When she makes one jab too many and Arnold can take no more…. Debra Haines Kiser plays this role with such conviction and passion. Hurtful, passive-aggressive, put upon Mother. Dear, strict, conventional, conservative Jewish Mother. Interesting conversations ensue.Įnter Mother. Ed and Arnold remain “friends.” At Laurel’s invitation, Arnold visits the lovebirds at their farm in upstate New York and brings along his new love, Alan. Because a Torch Song by definition cannot have a happy ending.Įd is set up on a blind date with the lovely and hapless Laurel and falls head over heels into the easy out, which is to marry the straight girl of his parents’ dreams. Arnold falls head over heels in love with Ed, because of course he would. Ed is a charming fellow, a school teacher who must be circumspect in all things, as we are not yet a “woke” world. His Arnold is maddening, infuriatingly needy, manic, frustrating, and utterly and completely loveable and heartbreaking.Īrnold meets one Ed Reiss up in da clurb.

This piece was, after all, written by and originally starring Harvie Fierstein. It would be so easy to turn Arnold into a caricature. Love.) Deleon’s delivery of this exercise in self-analysis is fast and furious and funny, and absolutely spot-on. (Pay attention to the list of drag names with which he peppers his opening monologue. The show opens with Arnold in his dressing room at International Stud, transforming himself into Virginia Ham. In Workshop Theatre’s production, Arnold is played lovingly and endearingly by Julian Deleon. Look how far we’ve come…(hold that thought) He addresses issues such as gay marriage and adoption, which were unheard of 40 years ago. In this environment Harvey Fierstein spins the (largely autobiographical) story of one Arnold Beckoff. I digress.) We’re just over a decade past Stonewall. AIDS has just started to ravage the gay community, aided and abetted by the nonchalance of the straight community. (IYKYK) It’s the late 70’s and early 80’s.

This, kiddoes, had never been done before. In his acceptance speech, Producer John Glines openly acknowledged his lover and the show’s co-producer, Lawrence Lane. Harvey Fierstein’s groundbreaking piece took home the Tony for Best Play in 1983. The three were combined into T orch Song Trilogy which made its Broadway debut in 1982. It was followed by Fugue in a Nursery the next year and finished with Widows and Children First.

Torch Song began its evolution as three one-act plays, the first of which, International Stud, opened off-off-Broadway way back in 1978.

Torch song trilogy on broadway