Terrence McNally, the five-time Tony-winning playwright and librettist who passed away in March 2020 at the age of 81, will be celebrated May 30 with the unveiling of Terrence McNally Way, located on East Ninth Street between Broadway and University Place.
The late Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class playwright had lived on East Ninth Street for 24 years. In 2008, he commemorated his love of his neighborhood in his play Unusual Acts of Devotion, which is set on the rooftop of a Village apartment not unlike his own.
The unveiling, which is open to the public, will be attended by Tony winners Jonathan Groff and Brian Stokes Mitchell and will feature a performance by Tony winner Brandon Uranowitz and Grammy nominee Caissie Levy. Also in attendance will be New York City Council members Carlina Rivera and Erik Bottcher.
鈥淔or decades, Terrence's words lit up the stages of New York and gave voice to its beating heart; now, his legacy is quite literally part of its streetscape,鈥� says Terrence McNally Foundation Executive Director Santino DeAngelo in a statement. 鈥淭o have 鈥楾errence McNally Way鈥� just steps from where he lived and worked, in the Village he so deeply loved, is not only a tribute to his extraordinary contributions to the American theatre, but a permanent reminder that this City was his muse, his battleground, his sanctuary, and his home.鈥�
"Terrence died five years ago, but his memory is very much alive in my heart and in the hearts and minds of theatregoers across the globe,鈥� added Tom Kirdahy, president of Tom Kirdahy Productions and McNally鈥檚 late husband. 鈥淚 can't think of a single day since he passed that I haven't received a note, a call or a message about how he changed people's lives with his words and deeds. Terrence and I loved living together on Ninth Street, so alive with artists, students, fascinating people, and true NY characters. Terrence paved the way for so many young playwrights and LGBTQ people, so it seems fitting that the street where we lived and I continue to live will now be known as Terrence McNally Way. My heart is full."
About the area, McNally had once said, "Ninth Street always struck me as very lovely, and I鈥檇 think, 鈥楪ee, one day I鈥檇 like to live there.鈥� I fell in love with my apartment the moment I opened the door. It鈥檚 a unique part of New York, these few little blocks 鈥� It鈥檚 New York as a place for doers, achievers, people who are involved. Not nostalgic. Not lazy. There鈥檚 a briskness to everybody鈥檚 step. I feel at home here鈥攜ou know it when you鈥檝e found a place that you belong.鈥�
In addition to his Tonys for Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class, McNally also won two Tony Awards for penning books for musicals: Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1993 and Ragtime in 1998. He also received the Tony Awards' Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre Honor. Read the complete obituary for Terrence McNally by clicking here.
Brent Carver, Chita Rivera, and Anthony Crivello in the original Broadway company of Kiss of the Spider Woman.
