Mercedes Ruehl & Michael Urie in Torch Song

Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song begins performances on Broadway

An official opening night is scheduled for November 1, 2018 at Broadway's Hayes Theater.

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

The Broadway transfer of Second Stage Theater's acclaimed revival of Harvey Fierstein's ​Torch Song, directed by Tony Award nominee Moisés Kaufman, begins previews at the Hayes Theater tonight, ahead of an official opening on November 1, and a limited engagement through to February 24, 2019.

Synopsis: "Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song follows Arnold Beckoff's odyssey to find happiness in New York. All he wants is a husband, a child, and a pair of bunny slippers that fit, but a visit from his overbearing mother reminds him that he needs one thing more: respect. Join Arnold on this all too human journey about the families we're born into, the families we choose, and the battles to bring them all home."

The cast of Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song includes Drama Desk Award winner Michael Urie (as Arnold Beckoff), Tony & Academy Award winner Merecedes Ruehl (as Ma Beckoff), Ward Horton (as Ed), Roxanna Hope Radja (as Laurel), Michael Hsu Rosen (as Alan), and Jack DiFalco (as David).

The entire cast originally performed together off-Broadway at the Tony Kiser Theater from September to December 2017.

The creative team features scenic design by two-time Tony Award winner David Zinn, costume design by Tony Award winner Clint Ramos, lighting design by Drama Desk Award winner David Lander, and sound design by Drama Desk Award winner John Gromada.

Torch Song Trilogy originally opened on Broadway at the Little Theatre (now the Hayes Theater, where the revival is set to play) on June 10, 1982, where it ran for 1,222 performances until May 19, 1985. The original production starred Mr. Fierstein in the lead role, who went on to win the Tony Award for "Best Play" and "Best Actor in a Play." A film adaptation followed in 1988 in which Mr. Fierstein reprised his role.

Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song is produced on Broadway by Richie Jackson, Stephanie P. McClelland, David Mirvish, Judith Ann Abrams/CJC and Priest, Burnt Umber Productions/True Love Productions, Caiola Denoff-Salmira Hirschhorn Kierstead, Lassen Radford/Karmen Boyz Productions, Perniciaro & Emanuel, Jujamcyn Theaters, and Second Stage Theater.

Michael Urie made his Broadway debut as Bud Frump in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 2012. He has garnered great acclaim for his appearances off-Broadway, picking up Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards for his performance as Alex More in solo show Buyer & Cellar, as well as Lucille Lortel and Theatre World Awards for his portrayal of Rudi Gernreich in The Temperamentals. Other off-Broadway credits include Angels in America, The Government Inspector, Shows for Days, and The Cherry Orchard. To TV audiences, he is perhaps best know for his long-running role as Marc St. James on "Ugly Betty".

Mercedes Ruehl won a Tony Award in 1991 for Lost in Yonkers and earned Tony nominations in 1995 for The Shadow Box and in 2002 for The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? She was last seen on the Great White Way in The American Plan in 2009 and her other Broadway credits include The Rose Tattoo in 1995 and her Broadway debut in the 1985 production of I'm Not Rappaport. On screen, she won an Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance in "The Fisher King" in 1992. Other notable screen credits include "Gia," "Frasier," "Last Action Hero," "Married to the Mob," and "Big".

Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song Tickets are available now for performances through to February 24, 2019.

(Photo by Joan Marcus)

Originally published on

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