A Nance, according to theatrical terminology of the 1930s, is a stock character meant to represent the stereotype of the “effeminate homosexual.” In Douglas Carter Beane's acclaimed new play “The Nance,” out gay actor Nathan Lane plays Chauncey Miles, who plays a variety of nance characters in a low rent burlesque house in late 1930s New York City. Chauncey is tired — he yearns for a more serious acting career. He's alone, lonely and embittered.