The Nance with Nathan Lane

A really thought provoking play.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the play:

In 1937 Chauncey Miles is a star in a poor burlesque theatre company in New York City, playing a “nance”, a “stock character who was a flamingly effeminate homosexual.” Chauncey is gay and looks for men at an automat, but he must be careful or he could be arrested. There he meets Ned, newly arrived in the City, and they become romantically involved.

The mayor of New York, Fiorello La Guardia, is trying to end burlesque, in part by persecuting the gay population. Chauncey, in court, defends burlesque and free expression. He comes to understand that he cannot be monogamous. Finally, he appears on stage in complete drag, playing an old prostitute.

In 1937 Chauncey Miles is a star in a poor burlesque theatre company in New York City, playing a “nance”, a “stock character who was a flamingly effeminate homosexual.” Chauncey is gay and looks for men at an automat, but he must be careful or he could be arrested. There he meets Ned, newly arrived in the City, and they become romantically involved.

The mayor of New York, Fiorello La Guardia, is trying to end burlesque, in part by persecuting the gay population. Chauncey, in court, defends burlesque and free expression. He comes to understand that he cannot be monogamous. Finally, he appears on stage in complete drag, playing an old prostitute.

In the end Ned and Chauncey meet again at the automat and kiss. Chauncey is arrested. The theater is closed. The other performers relocate to Jersey but Chauncey can only go if he tells his parole board who he kissed. He refuses. The last scene is Chauncey walking on stage in the empty theater. Something falls from the ceiling. Then as the curtain comes down you hear something else falling. It leaves you wondering if something fell on him or it’s just a metaphor for Chauncey’s life falling apart.

The set is on a turn table. The places we see are the burlesque theater, the back stage of burlesque theater and Chauncey’s apartment.

Nathan Lane is great as Chauncey. He plays the burlesque parts of the show to the hilt. This is where most of the laughs of the show take place. Off the stage Chauncey life is not so funny. He makes a big deal that the crack down on the shows is only an election move. Once the election is over things will ease up. You see Chauncey is gay but also a Republican. He constantly fights with a member of the show that is a communist. In one very memorable line she says to Chauncey your Republicans let you down and my communists let me down. Even though they fight you tell the affection they have for one another.

Chauncey’s love interest Ned is played by Jonny Orsini (here’s a story about him from the New York Times). I think that Lane and Orsini have great chemistry.

He is great. He starts out as a wide eyed innocent when Chauncey picks him up at the automat. Gradually he evolves as he is suddenly thrust on stage when one of the burlesque performers quits. His first time on the burlesque stage are hysterical. But gradually he finds his way. He loves Chauncey and is ready to settle down with him. But somehow Chauncey can’t do it.