You'd think that of all people, Harvey Fierstein would know about men in frocks.
From his Tony-winning play "Torch Song Trilogy" in the 1980s through his books for the musicals "La Cage aux Folles" and "Kinky Boots," and a star turn as a frumpy housewife in "Hairspray," Fierstein pretty much owns this particular Broadway patch.
On the surface his new play, "Casa Valentina," mines familiar terrain — it's about a 1960s Catskills resort for cross-dressing men, most of them straight. But the tone is more serious than one might expect.
"The more I read about the place, the more I realized there was nothing silly about what they were doing," says Fierstein.
The real-life inspiration for the show burst into public life in the mid-'00s when furniture dealer Robert Swope and his partner, Michel Hurst, published a book of photographs they'd found at the 26th Street flea market. They were of transvestites hanging out at a resort nicknamed Casa Susanna, after the female alter ego of Tito Valenti, a New York City court stenographer/interpreter who owned it with his wife, Marie.
Fierstein actually was aware of it, sort of.
Casa SusannaPhoto: Katherine Cummings
"My father was raised in the Catskills, so from childhood I knew about that place," Fierstein recalls. "But as little kids my brother and I were much more interested in the nudist colony down the road than in a bunch of guys running around in dresses."
Not that anybody could do much running around in the girdles and heels of the time, mind you. Mostly the guests lounged about, played Scrabble, exchanged beauty tips and put on the occasional musical number.
"It was this Garden of Eden, this perfect place where they could be themselves and live," Fierstein says.
As it turns out, some of the pics were taken at Casa Susanna while others dated from its neighboring predecessor, the Chevalier d'Eon — named for an infamous 18th century transvestite spy and owned by the same people.
Actors in "Casa Valentina."Photo: Matthew Murphy
Australian-born Katherine Cummings, now 79, remembers visiting d'Eon for the first time in 1962. As John Cummings, she drove down from Toronto, where she was enrolled in a post-graduate library program.
"I recognized the resort as soon as I saw it on the stage," says Cummings (who underwent sex-reassignment surgery in 1986) of "Casa Valentina."
"Not because of the architecture but because of the spirit," she continues. "The people were relaxed, they put their responsibilities aside for the weekend and they were happy."
Contrary to misconceptions, most of the guests were straight, and man, like Tito and Marie, attended as a couple.
An actor in "Casa Valentina."Photo: Matthew Murphy
Not all spouses were as accepting. Resort guest David Wilde, a k a Gail, went on to wed "Dark Shadows" star Joan Bennett — who sadly didn't care for his feminine side.
"Dave loved her deeply and dearly so he gave up cross-dressing during his marriage," Cummings recalls. "I thought she was a pill myself. He was back in a dress the day after she died."
The guests had diverse backgrounds, with a surprising number holding stereotypically male jobs. According to the dry-witted Cummings, "If you throw a stone into a bunch of engineers you'll probably hit a transvestite. And if you throw a stone into a bunch of transvestites, you'll probably hit an engineer."
Above all, "Casa Valentina" makes a plea for tolerance.
"The most important message I would hope people get from the play is, 'We're all different,'" Fierstein says. "There's no such thing as normal."
"Casa Valentina" opens Wednesday at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (212-239-6200).
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