Harvey Fierstein, a native of Brooklyn, has been a drag queen, comedian, singer, actor, playwright, screenwriter and activist. You may have seen him at the movies in Garbo Talks, Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, or Duplex; or on Broadway in Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, or A Catered Affair; you might have heard his voice on The Simpsons or Family Guy; but Harvey is best known for Torch Song Trilogy. One of the greatest gay plays and movies of all time ― if not the greatest ― Torch Song started out as three separate plays: International Stud,Fugue in a Nursery, and Widows and Children First! The three plays about drag queen Arnold Beckhoff were merged into one, opening as Torch Song Trilogy in 1981. In 1983, it won the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play and the Tony Award for Best Play. In 1988, the film adaptation was released, and in 2004 (finally!) it was released on DVD. Get it and watch it. Seriously.
Harvey Fierstein is one of my heroes. Not because of his talent, his four Tony awards, or his career spanning damned near forty years, but because he’s one of those rare individuals who know how to tell the truth. One of many examples is his “Twelve step program to change your life”:
Never lie, and never let anyone cause you to lie. Truth, or the pursuit of it, is all we have.
Never do anything you are ashamed of. If you’re ashamed that means somewhere inside you think it’s wrong; and if you think it’s wrong, you shouldn’t be doing it.
Take full responsibility for yourself. You are the only one who can say what goes into or comes out of your body.
Always admit when you’re wrong. You’ll save thousands in therapy later — and a few friendships too.
Change your mind as often as possible. Just because you thought something yesterday doesn’t mean you have to think it today. Don’t ever become a prisoner of your own opinion.
Beware of anyone who says they know. Trust me, they don’t, or they wouldn’t have to say they did.
Take care of yourself first, then your family, then your friends. And if you have anything left over, share it.
Do something, anything, every day to change the world. It doesn’t have to be big, it could be giving a dime to a street person, planting a flower, picking up litter. Anything will change the world.
When you have nothing better to do, smile. You’ll have to trust me on the miracle this step brings.
Make a bit of time every day to be alone and think. Five or ten minutes is enough. It will keep you sane.
Have all the sex you want — safe sex. Get lust out of your way. It’s the only way I know to make sure you fall in love for the right reasons. And I want you all to find true love.
Learn something new every day. Read a newspaper article that you wouldn’t normally read. Open a dictionary to a word you never heard, or never understood.
With that, here’s a clip from a 1983 interview and few clips from Torch Song Trilogy:
Well, embarrassingly, I’ve never seen any of those movies except Mrs. Doubtfire. And while I’m an avid fan of theater, I’ve never seen Torch Song Trilogy. *runs and hides*.
I see I’ve missed a lot by neglecting Harvey’s work. I liked him immediately and can’t imagine I’d change my mind. Thanks for the turn on.
Don’t feel bad. I lived in New York, and the only Broadway show I ever saw was Grand Hotel. When John and I went, it was his first trip, so we had to do the essentials – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the subway (seriously; if you’ve never ridden a subway, it’s amazing), Times Square, Union Square, Central Park, the Strand Bookstore, the Carnegie Deli, etc. And Ground Zero, unfortunately. There was no time for a show. Maybe next time. (He still hasn’t seen the Met or ridden the Staten Island Ferry, though.)
I wish I could find video online of Harvey talking about Santa Fe. One of my favorite bits from his stand-up.
I’d really be interested in seeing more of his stand up. I’ll have to look around for some. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of drag queen humor, it never changes. So, I’m not sure how fast I’ll put TST in my Netflix gueue.
NYC is one of my top 5 favorite spots on earth..the theater quality and variety is, of course, amazing. I have ridden the subway and it’s our normal route of transportation when we visit Gotham City. Rented a car once…won’t do that again.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the finest museum I’ve ever been to. I’ve been to museums in England, Germany, France and all over the US, nothing compares to the Met. You can’t see it all in one day or even two though. Next time it should be your first stop.
You’ve gotta be crazy to drive in New York. I love the subway.
On Saturdays, I used to walk up Broadway all the way from Tribeca to Central Park, and then cut over to the Met. I love that place. But we had time constraints, and if we’d gone to the Met we wouldn’t have been able to go to La Pequeña Colombia in Jackson Heights, which is my favorite restaurant anywhere. (Get the Plato Montañero.) Gotta have priorities, you know.
But we could sit here all day and list great things about New York. It’s not as much fun since Giuliani and 9/11, but it’s still THE City.
