Theater: Straight Talk

TORCH SONG TRILOGY

by Harvey Fierstein

Several things are wrong with this evening of one-acters: it is too long (more than four hours with intermissions); it is often inconsistent; and for embarrassingly long periods it becomes as mawkish as an afternoon soap opera. But what is right about it is absolutely right. Playwright Harvey Fierstein has created characters so vivid and real that they linger in the mind, talking the night away, long after the lights have been turned out and everyone has left off-Broadway's Actors Playhouse.

Most arresting of all is the hero, Arnold Beckoff, played by the author. Arnold's occupation is...

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