When "The Nance" was running on Broadway, I had wanted to see it, but also had some reasons for avoiding it. I had no doubt the acting and production were first rate, but it was written by Douglas Carter Beane, a writer I know minimally, and whose work I have seen, and with the exception of "As Bees In Honey Drown," has not impressed me. His reach always seems to exceed his grasp, even though, from the start, he was so full of himself.
Upon its opening on Broadway, critics quibbled about the writing, so, much as I wanted to see Nathan Lane's sterling performance, I stayed away.
Well, last night, I got my chance, when we went to a screening at Symphony Space, in what is now the refurbishment of what once was the seedy Thalia. It now reminds me of the Newman down at the Public, though the stage coming out from the screen is too small to do "A Chorus Line" on.
As, for "The Nance," well, darlings, it was a revelation. While it is true the play seems to mine "The Entertainer," by John Osborn, and the musicals "Cabaret" and "Gypsy," this is both a revealing look at show biz of a particular era and genre that was dying, and Chauncey Miles, the Nance, whose style of performance is dying before him.
This would be interesting enough. But Beane makes things more complex by making Chauncey, an avowed homosexual, a Republican, offstage; one, who, understandably enough, is filled with internalized homophobia, so he cannot grow beyond his stunted self, preventing him from the happiness of a loving relationship with a charming young man named Ned. (and played by an attractive Jonny Orsini) who, maybe because he is younger, is more willing to change and adapt to the times, looking ahead, to a future 40 years ahead of him, when such practices will be more acceptable.
To think of the mechanization of meeting someone in this era. There is as much procedural action, which must be followed, as there must have been for getting oneself into the Manhattan Social Register!
The tragedy of Chauncey is he is trapped in a world he cannot see beyond. The play leaves him almost where we started, with him, but his fate, which we can see in our minds, does not seem rosy at all.
Lane delivers the performance of a lifetime. Orsini is impressive in what was a debut performance. Cady Huffman, Andrea Burns, and Jenni Barber are all perfect as the strippers. And the great Lewis J. Stadlen scores as the straight comic, who tries very hard to understand, and, at the end, seems to.
In fact, he seems to come to a more acceptable understanding of things than Chauncey. The curtain fall on "The Nance" is not a happy one, but it is truthful. And don't kid yourselves, there are still plenty of Chanuceys out there, today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is they who should be seeing this, instead of more enlightened folk, like myself, so they can understand the paltry future that awaits them, if they don't stop letting society dictate to them, and start accepting for themselves who they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just FABULOUS, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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