The Nance

Theater

Drama

Lyceum Theatre

Until Sun Aug 11

$$$

Photograph: Joan Marcus

The Nance
Photograph: Joan Marcus

The Nance
Photograph: Joan Marcus

The Nance
Photograph: Joan Marcus

The Nance
Photograph: Joan Marcus

The Nance
Photograph: Joan Marcus

The Nance
Photograph: Joan Marcus

The Nance

Photograph: Joan Marcus

The Nance

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Time Out says

Mon Apr 15 2013

Theater review by David Cote. Lyceum Theatre (see Broadway). By Douglas Carter Beane. Dir. Jack O’Brien. With Nathan Lane. 2hrs 30mins. One intermission.

Douglas Carter Beane has a million great jokes in him, but only a few good plays. The Nance, a heartfelt period piece about coded and censored gay life in 1930s New York, is one of the good ones. Coming after 2010’s numbingly quippy Mr. and Mrs. Fitch, this is Beane’s finest straight (well, straight-acting) play since The Little Dog Laughed. It also goes deeper, providing a humane and psychologically messy portrait of self-loathing and social progress, lovingly delivered by the perfect cast and crew. The season isn’t over yet, but The Nance may turn out to be its dramatic high point.

Before I give the impression that Beane has written a moralizing weepie about the bad ole days, when gay men found anonymous sex in secret spots under constant fear of arrest, be assured: The Nance is howlingly funny, with several laugh-out-loud burlesque interludes. And it’s nuanced, with a complex, flawed protagonist. Chauncey Miles (Lane) is a closeted comic performer who specializes in the “nance act”—limp-wristed, effeminate types, unfazed by the half-naked strippers around them. When Chauncey and one-night stand Ned (Jonny Orsini) fall into a serious relationship, the politically conservative but personally flighty performer toys with monogamy. But he’s too set in his ways, and his act, to evolve for love—or save his skin when Mayor La Guardia cracks down on public lewdness in the theater.

Beane is in top form, tossing off glittering epigrams, but also crafting rich, flowing dialogue and giving even minor roles strokes of shading. Jack O’Brien stages the comedy skits and regular scenes with equal gusto. Lane shows his enormous range, expertly landing punch lines before punching us in the gut. Perhaps it’s heteronormative of me to say, but The Nance can attract man or woman, gay or straight—even the undecided.—David Cote

Follow David Cote on Twitter: @davidcote

2013 Tony Award nominee. See our guide to the 2013 Tony Awards

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Venue details

MAP

Name:
Lyceum Theatre
Address:
Lyceum Theatre 149 W 45th St
Midtown West
New York

Cross Street:
between Sixth and Seventh Aves
Phone:
212-239-6200
Website:
shubertorganization.com/theatres/lyceum.asp
Transport:
Subway: B, D, F, M to 47–50th Sts–Rockefeller Ctr; N, Q, R, 42nd St S, 1, 2, 3, 7 to 42nd St–Times Sq
Map
1. Lyceum Theatre
  - 149 W 45th St
    Midtown West
    New York
  - 212-239-6200
  - shubertorganization.com/theatres/lyceum.asp
  - 40.757741,-73.984659

Event phone:
212-239-6200
Event website:
lct.org

Categories:
Theater. Comedy. Drama
Event type:
Plays & Shows

The Nance 2013

Date Time Price information
Wed May 22

2:00pm

$57–$132

8:00pm
Thu May 23

8:00pm

$57–$132
Fri May 24

8:00pm

$57–$132
Sat May 25

2:00pm

$57–$132

8:00pm
Sun May 26

3:00pm

$57–$132
Tue May 28

8:00pm

$57–$132
Wed May 29

2:00pm

$57–$132

8:00pm
Thu May 30

8:00pm

$57–$132
Fri May 31

8:00pm

$57–$132

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The Nance

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The Nance 2013

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