SOURCE: "Uncommon Women Ages Poorly, McNally's Latest Has Its Strengths," in The Christian Science Monitor, November 15, 1994, p. 14.

[In the following excerpt, Scheck favorably reviews the character development, staging techniques, and performances in Love! Valour! Compassion!, while faulting the play's lack of "real dramatic structure or plot."]

There's love, valour, and compassion aplenty in Terrence McNally's play, which has opened Off Broadway to the strongest reviews so far this season. There's also plenty of darker emotions. No contemporary playwright is as effective in blending high comedy with pathos, in giving us characters that will make you laugh and break your heart.

McNally's impact on both the New York stage and in Hollywood films is considerable. He is adept at creating emotional balancing acts.

In his screenplay for the 1991 film Frankie and Johnny, which starred Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer, he paired an unlikely short-order cook with an emotionally withdrawn...