Coronavirus hasn’t only closed our theatres, it’s claiming some of out greatest talents, including beloved playwright Terrence McNally.
While the world self isolates in the grip of Coronavirus, theatres along with other forms of entertainment have shut down. Productions are either on hold, or in some cases, cancelled all together. Production, staff and actors have particularly been hit hard with unemployment. Worse still, is the extent that COVID-19 can have first hand, such as claiming playwright and screenwriter Terrence McNally on March 24.
Simon Burke and Jake Speer in a scene from Catch Me If You Can
The 81-year-old was best known for his works Love! Valour! Compassion! Masterclass, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime, which all won him Tony Awards. Known affectionately as the ‘bard of American theatre’ he not only wrote award-winning plays, but also brought diversity awareness to mainstream audiences.
“He could make you laugh and then moments later you were picking pieces of your heart off the floor.”
McNally wrote the stage adaptation of Catch Me If You Can, which had its Australian premiere last year at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre. Jake Speer, who played the role of Frank Abagnale Jr, developed a great admiration for the playwright while prepping his character.
“I think what was most reassuring and inspiring about Terrence, was that he failed,” says Speer.
“It may sound odd, but it’s what I admire most about the man – his courage. He built a career spanning over fifty years in the competitive, political and ever-changing landscape of New York Theatre. Not everything he wrote was a hit, some were the complete opposite, as some critics put it, but his tenacity and passion was something I continued to marvel at.
“He took risks,” says Speer. “He experimented, pushed boundaries, re-invented himself, constantly adapting to find his voice, and it’s a testament to his character and fortitude. He didn’t just challenge his audiences but challenged himself as a writer.
“This is the same man who wrote The Ritz, a comedy farce set in a gay bathhouse in Manhattan and then forty years later wrote the book for Anastasia The Musical. He carved a prolific career by crafting some of Broadway’s most notable classics, pushing the limits, launching careers and giving audiences incredibly theatrical experiences they’ll never forget.”
Broadway director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots/Pretty Woman) had the pleasure of both working with McNally and knowing him personally.
Terrance McNally with Catch Me If You Can director Jack O’Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell
“If you ask anyone, they’ll tell you Terrence was the kindest person to know,” says Mitchell.
“He was always interested in what you were up too and that extended into the rehearsal room. I think he loved being in the room with the cast of any show he worked on, and every cast that we shared loved Terrance being in the room!
“The Full Monty was one of my first musicals to choreograph and I had the joy of watching Terrence shape its characters and story,” says Mitchell.
“The way he gave David Yazbek (composer/lyricist) room to musicalise their thoughts and me the room to dance, was inspiring.”
“Terrence gave representation to stories and characters in, and around, the LGBTIQ community that had never been shared in a full three dimensional way.”
Early in his career McNally was partnered to fellow playwright Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and later to actor Robert Drivas (Cool Hand Luke) who died of AIDS in 1986. It was the Broadway producer Tom Kirdahy who McNally finally married in a 2003 civil union ceremony and again when same sex marriage was legalised in 2015.
“One of the first times I worked with Terrence was a play he had written called Lips Together Teeth Apart at the Manhattan Theatre Club in NYC,” says Mitchell.
“Swoosie Kurtz, Nathan Lane, Christine Baranski and Anthony Heald opened the show off Broadway and it was a smash! The subject of the play (straights visiting Fire Island) allowed the audience to experience the fear we all carried, as well as the ‘survivors guilt’ so many in the LGBTIQ community were experiencing. Not only was the play, and the actors in it, extraordinary but it was much needed at the time. Terrance was exceptional at creating stories that reflected our needs.”
Terrance McNally in his younger days
For someone involved in his work, Jake Speer believes McNally was a master craftsman and a pillar of Broadway, whose legacy will live on.
“I think he had an incredible ability to write comedy with heart,” says Speer.
“He could make you laugh and then moments later you were picking pieces of your heart off the floor. People love a Terrence McNally production because you walk away having felt something. He celebrated and embodied the power and pleasure of the theatre and the significance of artists who remind us of kindness, hope and beauty.”
Likewise for Jerry Mitchell, McNally will be remembered not only for his great works, but also for his passion and commitment toward equality and change.
“Terrance will be remembered as a great American playwright who changed our world for the better,” says Mitchell.
“He gave representation to stories and characters in, and around, the LGBTIQ community that had never been shared in a full three dimensional way. His characters were real and their desires were real, which always made them believable.”
