Torch Song Trilogy

from the diary: “Tuesday 1/19/88

“Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein. Quite good.”

Torch Song Trilogy started out as separately written one act plays. They were gathered up. Hence “trilogy”.

The trilogy had a successful run on Broadway (it won Tonys). And Fierstein found funders to make it into a movie. He starred. As a drag queen Fierstein is not pretty. For a chanteuse he has a voice gratingly gravelly. He is, however, likable. He’s a likable presence. It doesn’t look like he pays anybody to run his myspace page. Isn’t that likable? So so likable.

Considering how recently I’d read the source material I don’t remember having an opinion on its translation to the screen. If I’ve read the book and it’s made into a movie, I have an opinion.

I saw the movie in a multiplex in Santa Rosa. It was out of focus. I didn’t rush out to the lobby and demand a competent projectionist because I didn’t want to miss anything. I am curious to see it unfuzzy. But I was kinda lukewarm on it the first time. It didn’t help that the main love story ends tragically.