Torch Song (Off-Broadway)
Closed 2h 40m
Torch Song (Off-Broadway)
87

Torch Song (Off-Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets

87%
(377 Ratings)
Positive
96%
Mixed
3%
Negative
1%
Members say
Great acting, Funny, Absorbing, Entertaining, Great writing

About the Show

Second Stage presents a revival of Harvey Fierstein's Tony-winning comedy. Starring Drama Desk Award winner Michael Urie ('Ugly Betty,') and Oscar and Tony winner Mercedes Ruehl.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (377)

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53 Reviews | 3 Followers
100
Absorbing, Entertaining, Funny, Great acting, Relevant

See it if You enjoy stories about families- mother son relationships, relationships in general, great acting by Ruehl and Urie

Don't see it if You are homophobic, anti- Semitic, narrow minded

62 Reviews | 10 Followers
100
Clever, Delightful, Great acting, Great staging, Must see

See it if You love gay theater - this is a seminal work in the LGBT canon.

Don't see it if You are offended by backroom sex scenes (pantomimed of course) or frank discsussions of sexualtiy. Read more

140 Reviews | 33 Followers
100
Delightful, Great acting, Funny, Thought-provoking, Romantic

See it if you like humans (not the play, just humans)

Don't see it if no reason

55 Reviews | 20 Followers
100
Profound, Hilarious, Great acting

See it if You want to see Michael Urie and Mercedes Reuhl lock heads in the most compelling scene of the season in one of the finest revivals in NYC.

Don't see it if You don’t care for gay stories

50 Reviews | 10 Followers
100
Clever, Funny, Great acting, Intense, Must see

See it if Loved Torch Song Trilogy and grew up in the 70s. It has a fantastic cast!

Don't see it if Are homophobic

58 Reviews | 6 Followers
100
Delightful, Funny, Hilarious, Must see, Great acting

See it if Very funny, Michael Urie is sensational. Go see it before the limited run ends!

Don't see it if Ur homophobic

123 Reviews | 21 Followers
98
Absorbing, Clever, Entertaining, Funny, Great acting

See it if You want to laugh and be moved all at once

Don't see it if You feel too bad for gay issues

460 Reviews | 188 Followers
97
Masterful, Dedicated performances, Heartfelt, Riveting, Inspiring

See it if you want to laugh, cry, and be a human being connected to a world that keeps on spinning beyond control, with humor and tragedy alike.

Don't see it if you can't bear the thought of a trimmer version of the Trilogy; are homophobic; dislike "heavy" dramas punctuated by humor; misanthropic. Read more

Critic Reviews (35)

The New York Times
October 19th, 2017

"This latest incarnation of 'Torch Song'...finds an irresistibly compelling gravity beneath the glibness...Kaufman and Urie make sure we see the vital links between camp comic postures and the genuine fear and pain that lie beneath...Urie and Ruehl take the show to a level of emotional truthfulness that makes objections to ungainly construction feel beside the point...Kaufman’s stirring production propels an ostensible period piece into a vibrant present."
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Time Out New York
October 19th, 2017

"A welcome and well-assembled revival of Fierstein’s plangently funny and touching play...Director Moisés Kaufman’s production retools it effectively for its new star, the different but very appealing Michael Urie...Kaufman works hard to dispel any scent of schmaltz, sometimes to somewhat dry effect; the central fight between Arnold and his Ma gets a little buried. But the overall approach seems right: It gently and lovingly tends to Fierstein’s flame."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
October 19th, 2017

"Fierstein could have been a bit more merciless...'Torch Song' starts to lose steam by the end of the night. But here’s the good news: For the most part, the production feels like a case of too much of a pretty good thing. It’s charming, intelligent, and, at 40 years old, often strikingly fresh...Urie is making the character undeniably his own...It isn’t that 'Torch Song' never feels dated...But the third act’s raw, desperate explosions between mother and son feel powerfully present."
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The Wall Street Journal
October 19th, 2017

"The only thing wrong with Second Stage’s revival, which has been very effectively directed by Moisés Kaufman, is Mr. Urie, a fine actor who is miscast as Mr. Fierstein...Mr. Urie is a whiny, slimmed-down one-note version of Arnold, thus putting him at a hopeless disadvantage when he goes up against Ruehl...It’s full of bright nuggets of truth that get lost among the punch lines. Does it still come off? Absolutely, and not just as a period piece, either."
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Deadline
October 19th, 2017

"New but not exactly fresh. It builds humorously if haltingly, through performances that push too hard...Uneven direction...The physical humor never quite works. But the hollerfest is pungent, and it’s amazing, too...Urie skates across Arnold’s words...Ruehl is fiery and on top of her game...One element he’s given surprisingly short shrift in this revision is that wrenching music...That’s what’s just off-the-mark here. What’s missing isn’t the trilogy, it’s a torch."
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New York Daily News
October 19th, 2017

"This pioneering but patchy comedy-drama of gay life and love still draws laughs and tears...The new production shows off the play’s strengths. That includes great one-liners, graceful touches and daring...But it can’t mask weaknesses of this deeply sentimental work...Urie isn't a perfect fit either...The play is an open-hearted howl for acceptance and authenticity — no apologies. The characterization...is self-sabotaging. It muffles this 'Torch Song.'"
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Variety
October 20th, 2017

“An affectionate if ill-considered revival…As imperfectly directed here by Moises Kaufman, Urie has made little attempt to make the role of Arnold his own…The trimmed-down show has kept its basic storyline but lost some of its grace notes…Arnold’s story is as sweet as ever…Does this history piece hold up? Yes, in the sense that the show is kind to its characters and true to its dated sensibilities. No, in the sense that the characters are unbelievably sweet and its sensibilities are dated.”
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The Hollywood Reporter
October 19th, 2017

"In Second Stage's choppy revival, director Moises Kaufman and star Michael Urie battle against that past association by inflating the lead role into an emphatic caricature...Without Fierstein's own unique brand of big-hearted, sloppy sentimentality inhabiting the central character, 'Torch Song' is a more pallid ballad, bittersweet and frequently funny but lacking the vitality to fully sustain its two-hour-40-minute run time."
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