Simon Corfield, Christian Willis and Belinda Wollaston
A bold new production of the much-acclaimed Torch Song Trilogy will be among the artistic and cultural events held during the three-week Sydney Mardi Gras 2013 festival.
Directed by Stephen Colyer (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Paris Letter, Hello Again) and with a stellar cast that includes Simon Corfield, Belinda Wollaston, Thom Jordan, Amanda Muggleton, Mathew Verevis and Christian Willis, Torch Song Trilogy plays at the Darlinghurst Theatre from February 6 until March 3.
This production will allow professional singer, actor and musician Belinda Wollaston to flex her artistic muscles as this hilarious and touching story is brought to life with the aid of live music, sung and played on stage by the cast.
Wollaston described the three-act play as a huge ensemble piece for all of the six cast members.
“Many in the cast play instruments. I play clarinet, percussion and sing. One of the other actors plays keyboards and another plays bass.”
The versatile performer also plays the torch singer, a”neurotic, broken and desperate character”.
“She has one of the most famous and often quoted lines in the play: ‘Just because I said that’s what I want doesn’t mean it’s what I want. I mean, it is what I want but it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m ready for it’,” Wollaston said.
Belinda Wollaston
“ I also play Laurel, Arnold’s alter ego, in the second act. Laurel is Arnold’s lost love’s girlfriend.
“I love both roles. A torch singer is a very indulgent role. You get to sing some of the best torch songs ever written. Phil Scott has arranged all the music and you’ll hear all these songs as you’ve never heard them before.”
Among them are a Pink song, and such perennial classic torch mumbers as “When I fall in love” and “This time the dream’s on me”.
Funny and poignant, Harvey Fierstein’s intensely personal collection of three plays chronicles a Jewish New York drag queen’s search for love, respect and a life of which he can be proud.
From a failed affair with a reluctant lover to a burgeoning relationship with a young fashion model, Arnold Beckoff’s greatest torment in life remains his turbulent relationship with his mother.
“This is a very funny play but very dark and still very relevant despite the fact it was set in the 1980s,” Wollaston said.
“We’re still fighting the same battles that Arnold was fighting; we’re still fighting for equal rights.
“It’s an incredibly moving work. The writing is very clever. Marry that with the music and you have a great night out at the theatre.”
On the team are also production designer Andrea Espinoza, lighting designer Nick Rayment, s ound designer Nate Edmondson and assistant director Aime Neeme.
The Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy won Fierstein two Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Actor in a Play, two Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Actor in a Play, and the Theatre World Award. The screen adaptation in 1981 starred Fierstein, Anne Bancroft and Matthew Broderick.
Torch Song Trilogy is presented by Gaiety Theatre in association with Mardi Gras at Darlinghurst Theatre, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point from February 6 to March 3. More information and book or call 02 8356 9987.
