Nathan Lane, left, and Terrence McNally, as seen in Every Act of Life (The Orchard)

Jeff Kaufman’s (The State of Marriage) documentary examines the life of one of the most prolific playwrights of our time, Terrence McNally, known for some 50 plays, musicals, or opera librettos, among them Tony Award–winners Love! Valor! Compassion! and Kiss of the Spider Woman. McNally’s career has spanned seven decades and counting.

Kaufman’s film goes way back to the beginning to when McNally grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the 1940s and ’50s. Growing up gay in a conservative town, McNally kept mum about his sexuality (although we learn there was no shortage of peers with whom he had sexual experiences). When he was in high school, he had a very encouraging English teacher, Mrs. McElroy, to whom he attributes his success as a writer; she knew McNally was destined to leave the small town and become a writer. One of the most touching moments of the film is when he shows his gratitude by bringing her to New York for the Broadway opening of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune with Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci.

The time line gives almost a play-by-play overview of McNally’s career while also delving into his personal life. There were his relationships with fellow playwright and mentor Edward Albee, the closeted actor Robert Drivas, and McNally’s short hetero fling with playwright Wendy Wasserstein. He eventually married producer/lawyer Tom Kirdahy, whom he met right after he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Kirdahy stayed with him all through his major surgery and hospitalizations.

Perhaps the most fun aspects of this tell-all are all its frank interviews of Broadway stars and to find out that each and every one of these actors (F. Murray Abraham, Christine Baranski, Rita Moreno, Nathan Lane, John Slattery, just to name a few) have had an affecting friendship with McNally beyond the stage. The playwright considers writer-filmmaker Don Roos his best friend, and none other than Angela Lansbury convinced McNally he needed to quit drinking. This is a delightful recap on the career of such an influential voice and recommended to any theater buff or small-town queer kid with a flair for the dramatic.