Fierstein made his acting debut at La MaMa, E.T.C. in Andy Warhol's only play, "Pork". Fierstein continued to appear at La MaMa and other venues but also, having some aspirations to become a painter, enrolled at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Pratt in 1973. Fierstein appeared three times in "The Haunted Host" by Robert Patrick: in Boston in 1975, at La MaMa, and then Off-Broadway in 1991. In addition to "Torch Song Trilogy", "La Cage aux Folles" and "A Catered Affair", Fierstein's Broadway acting credits include playing the mother, Edna Turnblad in "Hairspray" (2002), for which he won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He later replaced Alfred Molina as Tevye in the 2004 revival of "Fiddler on the Roof".