Terrence McNally(1938-2020)

Has won four Tony Awards: two as author of a Best Play winner, in 1995 for "Love! Valour! Compassion: and, the next year, in 1996, for "Master Class;" and twice as best Book (Musical), in 1993 for "Kiss of the Spider Woman--The Musical" and in 1998 for "Ragtime." He was also Tony-nominated in 2001 as Best Book (Musical) for "The Full Monty."

[re turning plays into movies] Get the best director you can who really shares your viewpoint, and really fight hard for the actors you want. With "The Ritz," I had some enticing offers to do it with some stars and more famous directors, but I never have regretted that decision [to keep most of the original Broadway cast]. What I liked most about my first two movies is that they preserved great performances. If you care about the final result, sometimes you have to be prepared to walk away from a deal.