Torch Song

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I was worried about seeing Second Stage’s revival of Harvey Fierstein’s award winning play for a  couple of reasons. First, I was afraid that a script that seemed so fresh and daring in 1982 might seem merely tired and dated today. Secondly, I feared that Fierstein's indelible performance in the original might prevent me from appreciating Michael Urie. Fortunately I needn’t have worried on either count. I had forgotten how ahead of his time Fierstein was in his treatment of long-term gay relationships and gay adoption and how forcefully he dealt with the importance of living an authentic life. As to Urie (Buyer and Cellar; The Government Inspector), he has made Arnold Beckoff, the Jewish drag queen from Brooklyn,  his own. It’s a different Arnold from Fierstein’s, but an equally valid one. He knows how to get the laughs without straining for them. It helps that he is supported by an excellent cast: Ward Horton as Ed, the bisexual teacher Arnold has an off-and-on affair with; Roxanna Hope Radja as Laurel, Ed’s long-suffering girlfriend; Michael Rosen (On the Town) as Alan, the young model Arnold takes up with after Ed; Jack DiFalco (Marvin’s Room) as David, the gay teenager Arnold is foster parenting; and Mercedes Ruehl (Lost in Yonkers, Other People’s Money) as Arnold’s mother [a role originated by Estelle Getty]. The first act, “International Stud,” set in 1971, is named after a Village gay bar with a notorious backroom where a key scene takes place. The second act “Fugue in a Nursery,” set three years later, is formally clever but lacks emotional punch. The final act “Widows and Children First,” set in 1980, is the longest and most dramatic. In my opinion, it could use a bit of a trim. The direction by Moises Kaufman has many grace notes throughout. The scenic design by David Zinn captures the period, as do the costumes by Clint Ramos. I was happy to find the play alive and kicking and still able to provide an entertaining evening. Running time: two hours 45 mintues including intermission.

Dot ***

Hard as it may be to envision a hilarious comedy about a family facing the mother’s descent into dementia, that’s exactly what Colman Domingo has written in his new play at Vineyard Theatre. Dotty Shealy (Marjorie Johnson) is the matriarch of a middle-class black family who have lived in their West Philadelphia row house since 1954. The father, now deceased was a successful physician. Her eldest child Shelly (Sharon Washington), now in her mid-forties, is an attorney and a single mother. Middle child Donnie (Stephen Conrad Moore), now 40, is a gay freelance music critic in New York, where he lives with his activist white husband Adam (Colin Hanlon). Youngest child Averie (Libya V. Pugh) is a brash would-be entertainment whose 15 minutes of YouTube fame has led only to a cashier’s job at Shop Rite. Fidel (Michael Rosen) is a sweet-natured unlicensed health care aide from Kazakhstan who takes care of Dotty three days a week. Jackie (Finnerty Steeves), a white neighbor who was Donnie’s high school sweetheart and who fled to New York when she learned he was gay, has suddenly returned to town and has joined them for their Christmas celebration. There is much hilarity, but the underlying situation of Dot’s deterioration is no joke. During the second act, the play bogs down a bit with some didactic moments and some sentimentality. The ensemble cast work well together. Scenic designer Allen Moyer is a triple threat: he offers a pointillist front curtain depicting the exterior of the family home, a first act kitchen that really looks lived in, and an attractive living room for the second act. Costume designer Kara Harmon has dressed the characters aptly. Director Susan Stroman shows that her talent is not limited to musicals, although she does manage to slip in a delightful dance duo for Dot and Adam. Despite the play’s flaws, the overall effect is very winning. The audience loved it. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes including intermission.