Torch Song is especially relevant now

With the current political climate, a nostalgic and engaging play that seemed perhaps a bit dated even a few years ago is suddenly relevant again. Harvey Fierstein\’s Torch Song Trilogy is a window into life for a gay man in New York in the early 80s at the advent of the AIDS crisis. It is a sharp reminder of how much things have changed and what is at risk if hard-won equal rights and freedoms are repealed.

The show is constructed of what originally was 3 separate one-act plays: International Stud, Fugue in a Nursery, and Widows and Children First! The play focuses on Arnold, a wise-cracking Jewish drag performer who is earnestly seeking a lasting romance. In the first act he and Ed struggle through the growing pains of a new relationship that is complicated by Ed\’s reluctance to leave the security of the closet. In the second act, Ed and his wife Laurel invite Arnold and his current boyfriend, Alan, to visit amidst a blanket of emotional confusion. And in the third, Arnold has adopted a teen son but tragically loses Alan, and survives Mom\’s visit from Florida.

This ground-breaking play won numerous awards, including 2 Tonys for Fierstein: Best Play and Best Actor in a Play. It was released as a film in 1988 starring Harvey, Matthew Broderick, and Anne Bancroft. It is with great excitement that Gilda Shedstecker Presents! brings this work now to Stark County, directed by Doug Tennant. Stage Manager is Linda Alexander-Radak. Performances are May 19, 20, 26, 27 at 7:00 pm at the Kathleen Howland Theatre at Avenue Arts, 324 Cleveland Ave NW , Canton, OH. Stay posted for more details, announcements, and box office information!