Torch Song was my first off-Broadway show. It was played at the Second Stage Theater, a famous theater company. The building, to me, seemed very low-key. I couldn’t tell that that was where we were headed. As we entered, it still looked more like a warehouse than a theater. But when I got to the actual stage area, the whole atmosphere changed. The way the seats were arranged was very organized yet felt open at the same time. Maybe because the ceiling was and the seats were sort of organized in a bleachers type of way, it felt like it was outdoors in some open arena. Our seats were towards the back, the second or third from last row, yet when the stage still felt so close and the characters appeared to be much closer than they were for some reason. The stage was set up very well. I could clearly tell the setting was from an older time period. The transitions between acts were extremely smooth and fast. They had the stages already made and they simply rolled them over, it was a very efficient way to do things. The acting itself was phenomenal. I was amazed to see the level of talent and perfection a mere mortal can achieve. Seeing live performances like these are different than watching things on a screen. Sitting in the audience, I could feel the talent which of course made the audience very responsive. There were cheers, groans, laughs, gasps, at every scene. We all felt the disconnect between Ed and Arnold. It was frustrating to see how times force a person to hide himself yet and the was and still is the reality. The murder of Alan was something surely that we didn’t expect but again speaks to the tragedy in which people are forced to live in. The production has been extremely successful and has won the Tony Award. Torch Song was surely a moving experience.
