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Harvey Fierstein is Born
He was born in Brooklyn Ny -
Fierstein is cast in Andy Warhol's Play "Pork"
Andy Warhol's first and only play. Pork was based on tape-recorded conversations between Brigid Berlin and Warhol during which Brigid would play for Warhol tapes she had made of phone conversations between herself and her mother, socialite Honey Berlin. Harvey was cast in a supporting role as "asthmatic lesbian maid". -
Harvey graduates from Pratt Institute Brooklyn with a BFA
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Torch Song Trilogy Opens on broadway
Harvey's debut as a playwright, a collection of three plays rendered in three acts. The story centers on Arnold Beckoff, a Jewish homosexual, drag queen, and torch singer who lives in New York City in the late 1970s and early 1980s. -
Torch Song Tony Awards
Harvey was nominated and won for both Best Play and Best Actor in a Play for Torch Song Trilogy. This was a very prolific season for him as he also won two Drama Desk Awards and the Theatre World Award. Fierstein Is the first openly gay Actor to win a tony. -
La Cage aux Folles opens on broadway
Harvey wrote this as an adaptation of the french play of the same name. the show tells the story of a gay couple, Georges, the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin, his romantic partner and star attraction; farcical adventures ensue when household dynamics intersect with an ultra-conservative politician. -
Spookhouse opens off-broadway
" In this, his first effort since his Tony-award-winning play, ''Torch Song Trilogy'' and the musical, ''La Cage aux Folles,'' Mr. Fierstein has attempted to write a black comic- tragedy with so many skeletons in and out of the closet as to make the earth quake. " - a nyt article reviewing the play at the time -
Cage a Follie Tony Awards
"La Cage aux Folles" won the Tony Award for "Best Book of a Musical" in addition to also winning the Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Book". During his Tony Award acceptance speech, Fierstein acknowledged his male lover; according to Entertainment Weekly, this was "not a first", but was "still startling to many viewers". -
Harvey narrates "The Times of Harvey Milk"
He Earned a News and Documentary Emmy For this. -
Safe Sex
Safe Sex is a collection of three one act plays all revolving around the aid epidemic, ''I was trying to come to terms with the situation, with AIDS, that's why I wrote it,'' said Harvey Fierstein. "This show was my personal response to living in the time of AIDS. It was an attempt to deal with my confusion about AIDS. This show is really from the heart, and it has all my anger and frustration." -
Legs Diamond Opens on Broadway
A collaboration between Harvey and Peter Allen, which at the time was met with numerous negative reviews. The musical closed February 19, 1989 after 64 performances and 72 previews (far more than the usual 16-24 preview periods). -
Harvey is cast as Mark Newberger in Cheer
Fierstein plays Mark, Rebecca Howe's (Kirstie Alley) high school sweetheart who is gay. This was seen as a milestone for queer voices in television. -
Harvey is cast as Frank Hilliard
Harvey was good friends with Robin Williams. He was asked to do the movie by Robin after robin saw Harvey do a stand-up set at a charity drive. -
Harvey is cast as Yao in Mulan
On his time working with disney on this role he says "They know what they want, you go in you give them what they want and then if you're lucky you give them a little bit extra and they start coming around to let you add a little bit to the character". -
Harvey Fierstein originates Edna Turnblad in Hairspray
"How different are we from each other? Edna loves to be photographed, but out of drag I have developed camera shyness. Once, when being complimented on my performance I caught myself saying, "I’ll tell Edna how much you enjoyed the show." Even our sense of balance is different. Due to the redistributed weight of the costume, I cannot perform my dance moves unless wearing the body-suit." -Harvey on the character of Edna -
Harvey wins Tony for Best Actor in a Musical
This was for the role of Edna Turnblad, earning him his fourth tony. -
Newsies opens on Broadway
Fierstein wrote the book for the stage musical Newsies, along with Alan Menken (music) and Jack Feldman (lyrics). -
Kinky Boots opens on Broadway
“I mean, he’s not gay, I wrote this character as a heterosexual transvestite. He’s very clear that that is what he is. I thought this was a really interesting character to put up on the stage...rather than arguing the same arguments I’ve argued in 'La Cage,'to do something different. The really interesting thing to me is that not one critic -- not the gay critics,not the straight critics -- not one critic picked up on him being straight. Not one." - Harvey said about the story and its perception -
Harvey stars as Edna Turnblad in the telecast of Hairspray
He is also credited with adapting it for telecast. -
Bella Bella Opens off-Broadway
Fierstein wrote and starred in Bella Bella, a solo monologue play about New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug. It was Directed by Kimberly Senior -
Harvey released his memoir "I Was Better Last Night"
The title refers to what Fierstein would often say to friends after a performance. But it’s also about regret. “What’s the harm in looking back?” he writes. “If you’re willing to listen, I’m willing to dig.” -
references
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torch_Song_Trilogy
https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/03/theater/theater-spookhouse.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol%27s_Pork
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cage_aux_Folles_(musical)
https://playbill.com/production/safe-sex-lyceum-theatre-vault-0000007115
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xqZrsynycQ&t=5s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faPXqoXrEVY&t=556s -