John J. McNally

John J. McNally (c. 1854 – March 25, 1931) was an American playwright, journalist, and drama critic born in Charlestown, Boston. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he pursued a career in journalism rather than law, beginning as a reporter for The Boston Times before advancing to the role of drama editor at that publication. He subsequently worked as both a writer and editor for The Boston Star and later became a longtime drama critic for The Boston Herald.

McNally's career as a playwright centered primarily on Broadway musicals, with his work as a book writer spanning the years 1895 to 1909. His first play, Revels, written in 1880, was conceived as a starring vehicle for the Rogers Brothers, a partnership that would define much of his theatrical output. He went on to craft numerous additional productions for the duo, among them Rogers Brothers in London, Rogers Brothers in Paris, Rogers Brothers in Wall Street, and Rogers Brothers in Tammany Hall, as well as the musical The Rogers Brothers in Ireland.

Beyond his work with the Rogers Brothers, McNally wrote The Widow Jones in 1895 as a vehicle for actress and singer May Irwin. The production premiered at the Boston Museum theatre before transferring to Broadway. Irwin subsequently starred in his three-act play Courted into Court, which opened in 1896 at Broadway's Bijou Theatre. McNally also wrote the book for the 1903 musical Mother Goose, adapted from the pantomime of the same name by Arthur Collins and J. Hickory Wood, and he adapted several other works originally staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane for American audiences.

A recurring collaborator of the songwriting team of Jean Schwartz and William Jerome, McNally wrote the books for several Broadway musicals developed with that partnership, including Lifting the Lid, Fritz in Tammany Hall, Lola from Berlin, and In Hayti. His broader list of Broadway credits also includes the musicals Fluffy Ruffles, A Little Bit of Everything, and In Newport. McNally died on March 25, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York.