After enjoying And Then There Were None at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, we decided to return for George & Gracie: A Love Story, before Rep’s season ended. It is the story of George Burns and Gracie Allen, a married couple who rose to fame in vaudeville.

After meeting in 1922, the couple went on to star on stage, in movies, on radio and on television. After Allen retired in 1958 and died in 1964, Burns struggled a bit before finding success on his own in movies.

© Milwaukee Repertory Theater – George & Gracie: A Love Story – Photo of Jonathan Riker, James Pickering and Tami Workentin by Michael Brosilow.

George & Gracie started with Burns waiting to go on stage some time after Allen’s death. The love story unfolded as Burns recalled various moments from their life.

The couple was played by married couple James Pickering and Tami Workentin, who also wrote the play. Their chemistry definitely helped portray the connection between Burns and Allen. They lovingly and smoothly played well off each other.

Both did a great job in capturing the essence of their characters. It’s no surprise Burns and Allen were much deeper than the characters in their act. Straightman Burns adored Allen. Somewhat offbeat Allen was a sharp comedian and businesswoman. Pickering and Workentin capturing the dualities within the few scenes is a credit to their abilities.

The third actor in this production was Jonathan Riker, who first appeared as the elevator guy but also played several other roles, including a train porter, bell hop, stage manager, radio announcer and George’s guide. Having Riker play all the roles was a brilliant and interesting choice. The continuity he brought was obviously intended.

The audience was an older crowd. That’s not surprising considering Burns and Allen ended more than 60 years ago and Burns died more than 30 years ago. Naturally, some of the jokes were a bit outdated, missing the mark with the younger attendees, but the older folks appreciated the humor. We definitely knew more of Burns from his movies, but we still found plenty of humor throughout the production.

I don’t think you need to know about Burns and Allen to appreciate George & Gracie. At its heart, it is a beautiful love story with humor as the backdrop.

— John Wroblewski, online writer