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In the 1930s, burlesque impresarios welcomed the hilarious comics and musical parodies of vaudeville to their decidedly lowbrow niche. A headliner called "the nance" was a stereotypically camp homosexual and master of comic double entendre - usually played by a straight man. Douglas Carter Beane's The Nance recreates the naughty, raucous world of burlesque's heyday and tells the backstage story of Chauncey Miles and his fellow performers. At a time when it is easy to play gay and dangerous to be gay, Chauncey's uproarious antics on the stage stand out in marked contrast to his offstage life. Directed by 3-time Tony® Award winner Jack O'Brien, The Nance welcomes 2-time Tony® Award winner Nathan Lane back to Broadway as Chauncey.
Jenni Barber, Andréa Burns, Cady Huffman, Mylinda Hull, Nathan Lane , Geoffrey Allen Murphy, Jonny Orsini , Lewis J. Stadlen
Author: Douglas Carter Beane
Director: Jack O'Brien
Producer: Lincoln Center Theater
Press Agent: Philip Rinaldi Publicity
Nominated for 5 Tony Awards - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play - Nathan Lane
- Best Scenic Design of a Play - John Lee Beatty - Winner!
- Best Costume Design of a Play - Ann Roth - Winner!
- Best Lighting Design of a Play - Japhy Weideman
- Best Sound Design of a Play - Leon Rothenberg - Winner!
Nominated for 2 Drama Desk Awards
- Outstanding Actor in a Play
- Outstanding Music in a Play - Glen Kelly
Nominated for 6 Outer Critics Circle Awards - Outstanding New Broadway Play
- Outstanding Director of a Play - Jack O'Brien- Winner!
- Outstanding Set Design - John Lee Beatty
- Outstanding Actor in a Play - Nathan Lane - Winner!
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play - Jonny Orsini
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play - Cady Huffman
Showmen Blazing a Trail
From old movies to vaudeville acts, Douglas Carter Beane drew on many swishy real-life performances in writing The Nance.
A Love-Hate Reckoning
Nathan Lane and Douglas Carter Beane dug deep into gay history and their own psyches for The Nance, opening next month at the Lyceum Theater.