The world premiere of Harvey Fierstein’s Bella Bella will begin performances Off-Broadway Manhattan Theatre Club October 1. The production, directed by Kimberly Senior, is set to officially open October 22 at New York City Center – Stage I.
Written by and starring the Tony Award winner, Bella Bella tells the story of American lawyer, politician, and social activist Bella Abzug. Set in 1976 on the eve of her bid to become New York State's first female Senator, the play finds this larger-than-life icon squirreled away in the bathroom of a midtown hotel awaiting that night’s election results.
"Bella gave up her seat in Congress to run for Senate, and the Democratic Party destroyed her chances," Fierstein told Playbill in an earlier interview. "She lost the primary by less than 1 percent... As Gloria [Steinem] said to me, 'Had she not run for Senate, she could have been the first woman President. She definitely would have been the first woman Speaker of the House.'
"The reason I wrote it was because I saw what [the Democratic Party] did to Hillary [Clinton]. And they did the same to Bella."
Flip through photos of the press day below:
