What begins as a chance encounter in a New York nightclub leads drag queen Arnold Beckoff on a hilarious yet touching pursuit of love, happiness, and a life of which he can be proud. From a failed affair with a reluctant lover, to a committed relationship with a young model and the promise of a stable family, Arnold’s struggle for acceptance meets its greatest challenge in his intolerant mother.

This edition contains for the first time ever both the original scripts for the three one-act plays (International Stud, Fugue in a Nursery, and Widows and Children First!) as they were performed in the 1980s, as well as the revised script for the 2017 revival that condensed all three into the play Torch Song. It also includes a never-before-published introduction by Harvey Fierstein, as well as photographs from both the original production and the revival starring Michael Urie and Mercedes Ruehl and directed by Moisés Kaufman.