Nathan Lane Heading to the World of Burlesque in New Broadway Play The Nance

After much speculation, Nathan Lane is set to return to Broadway in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Douglas Carter Beane’s new play The Nance. Directed by Jack O’Brien, The Nance will begin previews at the Lyceum Theater on March 21, 2013, with an official opening night set for April 15. No further casting has been announced at this time.

The play's title refers to a derogatory slang word for effeminate men and campy homosexual characters typically played by straight men in 1930s burlesque shows. Lane will play Chauncey Miles, a gay nance performer working during the period when New York City mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was trying to ban burlesque. Integrating burlesque sketches into the drama, The Nance paints the portrait of a homosexual man, living and working in the secretive and dangerous gay world of 1930s New York, whose outrageous antics on the burlesque stage stand in marked contrast to his messy offstage life.

Lane was most recently seen on Broadway as patriarch Gomez in The Addams Family. He won Tony Awards for his roles in The Producers and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His other Broadway credits include Waiting for Godot, November, Butley, The Odd Couple, Guys and Dolls and Love! Valour! Compassion!

The Nance will feature set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Japhy Weideman and sound design by Leon Rothenberg.