Torch Song Trilogy is a collection of three plays by Harvey Fierstein rendered in three acts: International Stud, Fugue in a Nursery, and Widows and Children First! 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. The four-hour play begins with a soliloquy in which he explains his cynical disillusionment with love. Characters Lady Blues: a character who appears between scenes in International Stud. According to Fierstein’s stage directions, she is to be “dressed in period, [singing] a torch song in the manner of Helen Morgan or Ruth Etting." Arnold Beckoff: the central character of the play. In the stage directions, Fierstein playfully describes him as a "kvetch (someone who complains habitually) of great wit and want." Ed Reiss: Arnold’s bisexual lover and friend. He is “thirty-five [and] very handsome.” Young Stud: a young man who Arnold hooks up with in the backroom of the International Stud. He has no speaking lines. Laurel: Ed’s lover and eventual fiancee. Alan: Arnold’s young lover, who is beaten to death by a group of homophobic boys. David Beckoff: Arnold’s 15-year old adopted son, “a wonderfully bright and handsome boy.” Ma: Arnold’s extremely strict, traditional Jewish mother. She is around 60. Summary Each act focuses on a different phase in Arnold's life. In the first, Arnold meets Ed Reiss, who is uncomfortable with his bisexuality. This becomes an increasing source of conflict between the two, causing Ed to eventually leave Arnold and settle down with a woman named Laurel. Arnold is heartbroken because he still loves Ed. In the second, one year later, Arnold meets Alan, and the two settle down into a blissful existence that includes plans to adopt a child. The couple visit Ed and Laurel in their country home, where the group deals with tensions resulting from Ed and Arnold’s previous relationship. The segment ends with Laurel telling Arnold she and Ed are engaged. In the third, several years later, Arnold is a single father raising gay teenager David. It is revealed that just before receiving David from the state, Alan was the victim of a violent hate crime, resulting in his death and leaving Arnold to raise a child on his own. Ed is separated from Laurel, and stays at Arnold’s to help him. The play revolves around Arnold’s struggle to move