THE STORIES: Terrence McNally (Tony Award® winner for
Master Class and
Love! Valour! Compassion!) has crafted two beautiful and funny plays about art and humankind:
Full Frontal Nudity explores the power of perfection when set against the reality of human loss and longing as three disparate American tourists in Florence are instructed by their guide to immerse themselves in the beauty of Michelangelo's
David. (3 men, 2 women.)
In
Prelude & Liebestod, a renowned conductor watches his life unravel while conducting Wagner's musical masterpiece. (3 men, 2 women.)
“…terrifically enjoyable…Mr. McNally’s characters seemed truly to experience the impact of art, with varying degrees of self-awareness.” —The New York Times.
“McNally’s themes—the profound distance between the heights that man can achieve and the depths in which he invariably dwells; the painful ecstasy that art, in its superhuman perfection, can inspire—are obviously worthy ones.” —Variety.
“…McNally enhances his reputation as a light romantic comedian…a delightful stunt, taking us back to the days when the private life of a classical musician was of general interest.” —New York Post.
“…erotic, [a] deeply emotional pair of one acts…” —Backstage.
“I want to thank the veteran playwright for his legerdemain—his narrative skill, his sense of fun, his love of music, and his ability to turn a threadbare theatrical trope into a surprising, complex gesture whose combination of vainglory and nihilism conveys unsettling but genuine exhilaration…McNally’s marriage of ecstasy and extinction has its own delightfully perverse logic.” —The New Yorker.
