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Torch Song Stage Play Video - Does it Exist in Full?


I have just been watching an hour long version of the Matthew Broderick biography on the Bio Channel in the UK. The programme features a video clip Matthew's performance on the stage play of Torch Song Trilogy. Does anyone know if this video exists for the entire play and if it is available? I would love to see the original off Broadway performance so often raved about.

The video clip was of decent quality, but obviously of the time and appeared to be a two camera set-up, suggesting that it was a professional recording.

Any help, much appreciated and thanks in advance.

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I don't think it does, but I would recommend that you watch the film of Torch Song Trilogy (If you haven't alredy done so) as it is a brilliant film. I have watched it several times and still I want to see it again and again.

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Thanks for the reply rhi_b. I have seen the movie version (more times than I care to mention, lol) and absolutely love it. Fantastic writing and performances throughout.

I've always wondered what the original stage production was like and to see a clip on Matthew's biography has whetted the appetite to see more. I do hope that any DVD distributor who wishes to market a special edition of the movie would consider including the stage play (or what exists of the recording) as an extra.

Thanks again.

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[deleted]

The clip you saw was probably part of the Lincoln Center archive video that is usually shot for every Broadway play. To my understanding, it's not easy to be able to obtain or view those archived recordings. You have to have media credentials or some authority to view them.

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As someone has noted, it's fairly certain the show was videotaped and preserved for Lincoln Center's Theatre archives (why they do this when they make it near impossible for anyone to view them I don't know) but I suspect the clip you saw was not from that taping. It's fairly common for shows to allow brief passages of a play or musical taped so that they can be used as an excerpt in a profile on the show or an actor in it for the various show biz news shows like SHOW BIZ TODAY or ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT. I recall seeing snippets of the show in profiles on both Matthew Broderick and Harvey Fierstein on these type of programs back then and I'm sure that sort of footage was used for the Biography episode on Matthew.

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I know for a fact that there is a bootleg recording of the original cast. I have not seen it, but know it exists and has been going around between traders.

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