The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

Torch Song at Turbine Theatre

Torch Song at Turbine Theatre | Theatre review
7 September 2019
Shawna Warmington
Avatar
Shawna Warmington
7 September 2019

Torch Song Trilogy – Playwright Harvey Fierstein’s semi-autobiographical, Tony award-winning collection of plays – has a rich and storied history. Originally separated into a few acts performed independently, the play became a single trilogy in 1981. A host of performances, revivals, one film and a revision to the original lengthy four-hour runtime later, Director Drew McOnie confidently brings his version to Battersea Park Station’s unassuming Turbine Theatre.

Kicking off the venue’s inaugural season, Torch Song is an often funny, occasionally heartbreaking look at love and loss set against the backdrop of 1970’s gay America. The story is told through the eyes of Jewish drag queen Arnold Beckoff (Matthew Needham), and each act explores different key phases in Beckoff’s life, beginning with Arnold meeting Ed (Dino Fetscher), a man grappling with his bisexuality, with whom Arnold eventually embarks in a complicated on/off relationship. The production opens with an impactful soliloquy given by the protagonist, in which he laments both his ability to love and be loved, while readying himself for a drag performance. Needham is striking on stage, portraying Arnold with the perfect mixture of naiveté, humour and melancholy. Fetscher – as the sexually conflicted Ed – also dominates the space, commanding every scene in which he features.

The remaining cast all deliver solid performances. Jay Lycurgo (in a spirited performance as Arnold’s adopted son, David) is a highlight, along with Bernice Stegers as Arnold’s mother, who, despite only appearing in the latter half of the play, delivers a memorably comic portrayal. Daisy Boulton as Ed’s wife Laurel, and Rish Shah as Arnold’s boyfriend Alan, are both also notable in their supporting roles.

Despite the humble size of the stage, with the help of some clever lighting and props – and well-placed music cues – it functions believably as the backstage of a drag club, kitchen and country home. The cast also use the space and audience to great effect, both performing directly by and often interacting with spectators.

With a slightly long running time, occasional accent slips and the odd frenetic scene change, Torch Song is far from perfect. Much like its main character though, it needn’t be.

Shawna Warmington-Brown
Photos: Mark Senior

Torch Song is at Turbine Theatre from 22nd August until 13th October 2019. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Theatre

“Theatre is totally unique… there’s simply nothing else quite like it”: An interview with Sir Howard Panter as the new cast of Jersey Boys opens at Trafalgar Theatre

Natallia Pearmain
Read More

Jersey Boys bring on a new cast at Trafalgar Theatre

Natallia Pearmain
Read More

All of Us at the National Theatre

★★★★★
Mersa Auda
Read More

Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

★★★★★
Alexandra Fletcher
Read More

Camden Fringe 2022: The Importance of Being Anxious at Museum of Comedy

★★★★★
James Humphrey
Read More

Camden Fringe 2022: Rome 3000 (Julius Caesar) at Canal Cafe Theatre

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

Tasting Notes at Southwark Playhouse

★★★★★
Mae Trumata
Read More

The Tempest at Shakespeare’s Globe

★★★★★
James Humphrey
Read More

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Gillian Lynne Theatre

★★★★★
Mersa Auda
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Shawna Warmington

Torch Song

Dates

22nd August - 13th October 2019

Price

£25-£33

Links & directions

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsiteNo map

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Camden Fringe 2022: Rome 3000 (Julius Caesar) at Canal Cafe Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Luck
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • “The show makes you question, think about things and look into yourself. It speaks to you”: Tom Sturridge and Vivienne Acheampong on The Sandman
    Cinema & Tv
  • “Theatre is totally unique… there’s simply nothing else quite like it”: An interview with Sir Howard Panter as the new cast of Jersey Boys opens at Trafalgar Theatre
    Theatre
  • Jersey Boys bring on a new cast at Trafalgar Theatre
    Theatre
  • All of Us at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Sandman
    ★★★★★
    netflix
  • Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Jersey Boys bring on a new cast at Trafalgar Theatre
    Theatre
  • Luck
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • South Facing Festival: Jungle bring their signature neo-funk to Saturday night
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • “Everything that’s happened to me has brought me here”: David Leitch on Bullet Train and working with Brad Pitt
    Cinema & Tv
  • The Tempest at Shakespeare’s Globe
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Ristorante Iacobucci elevates the fine-dining scene in Bologna with a modern cuisine that looks to the past
The Specials serve up a politically charged set at Gunnersville Festival 2019 | Live review