Terrence McNally's acclaimed play Love! Valour! Compassion! made its Off-Broadway debut in 1994 and quickly started winning awards. It transitioned to Broadway the following year and was adapted as a feature film a couple of years after that. It's frequently hailed as McNally's finest work and has remained popular for the two decades since its original run.
Director Matthew Burnett wanted to tackle Love! Valour! Compassion! in Austin this summer for many reasons; he's a fan of the play, he wanted to direct an ensemble piece, and he wanted to revisit the message of the work.
Love! Valour! Compassion! is the story of eight gay men (played by seven actors -- there's a set of twins) who convene at a lake house three times over the course of one summer. The circle of friends includes Gregory, a Broadway choreographer, his acerbic pianist, and a costume designer, among others. The play's less a linear story and more of a character piece; the men deal with issues of aging, infidelity, loss of creative inspiration, and AIDS. This production stars Rick Felkins, Kirk Kelso, Scott Poppaw, Marco Bazan, Dax Dobbs, Ryan Wilson, and Ty McLeod.
'Love! Valour! Compassion!' through August 23 at City Theatre.