It might be stressful to drive in the Big Apple but it’s still not as insane as driving in downtown Boston on a Sunday afternoon when the Yankees are playing the Red Sox. My god.
The restaurant you mention, is that Columbian food? How hot is the dish you recommend?
That’s another thing about New York that’s incomparable. It’s nearly impossible to eat lousy food. Even the bagels are to die for. Also, the rumors you hear about New Yorkers being rude and obnoxious? Every time I’ve been to NYC I’ve had excellent service and run into many friendly people. I’m not even sure how that rumor got started because it’s simply not true from my experience anyway.
We were in Manhattan last in 2004 during early spring with the kids. One of my favorite memories was climbing up to the hotel roof late at night and drinking a beer with my sweetie. The city lights were fantastic, especially with being in close proximity to the Chrysler building. Good times.
Harvey Fierstein, a native of Brooklyn, has been a drag queen, comedian, singer, actor, playwright, screenwriter and activist. You may have seen him at the movies in Garbo Talks, Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, or Duplex; or on Broadway in Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, or A Catered Affair; you might have heard his voice on The Simpsons or Family Guy; but Harvey is best known for Torch Song Trilogy. One of the greatest gay plays and movies of all time ― if not the greatest ― Torch Song started out as three separate plays: International Stud, Fugue in a Nursery, and Widows and Children First! The three plays about drag queen Arnold Beckhoff were merged into one, opening as Torch Song Trilogy in 1981. In 1983, it won the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play and the Tony Award for Best Play. In 1988, the film adaptation was released, and in 2004 (finally!) it was released on DVD. Get it and watch it. Seriously.
Well, embarrassingly, I’ve never seen any of those movies except Mrs. Doubtfire. And while I’m an avid fan of theater, I’ve never seen Torch Song Trilogy. *runs and hides*.
I see I’ve missed a lot by neglecting Harvey’s work. I liked him immediately and can’t imagine I’d change my mind. Thanks for the turn on.
Don’t feel bad. I lived in New York, and the only Broadway show I ever saw was Grand Hotel. When John and I went, it was his first trip, so we had to do the essentials – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the subway (seriously; if you’ve never ridden a subway, it’s amazing), Times Square, Union Square, Central Park, the Strand Bookstore, the Carnegie Deli, etc. And Ground Zero, unfortunately. There was no time for a show. Maybe next time. (He still hasn’t seen the Met or ridden the Staten Island Ferry, though.)
I wish I could find video online of Harvey talking about Santa Fe. One of my favorite bits from his stand-up.
I’d really be interested in seeing more of his stand up. I’ll have to look around for some. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of drag queen humor, it never changes. So, I’m not sure how fast I’ll put TST in my Netflix gueue.
NYC is one of my top 5 favorite spots on earth..the theater quality and variety is, of course, amazing. I have ridden the subway and it’s our normal route of transportation when we visit Gotham City. Rented a car once…won’t do that again.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the finest museum I’ve ever been to. I’ve been to museums in England, Germany, France and all over the US, nothing compares to the Met. You can’t see it all in one day or even two though. Next time it should be your first stop.
Love you, sweetheart……
You’ve gotta be crazy to drive in New York. I love the subway.
On Saturdays, I used to walk up Broadway all the way from Tribeca to Central Park, and then cut over to the Met. I love that place. But we had time constraints, and if we’d gone to the Met we wouldn’t have been able to go to La Pequeña Colombia in Jackson Heights, which is my favorite restaurant anywhere. (Get the Plato Montañero.) Gotta have priorities, you know.
But we could sit here all day and list great things about New York. It’s not as much fun since Giuliani and 9/11, but it’s still THE City.
It might be stressful to drive in the Big Apple but it’s still not as insane as driving in downtown Boston on a Sunday afternoon when the Yankees are playing the Red Sox. My god.
The restaurant you mention, is that Columbian food? How hot is the dish you recommend?
That’s another thing about New York that’s incomparable. It’s nearly impossible to eat lousy food. Even the bagels are to die for. Also, the rumors you hear about New Yorkers being rude and obnoxious? Every time I’ve been to NYC I’ve had excellent service and run into many friendly people. I’m not even sure how that rumor got started because it’s simply not true from my experience anyway.
We were in Manhattan last in 2004 during early spring with the kids. One of my favorite memories was climbing up to the hotel roof late at night and drinking a beer with my sweetie. The city lights were fantastic, especially with being in close proximity to the Chrysler building. Good times.
Okay, I’ll try to be more like Harvey, but can I do it in flats?
I think Harvey would want you to be like Scott.