For One Night, General Hospital

Bad Guy Is Relocating

From Port Charles To Newtown

Emmy Award winning actor Maurice Benard (right) is best known as the actor who plays Michael “Sonny” Corinthos Jr, a role he has personified on General Hospital since August 1993.

Sonny is a dangerous criminal, a manic depressive mob boss who is the father of a handful of children (by a few different women). During the past year Sonny has learned of the existence of another son named Dante, a police officer who was working undercover to bring Sonny and his empire down, who was shot by none other than Sonny before Sonny learned of the true relationship he and Dante share.

“This role is what I do best,” said Mr Benard, who received his Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2003 (and has also been nominated in 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2006). “Sonny is unpredictable. You never know from one second to the next what he is thinking, feeling or planning. He’s a man in personal conflict who maintains an outward appearance of calm at all times, at any cost.”

With madness like this every day, who wouldn’t turn to comedy?

Mr Benard will be at Edmond Town Hall Theater on Friday, January 7, exercising his comedy talents — similar to the surprising comedy offered by fellow castmates Steve Burton, Bradford Anderson, Brandon Barash and  Derk Cheatwood in October 2008.

An interview earlier this month with WeLoveSoaps.net revealed that Mr Benard’s appearance in Newtown will be similar to that of Mr Burton and his co-stars, who answered fan questions (primarily about GH, of course), offered some music, and played off each other for laughs.

“What I do is go on stage and the fans ask questions and I just roll off the questions,” Mr Benard told WeLoveSoaps for an interview published on December 23. “Sometimes it’s funny and sometimes it’s sad. Sometimes I cry. It’s a whole different type of thing. And I’m bringing Nathan from GH.”

Nathan would be Nathan Parsons, who has been playing since July 2009 Ethan Lovett — the recently discovered-to-be-son of the legendary Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary), who has already been falsely accused of beating up a teenage girl, accused of hit and run against the same teenage girl’s abusive boyfriend, has been shot, and just last month woke up in Vegas with a hangover and, naturally, a marriage certificate that says he is now married to a girl he has been dating for four months.

“I have another tiny surprise as well,” Mr Benard also told WeLoveSoaps. “I’m not going to say what it is but it may steal the whole show.”

Showtime is 8:30 pm. Regular tickets are $75 and VIP seating, which includes a pre-show Meet and Greet with Mr Benard and seating in the front rows. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 203-268-5857 or online at TreehouseComedy.com. The box office will open the night of the show at 6 pm.

In addition to acting, Mr Benard has been a popular voice in the battle against bipolar disorder. He has been very open about his personal battle with the illness, appearing on television programs such as The View, Entertainment Tonight and Oprah. He has also been featured in People and LA Life Magazines.

He also began working with the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) on the Bipolar Disorder: Do You Know It? campaign to help educate Americans about the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Mr Benard lives in the Hollywood Hills area of southern California. He enjoys the martial arts, working out and playing host to a menagerie of dogs and cats. He and his wife, Paula, are the proud parents of daughters Cailey, Sofia, Cassidy Rose and son Joshua James.