Second Stage Theatre has announced that Tony Award, Academy Award, and Golden Globe Award winner Mercedes Ruehl will star opposite Michael Urie in the fall revival of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy. Ruehl will star as Ma, the mother of Arnold Beckoff, played by Urie.
Further casting is yet to be announced, but an official opening night is now set for October 19 at Off-Broadway's Tony Kiser Theatre. Moisés Kaufman directs, with performances scheduled to begin September 26.
Fierstein has provided newly edited text for the upcoming 35th anniversary production, which will be titled simply Torch Song.
After an acclaimed Off-Broadway debut, Torch Song Trilogy opened on Broadway in June 1982 and played an award-winning three-year engagement at the Little Theatre (now the Helen Hayes Theatre). Fierstein played the lead role of Arnold Beckoff, a gay drag performer in a tempestuous relationship with his bisexual, closeted lover. The play won Fierstein two Tony Awards—both as playwright (for Best Play) and for Best Actor. It was produced throughout the country and also turned into a film in 1988 starring Fierstein, Matthew Broderick, and Anne Bancroft.
The Second Stage revival will feature scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Clint Ramos, lighting design by David Lander, and sound design by Fitz Patton.
Ruehl is a Tony winner for Lost in Yonkers and a two-time Tony nominee for Edward Albee’s Tony-winning The Goat, and Michael Cristofer’s Pulitzer Prize winner The Shadow Box. She is an Oscar winner for her performance in Terry Gilliam’s film The Fisher King.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning July 24 at 1PM ET. For subscription and ticket information, visit 2ST.com or call the Second Stage Box Office at (212) 246-4422.
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