Well - let me share a wonderful Harvey Fierstein story then. It was 1989 and I was a junior in college. I was coming out of the closet at the time, while directing one of Fierstein's plays from his TORCH SONG TRILOGY. I was dating my first boyfriend at the time and so much was going on in my head, between coming-out to my friends, coming out to my family a few months later, being involved in my first relationship ever.
Fierstein's work meant a great deal to me. It reflected an enormous amount of what I was feeling and experiencing at the time...it was a tumultuous period for me.
I wrote Harvey a looooong letter telling him I was directing one of his pieces, that I was in the process of coming-out and how very much his work meant to me. I sent it to his agent at the time, thinking that well, I may never hear anything back, but if the agent does indeed pass it on to Harvey, at least he may read it and know how he has touched someone.
Fast forward about 2 weeks later. I got a phone call from, you guessed it, Harvey Fierstein himself. (I had included my phone number in the letter.) He was wonderful. He spoke to me for 20 minutes and was gracious, lovely and nothing but supportive. I was dumbfounded. He said that my "heartfelt letter had moved him immensely" and thathe simply had to call in person.
We discussed my coming out, how proud I should be at being so courageous to be myself, and he even answered a question or two I had about his script. (We also slammed politician Dan Quayle, who we ALL seemed to be insulting at the time. LOL.) It was such a special, moving experience and he was so dear. He was busy at the time promoting his TORCH SONG TRILOGY movie and was exhausted from press junkets, but he took the time to actually reach out. He didn't have to, not in the least. I will always be grateful to him for that.
A few days later he also sent me a postcard on his personal stationary thanking ME for the enjoyable conversation. (He was thanking ME? LOL. Amazing!) He had some lovely things to say on the card, which I, of course saved. We never spoke again, but he was such a supportive, encouraging person.
I believe during HAIRSPRAY, people hounded him to a crazy degree at the stage door. I heard tales of him trying to eat supper out between Sat. HAIRSPRAY performances a few times and people would just SIT UNINVITED in his booth and just begin talking to him... on HIS supper break. The gall! They just sat down and began yammering and showing pens at him. It really does just take a few rotten apples to spoil the whole barrel.
The reality - these folks are just actors. Once that curtain falls, they can do whatever they want. Their official commitment is over once that final curtain falls and they sign out. If they pose, sign, etc., it's their perogative. YOU try leaving to go home eight shows a week, sometimes two performances a day - and have tons of people stop you and hold you there upwards of 30 to 60 mins., screaming and pushing. If they just smile and wave and get into a car, don't take it personally. Nowhere in their contracts does it say they HAVE to stan at the barricades, humor people, pose, sign, make polite banter.
"I am not 'a' Eunice Burns. I am THE Eunice Burns!!!"
