves dancing together. Their improvised dance of joy is rendered more delightful by not having the two partners perfectly synchronize their dance steps and body movements — it’s like watching children moving freely to the tempo and style of music they’re hearing.

Speaking of that dance of joy… playwright Cary Gitter does sprinkle bits Radner and Wilder played in their solo work in movies and television. For example, the dance is a throw-back to a parody of “Dancing in the Dark” from The Band Wagon performed by Gilda and Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live. And there are bits from The Producers and Young Frankenstein tossed in for comedic effect during some of Gene and Gilda’s quarrels. But in the way they are used, these borrowed bits not only fit into the play’s action, they provide reminders of the offbeat comedic talents of the main characters.

Gene & Gilda is a little slice of show-business heaven. It’s a joyous romantic comedy tinged with the tragedy we all know is coming. George Street’s winter offering is designed to lighten the spirits. Gene & Gilda urges us to seize the opportunity to find love and romance in the most unlikely conditions. I strongly recommend spending a winter’s evening basking in the steady glow of Gene & Gilda!

Gene & Gilda is presented by the George Street Playhouse at the Arthur Laurents Theatre in the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center through Dec. 22, 2024. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to georgestreetplayhouse.org or call 732-2246-7717.  NOTE:  The performances of Gene & Gilda on Dec. 13 at 7:30 and Dec. 14 at 2:00 and 7:30 will be live streamed. For more information, go to georgestreetplayhouse.org/events/detail/gene-gilda.