Nathan Lane in new play THE NANCE — Page 2

He was nice to someone at the stage door? What day was that on?

Um, guys, I brought up the subject of Lane's character and shared my experience.

Jane has every right to share her experience in return.

I stage managed a show Joey did before he was famous and later worked beside him at the Harris Poll, our "day" jobs. He could be a handful for a stage manager because he got bored easily, but there was no malice in his behavior, he didn't hurt the show and most of the time I was doubled over with laughter. (For example, most nights I had to collect him at half hour from a bar across the street. He wasn't drinking; he was entertaining the patrons with jokes and impersonations!)

No doubt he faces very different pressures these days and perhaps he has changed. Jane's experience is more recent than mine.

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As for breaking character in FORUM, doesn't everyone? Milton Berle did a half-hour stand-up routine when he played Pseudolus. Probably not what Shevelove intended, but it was actually pretty funny.

THE FROGS seems equally suitable for ad libs and Mel Brooks is rather the king of that sort of thing.

I'm really interested in the fairy/nancy era in stage entertainment, mostly because of the way it was described by George Chauncey in Gay New York. I would be interested in seeing it for the subject matter, Nathan seems perfect for the role. I hope to be able to see it.

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I'm surprised by the number of people who "don't get" the hatred for Lane. Perhaps those people are new to the world of theatre.
Nathan Lane has had a hugely successful theatre record. His salary for The Producers reached a new high. He has snatched up some of the best roles in the theatre. Of COURSE some theatre people resent and hate him.

Meanwhile, I have a question regarding The Nance. Is it really a full fledged musical or more of a play with some music?

" In my experience Joey (as Lane used to be called) was also a really nice guy, if a little shy, and as funny off stage as on."

He's an hilarious actor, always (to me) a delight to watch.

But there are tons of stories about his vicious side; admittedly they come from periods when he was drinking.

There's no reason the many facets of his character, beautiful and less so, can't all be acknowledged.

And I'm greatly looking forward to this play and his performance; it sounds tailor-made.

Updated On: 2/13/13 at 09:40 AM

"the fat comedian is a dangerous, self-loathing monster at his worst" has permeated our society so deeply

It HAS?

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Like any star of Lane's stature, there are going to be varying stories. We've heard both bad and great things about LuPone, Betty Buckley, Elaine Paige, Bernadette Peters, Lauren Bacall, Chita Rivera, and other legends of the entertainment industry.

It's the "Tailor-made" part that scares me the most.

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Ha!

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I'm kind of getting intrigued about "The Nance". I just might wind up getting a ticket to see that show. There are so many good shows to choose from. from R C i n A u s t i n T e x a s

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