Harvey Fierstein's 'Torch Song' makes Philadelphia stage debut at the Plays & Players Theatre

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- This week marks a theatrical first and major historical moment in Philadelphia.

More than 40 years since it premiered on Broadway, Harvey Fierstein's "Torch Song" is being staged here for the very first time.

It's a show that connects and celebrates all generations of the LGBTQIA+ community.

"It's a very exciting moment in history here in Philadelphia," said Director Bill Fennelly.

"Torch Song " won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1982. A smash hit on Broadway for three years, it's impact on the queer community was both instant and lasting.

"It was a landmark moment, not just for the LGBTQIA+ community, but it was also a landmark moment in Broadway history," Fennelly said. "There had never been a play like it before."

Originally a trilogy, the show now runs about two and a half hours.

"Harvey said that he didn't want a revival of the play, he wanted a renewal of the play," Fennelly says. "He wanted to reignite the torch."

Fennelly is now carrying that torch here in Philadelphia. He's an award-winning Broadway director and professor at Drexel University.

"I think, without exception, this is one of the most personal, and the most meaningful texts that I've ever worked on," he said. "At the heart of this play, it's about love and family and acceptance."

The show follows Arnold Beckoff, a Jewish drag queen in New York, in the late 70s, early 80s.

"We're thinking of it as a kind of drag queen fever dream," Fennelly said.

He says come ready to feel and laugh.

"Comedy is such a tremendous, powerful tool," he said. "This play is very funny, as well as heartbreaking and complex. But it is a comedy and it has a beautiful message about the complexity of what it means to be human."

1812 Productions Presents Harvey Fierstein's "Torch Song" runs through May 19th at Plays & Players Theatre in Center City.

For more information or tickets, visit: 1812Productions.org.