Our next production at Elmwood Playhouse is The Nance, written by Douglas Carter Beane.
The show opens May 16 and runs through June 7. Hailed as “A heartfelt new play set in the twilight of burlesque…” by The New York Times and praised as “A nearly perfect work of dramatic art…” (The New Yorker), this powerful play, interlaced with music and comedy, sheds light on the lives of burlesque performers during the final days of Vaudeville.
The Nance centers around Chauncey Miles, a headliner who plays a “nance”–a flamboyantly effeminate character in an era when being openly gay was both dangerous and scandalous. As Chauncey grapples with his personal identity amid societal prejudice and censorship, The Nance captures the poignant contrast between the laughter of burlesque and the realities of a changing world.
Directed at Elmwood by Alan Demovsky, the cast includes Chad Paul Hudson (Union City, NJ), Aaron Newcome (Norwalk, CT), Andrew Lionetti (Westwood, NJ), Tiffany M. Card (New York City), Sam Snyder (New City, NY), Candace Lynn Matthews (Bronx, NY), Liam Thomas (Nyack, NY), and Janet Fenton (Nyack, NY).
The Nance opens May 16 and closes June 7, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, with a captioned performance on Thursday June 5 at 8 pm.
Throughout the run of the show, Elmwood’s lobby gallery exhibits the work of the artists of Nyack Art Collective, with a pre-show gallery reception starting at 6:30 pm on opening night Friday, May 16 to meet the artists and enjoy complimentary wine and cheese from local gourmet shop, Scott and Joe.
Tickets are $30, discounted to $27 for seniors, students, and service members. Visit elmwoodplayhouse.com or call the Elmwood Playhouse box office at (845) 353-1313.
