Torch Song (2018)

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Torch Song (2018)

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  2w, 4m

Harvey Fierstein

Torch Song is a new two act adaptation of the 1983 Tony® Award-winning play.

Image: 2018 Second Stage Theater Production (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

Torch Song (2018)

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Period
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1983 Tony® Award for Best Play for Torch Song Trilogy
Also Available
Torch Song Trilogy (1982)

Details

Summary
In Torch Song – the two-act revival of Harvey Fierstein’s award-winning Torch Song Trilogy – the life of Arnold Beckoff , a torch song-singing, Jewish drag queen living in New York City, is dramatized over the span of the late 1970s and 1980s. Told with a likable, human voice, Arnold struggles through love, heartbreak, and the challenges of child-rearing. But, a visit from his overbearing mother reminds him that he needs one thing more: respect.
History

Torch Song premiered at the Tony Kieser Theatre in a Second Stage Theater Production on October 19, 2017 under the direction of Moisés Kaufman. Under the same direction, the play transferred to Broadway in November 1, 2018 at The Hayes Theater as a Second Stage Theater production. 

Torch Song Trilogy premiered at La Mama ETC over the course of two years from February 1978 - October 1979 under the direction of Eric Concklin. The play transferred to Broadway in June 1982 under the direction of Peter Pope.

Keywords
Performing Groups

Arnold - A drag queen, Jewish, and gay.
Ed - A Brooklyn school teacher, older than Arnold, handsome, charming, claims he is bisexual.
Laurel - A woman Ed meets while in a relationship with Arnold. Later becomes Ed's lover.
Alan - A handsome man, younger than Arnold, who models and aspires to be an actor.
David - Arnold's fifteen-year-old foster child (played by an adult).
Mrs. Beckoff - Arnold's widowed mother.

  • Time Period 1980s, 1970s
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Drag Performance
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Drugs
    • Intense Adult Themes
    • Open Flame
    • Smoking

Media

"Spectacular! A Grade-A energizing joy!" - Ben Brantley, The New York Times
"Torch Song brings laughter and tears simultaneously. It's impossible not to feel electricity in the theater." - Entertainment Weekly

Photos

  • Torch Song (2018)

    Image: 2018 Second Stage Theater Production (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

  • Torch Song (2018)

    Image: 2018 Second Stage Theater Production (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Harvey Fierstein

Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein made his professional acting debut at La Mama ETC in 1971 in Andy Warhol's only play, Pork. He followed that with appearances in more than 60 Off-Off-Broadway productions before he began his career as a playwright. Early works like Flatbush Tosca and Cobra Je ...
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