Three Plays by Terrence McNally

The Lisbon Traviata has its moments, and again and again Frankie and Johnnie has been revived with great success, but for me It's Only a Play is the real winner of this indispensable collection by Terrence McNally, who wrote the book for THE RINK many moons ago. The madcap life of the theater has not so well been written about since the heyday of Moss Hart and his 1948 comedy-drama Light Up The Sky. In McNally's play, a Manhattan producer is celebrating the first night of a new play by throwing a wild party to which Lauren Bacall and Lena Horne are only two of the celebrity guests to show up. (There's also the whole cast of Singin' In The Rain, in yellow slickers.) We see none of this, however, for the action of the play is confined to the top floor bedroom in the swank apartment of Julia, whose dog, the ferocious Torch, is locked up in the bathroom barking furiously. The dog is said to have mauled the face off of poor Arlene Francis, from TV's "What's My Line?" -- Yes, the play is very much set in its own time (the 1980s) and many of the celebrities said to be attending Julia's party below are now, alas, no longer with us (Mary Martin, Helen Hayes, etc). Meanwhile the theater's meanest critic, Ira Drew, is circulating, wondering why people don't appreciate his bon mots. The drugged up leading lady, Virginia, is so high she can rarely recognize the people she's speaking to. And the poor author, Peter, is waiting biting his nails, hoping for a favorable New York Times review from Frank Rich for that, after all, is what determines if any particular play closes or stays afloat. There's a wannabe actor, Gus, whose job is to haul all the mink coats upstairs and plop them on the bed. The funniest bit of business he has is dragging in an enormously elongated full-length mink that prompts another character to guess (correctly) that Tommy Tune is in the house! James Coco starred in this play and I assume that people just didn't buy him in the part. Christine Baranski, at the beginning of her career, played the adorable Julia, and Joanna Gleason the stoner actress. Buy this book, or better yet, if this play is revived anytime, go and see it. It is a moody suspense comedy that, should the roller coaster at Coney Island ever disappear, thrill seekers could mount in its place.

This collection of three plays is such an amazing example of McNally's work. "The Libson Traviata" is an emotional play, dealt with such tenderness and wit. "Frankie and Johnnie" is a wonderful play full of compassion and humor, making light of a situation. "It's Only A Play" is a very funny, yet touching play that is a must-read for fans of McNally. Terrence McNally, you are amazing!

This collection is worth getting simply for the second play 'Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune'. Yes, I'm sure you have all seen the film with Al Pacino, but the play version is much more detailed. The relationship between Frankie and Johnny, as seen from dusk till dawn, is one of the most intense, moving and powerful ever written.