she took me to this theater to see harvey fierstein in "torchsong trilogy."anted to use it as a spark to start a conversation with me. she wanted me to see a life that could be possible for me. >> reporter: for jackson, this play and the lgbtq rights it stands for are just as relevant now. >> our rights are under assault. my generation fought and got us this far. now it's time, as they see our rights eroding, the young people have to know who the warriors were. and arnold is a perfect example of that. >> reporter: for both fierstein and jackson, passing the torch to michael urie and the next generation of broadway actors is part of the play's importance. >> what loss did you have? you fooled around with am boy. where does that come to compare to a marriage of 35 years? >> you think it doesn't? >> oh, come on, come on. arnold, you're not talking to one of your pals. >> i lost someone i loved very much. >> the role is his now. i gave to it him. he will direct this someday. he'll direct a production someday. 30 years from now. and he will give it to someone else