Love! Valour! Compassion!

'Love! Valour! Compassion!' is a play by Terrence McNally.

It revolves around eight gay men who gather for three summer weekends at a lakeside house in Dutchess County, two hours north of New York City, to relax, reflect, and plan for survival in an era plagued by AIDS.

Directed by Joe Mantello, it premiered off-Broadway on October 11, 1994 at the Manhattan Theatre Club, and ran for 72 performances. It then then moved to the Walter Kerr Theatre where, after 28 previews, it opened to universally rave reviews on February 14, 1995 and enjoyed a run of 248 performances.

Synopsis
The story of eight gay male friends who spend the three major holiday weekends of one summer - Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day - together at a house in upstate New York. The house belongs to Gregory, a successful choreographer now approaching middle age, who fears he is losing his creativity; and his twenty-something lover, Bobby, who happens to be blind. Each of the guests at their house is connected to Gregory’s work in one way or another - Arthur and longtime partner Perry are business consultants; John Jeckyll, a sour Englishman, is a dance accompanist; die-hard musical theater fanatic Buzz Hauser is a costume designer and the most stereotypically gay man in the group. Only John's summer lover, Ramon, and John's twin brother James are outside the circle of friends. But Ramon is outgoing (to say the least) and eventually makes a place for himself in the group, and James is such a gentle soul that he is quickly welcomed. Infidelity, flirtations, soul-searching, AIDS, truth-telling and skinny-dipping mix monumental questions about life and death with a wacky dress rehearsal for Swan Lake performed in drag.

1995 opening night cast

 * Stephen Bogardus (Gregory)
 * John Glover (John and James)
 * Anthony Heald (Perry)
 * Nathan Lane (Buzz)
 * Randy Becker (Ramon)
 * John Benjamin Hickey (Arthur)
 * Justin Kirk (Bobby)

Other 1995 production credits

 * Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club
 * Scenic Design by Loy Arcenas
 * Costume Design by Jess Goldstein
 * Lighting Design by Brian MacDevitt
 * Choreography by John Carrafa

1995 Awards and nominations

 * Obie Award for Best Performance (entire cast, winner)
 * Obie Award for Best Playwright (winner)
 * Tony Award for Best Play (winner)
 * Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (John Glover, winner)
 * Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (Stephen Bogardus, nominee)
 * Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (Anthony Heald, nominee)
 * Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (Joe Mantello, nominee)
 * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play (winner)
 * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Nathan Lane, winner)
 * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (John Glover)
 * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play (Joe Mantello, nominee)
 * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design (Jess Goldstein, nominee)
 * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (Brian MacDevitt, nominee)

The film version
In 1997, a film adaptation written by McNally reunited the original cast, with the exceptions of Nathan Lane (who was busy with a Broadway revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the time) and Anthony Heald. Seinfeld co-star Jason Alexander stepped in for Lane (and was given top billing in the hope his TV audience would be drawn to see him on the big screen) and Stephen Spinella replaced Heald.

As with many screen adaptations of stage plays, the script underwent numerous changes, eliminating almost all direct addresses to the audience and the conclusion of one of the subplots. This remains the only theatrical film directed by Joe Mantello, who was nominated for the Grand Special Prize at the Deauville Film Festival.

Publication
McNally, Terrence. ''Love! Valor! Compassion! and A Perfect Ganesh''. Plume, 1997. 272 pp. ISBN 0-452-27930-5