For One Night, General Hospital Bad Guy Is Relocating From Port Charles To Newtown

Emmy Award winning actor Maurice Benard 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). Last year alone Sonny 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 a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2003 (and was also 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, June 24, making up a date that had to be postponed back in January following a medical emergency. Mr Benard will be exercising his comedy talents, similar to the surprising comedy offered by fellow GH castmates Steve Burton, Bradford Anderson, Brandon Barash and Derk Cheatwood in October 2008.

A December 2010 interview 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. “Sometimes it’s funny and sometimes it’s sad. Sometimes I cry. It’s a whole different type of thing.”

Tickets for the Newtown show, which is a Treehouse Comedy production, are $75 and $150. The performance will begin at 8:30, and those with Meet & Greet tickets will have the opportunity to meet Mr Benard at 7 pm.

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.