Torch Song Trilogy
by Harvey Fierstein

Torch Song Trilogy Book Cover
Torch Song Trilogy Cover

Highlights

120 mins1980sUnit Set/Multiple SettingsPeriod CostumesAmericanLGBTQComedy

Awards & Recognition

Tony Award

Winner! 1983 Tony® Award for Best Play

What readers are saying

Readers praise the Torch Song Trilogy for its emotional depth and relevance, even decades after its initial release. Many describe it as a beautifully written, heartfelt exploration of identity, love, and the complexities of human relationships. The characters resonate with audiences, creating a profound connection that lingers long after reading. Positive moments filled with humor and heartbreak showcase Fierstein's skill in storytelling and character development.

Emotionally powerful storytellingRelatable and well-written charactersHumor amidst heartbreakSome sections may feel a bit dense

Synopsis

"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 1970s and early 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."

-- Wilipedia.

Press Reviews

"A very funny, poignant and unabashedly entertaining work that, so help me, is something for the whole family [...] the zappiest evening of theatre you could ask for."

— Newsweek

"Under the tragedy, the play is gorgeously funny."

— New York Post

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About Studio Theatre's Torch Song Trilogy

Publication

PublisherSamuel French
Year1979
BindingPaperback
EditionIllustrated
Pages180
PlaceLondon
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-139780573690105
ISBN-100573690103
LCCN87022779

Torch Song Trilogy is a American lgbtq play written by Harvey Fierstein and published by Samuel French in London (1979).

Digital editions available on Amazon Kindle.

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Rating

4.3

2k ratings·62 reviews

Review

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Illustrated

Samuel French · 1979 · 180 pp

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Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Professional Only
Fee:Minimum Fee: $90 per performance$55 per short play individually
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