I may think I have inalienable rights to be alive and happy but I don't - life is a blessing.

I don't think I've ever written anything even remotely naturalistic. The closest probably would be seen as 'Frankie and Johnny,' and that's only 'cause they eat a sandwich and make an omelet in act two. But it's a romantic fairy tale, and I'm very aware of that. I don't think it helps the actors in my plays to lose themselves in the reality of talking to another person. A good McNally actor always knows he's in a play with an audience.

In those days, you had to like one or the other. You couldn't like Sutherland AND Callas.

I like to surprise myself. I've always been attracted to projects where I don't know how they're going to turn out.

I may think I have inalienable rights to be alive and happy but I don't - life is a blessing.

Technology promises to let us do anything from anywhere with anyone. But it also drains us as we try to do everything everywhere. In a surprising twist, relentless connection leads to a new solitude.

I've had wonderful collaborators. They're very different, just as actors are. Working on a show with Nathan Lane is different from working on a show with Chita Rivera. It keeps you on your toes because it's different every time.