Torch Song Trilogy
is a collection of three plays by Harvey Fierstein rendered in three acts: International Stud
, Fugue in a Nursery
, and Widows and Children First!
The story centers on Arnold Beckoff, a torch song-singing Jewish drag queen living in New York City in the late 1970 and 1980s. The four hour-plus play begins with a soliloquy in which he explains his cynical disillusionment with love.
Each act focuses on a different phase in Arnold's life. In the first, Arnold meets Ed, who is uncomfortable with his bisexuality. In the second, one year later, Arnold meets Alan, and the two settle down into a blissful existence that includes plans to adopt a child, until tragedy strikes. In the third, several years later, Arnold is a single father raising gay teenager David. Arnold is forced to deal with his mother's intolerance and disrespect when she visits from Florida.
The first act derives it name (International Stud) from an actual Gay bar of the same name at 117 Perry Street in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and 1970s. The bar had a backroom where men engaged in anonymous sex. [1] The backroom plays a central role in the act.
The award-winning and popular work broke new ground in the theatre: "At the height of the post-Stonewall clone era, Harvey challenged both gay and straight audiences to champion an effeminate gay man's longings for love and family." [2]
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TORCH SONG TRILOGY TICKETS
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Production history
The first staging of
International Stud
opened on
February 2 1978 at the
off-off-Broadway La MaMa, E.T.C., where it ran for two weeks. The
off-Broadway production opened on
May 22 1978 at the Players Theatre, where it ran for 72 performances.
[3]
The first staging of
Fugue in a Nursery
opened at LaMama on February 1, 1979.
[4]
Torch Song Trilogy
first opened at the uptown Richard Allen Center in October 1981.
[5] On
January 15 1982 it transferred to the Actors' Playhouse in
Greenwich Village, where it ran for 117 performances.
[6] The cast included Fierstein as Arnold,
Joel Crothers as Ed, Paul Joynt as Alan,
Matthew Broderick as David, and
Estelle Getty as Mrs. Beckoff.
After eight previews, the
Broadway production, directed by Peter Pope, opened on
June 10 1982 at the
Little Theatre, where it ran for 1,222 performances. Fierstein, Joynt, and Getty were joined by Court Miller as Ed and
Fisher Stevens as David. Later in the run,
David Garrison and
Jonathan Hadary portrayed Arnold,
Craig Sheffer was cast as Alan, and
Barbara Barrie replaced Getty.
The play won Fierstein two
Tony Awards, for Best Play and Best Actor in Play, two
Drama Desk Awards, for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Actor in a Play, and the
Theatre World Award.
The
West End production starring
Antony Sher, with
Rupert Graves as Alan, opened on
October 1,
1985 at
Albery Theatre on St. Martin's Lane, where it ran for slightly more than seven months.
In late January of 2009, it was revived at the American Theatre of Actors Sargent Theatre in New York City by Black Henna Productions
[7]. Directed by Malini Singh McDonald, ran as a limited engagement until February 1st, 2009, with each act being performed separately on weeknights and the entire series running on Saturdays and Sundays. The cast features Cas Marino as Arnold, Ian M. McDonald as Ed, Christian Thomas as Alan, Amie Backner as Laurel, Chris Kelly as David, and Mary Lynch as Mrs. Beckoff.
Film adaptation
In 1988, Fierstein adapted his play for a feature film directed by
Paul Bogart, starring Fierstein,
Anne Bancroft,
Matthew Broderick,
Brian Kerwin, and
Eddie Castrodad.
Awards and nominations
;Awards
- 1983 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play
- 1983 Tony Award for Best Play
;Nominations
- 1982 Drama Critics' Circle Award Runner-Up Best American Play
References
- http://www.huzbears.com/nychistory/gv.html
- Torch Song Trilogy June 1982
- International Stud
- La MaMa ETC
- Theatre Review: Fierstein's 'Torch Song'
- Torch Song Trilogy
- Black Henna Productions | http://www.blackhennaproductions.com