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Harvey Fierstein to Play Bella Abzug on Stage

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March 21, 2019
Harvey Fierstein; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Harvey Fierstein, who won Tony Awards for his drag roles in “Torch Song Trilogy” and “Hairspray,” will star as politician and feminist leader Bella Abzug in “Bella Bella” off-Broadway this fall. Fierstein wrote the play, which will begin previews Oct. 1 and open Oct. 22 at the Manhattan Theatre Club’s City Center Stage 1.

In a statement, Fierstein described the play as a “raucous, heart-rending and absurdly humorous solo show. Set in 1976, on the eve of her bid to become New York State’s first female Senator, ‘Bella Bella’ finds this larger-than-life, truth-slinging, groundbreaking, hat-wearing icon squirreled away in the bathroom of a midtown hotel awaiting that night’s election results while a coterie of family and celebs await her entrance.”

Fierstein’s gravelly voice will also be heard in “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” an animated series for Netflix. Andy Samberg, Alicia Vikander, Mark Hamill. Helena Bonham-Carter and Caitriona Balfe are also in the cast.

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