I Was Better Last Night (3*)

I had high hopes for Harvey Fierstein's memoir after reading a rave review in the New York Times which included a hilarious anecdote about a famous, long deceased comedian who asked for a student discount at the box office for Torch Song Trilogy.  "Buy you're Madeline Kahn!" protested he ticket seller.  "Yes, but I have so much to learn."

You'll probably enjoy the book most if you're a theater geek spelunking for production details.  But for me, the book ran out of steam after Fierstein's success with Torch Song Trilogy which I was fortunate to have seen off Broadway in 1981 when the playwright's revolutionary candor and moving performance convinced me that drag queens were the true heroes of the gay liberation movement.

Reading I Was Better Last Night also brought back a remark (name drop) Edward Albee once made to me about Fierstein during a chance encounter in the Ramble.  "He just wants to make the heteros feel safe."

Forty years later, mission accomplished.