fbpx
Wikipedia

Falsettos

Falsettos is a sung-through musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine, and music and lyrics by Finn. The musical consists of March of the Falsettos (1981) and Falsettoland (1990), the last two installments in a trio of one-act musicals that premiered off-Broadway (the first was In Trousers). The story centers on Marvin, who has left his wife to be with a male lover, Whizzer, and struggles to keep his family together. Much of the first act explores the impact his relationship with Whizzer has had on his family. The second act explores family dynamics that evolve as he and his ex-wife plan his son's bar mitzvah. Central to the musical are the themes of Jewish identity, gender roles, and gay life in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It also deals with the topic of the AIDS epidemic.

Falsettos
Original Logo
MusicWilliam Finn
LyricsWilliam Finn
BookWilliam Finn
James Lapine
PremiereApril 29, 1992 (1992-04-29): John Golden Theatre
Productions1992 Broadway
1993 U.S. tour
2016 Broadway revival
2019 U.S. tour
2019 West End
AwardsTony Award for Best Book of a Musical
Tony Award for Best Original Score

Falsettos premiered on Broadway in 1992 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning those for Best Book and Best Original Score. The musical was revived on Broadway in 2016 starring Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, and Andrew Rannells. The 2016 revival was filmed and adapted for the PBS Live from Lincoln Center television series, and aired on October 27, 2017. The revival was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. Both the original cast and 2016 revival cast performed at the Tony Awards. Other revivals include tours in Australia and the United Kingdom. The musical was praised by critics for its melodic compositions, humor, character development, and positive portrayal of non-traditional family structures.

Background Edit

Inception Edit

 
James Lapine, director and co-book writer

Composer William Finn began his theater career with a one-act musical In Trousers (1979), which centers on the character Marvin questioning his sexuality. It was produced twice at Playwrights Horizons off-Broadway, opening in February 1978 and again in December 1979.[1] It was also produced off-Broadway at Second Stage Theater in March 1981.[2] After In Trousers received sharply unfavorable reviews, Finn considered abandoning musical theater and attending medical school.[3] He felt that "if the critic for the Times at that time had been more responsible, it would have been a considerable debut. But as it was, he just said it was junk."[3] Finn struggled in his science classes and discarded his medical school plans, turning back to writing about the character of Marvin.[4]

Finn soon wrote the songs for another one-act musical about Marvin and his family, March of the Falsettos, collaborating with director James Lapine on the book. Actress Alison Fraser, who originated the role of Trina, contributed additional vocal orchestrations.[5] This premiered at Playwrights Horizons in April 1981, ran there through September and moved to the Westside Theatre in October 1981.[1] March of the Falsettos received more positive critical reception than In Trousers: Ellen Pall of The New York Times wrote that Finn's "brilliant form combined with the absolute topicality of his social themes first bowled critics over".[6] In 1989, Finn premiered another musical, Romance in Hard Times, which did not feature any of the characters of Falsettos; it was not a success.[4]

Almost a decade after March of the Falsettos, in the wake of the 1980s AIDS epidemic, Finn followed with Falsettoland. The musical concluded Finn's "Marvin Trilogy" of one-act pieces about Marvin and his circle, beginning with In Trousers and March of the Falsettos.[7] Falsettoland opened at Playwrights Horizons on June 28, 1990, then moved to the Lucille Lortel Theatre, on September 16, 1990, where it closed on January 27, 1991.[8] It won the 1991 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and the 1991 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics.[9]

Composition Edit

Finn and Lapine then combined March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland to form a full-length show, titled Falsettos,[10] slightly altering them to form a "more unified, more thematically consistent" musical.[11] In writing both acts of Falsettos, Finn prioritized making the audience laugh, believing that provoking laughter is more challenging than garnering tears.[3] Each musical was developed during rehearsals, particularly as Finn is a disorganized writer and composer.[12] Finn often composed songs without a clear idea of where they would fit in the musical; he struggled to decide where to place the bar mitzvah in the action. The idea to set it in the hospital came to him in a dream.[13] According to Stephen Bogardus, who played Whizzer in the original cast of both shows as well as in Falsettos, Lapine came up with the idea to incorporate racquetball scenes in Falsettoland, and he and his racquetball partner, Bogardus, added racquetball terminology into the dialogue.[12] The haftorah read by Jason at his bar mitzvah was originally the same one read at Finn's own bar mitzvah, but he "got bored in the middle of writing it" and added words that he enjoyed musically but are grammatically incorrect in Hebrew.[13] Some songs, including "Four Jews in a Room Bitching", originated with Finn humming improvised melodies while strolling the streets of New York City.[13]

Synopsis Edit

Act I: March of the Falsettos Edit

In 1979 in New York City, Marvin, his ten-year-old son Jason, his psychiatrist Mendel, and his boyfriend Whizzer are in the midst of an argument ("Four Jews In a Room Bitching"). Marvin steps forward to explain his situation: He has left his wife Trina for his male lover, Whizzer, but no one is happy with his attempts to integrate Whizzer into the family ("A Tight-Knit Family"). At Marvin's suggestion, Trina visits Mendel and explains she is having trouble accepting the end of her marriage and her failure to be a perfect wife. Mendel, instantly attracted to her, tries to reassure her that she is not to blame ("Love Is Blind"). Marvin and Whizzer note that they have very little in common but are intensely attracted to each other and worry that their feelings for one another are fading ("The Thrill of First Love"). Whizzer presents an interlude titled "Marvin at the Psychiatrist, a Three-Part Mini-Opera". In a series of therapy sessions with Mendel, Marvin discusses his relationship with Whizzer, his failed relationship with Trina (which leads to Mendel pressing him for intimate details about his ex-wife), and his inability to connect with his son. Jason is very worried that because of Marvin's sexuality, he will turn out to be gay too ("'My Father's a Homo'"), and his parents suggest he receive therapy from Mendel to calm his mood swings. Jason refuses to listen to his parents, but agrees to go to therapy once Whizzer adds his recommendation ("Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist").

Marvin and Whizzer fight over Whizzer's lack of enthusiasm for monogamy and Marvin's attempt to force him into the role of a housewife ("This Had Better Come to a Stop"), while Trina is concerned that Whizzer is taking her place in the family and has a mental breakdown ("I'm Breaking Down"). Trina requests that Mendel provide in-home therapy for Jason ("Please Come to Our House"), and after getting to know her and Jason through these sessions, Mendel clumsily proposes to her. Trina accepts, sparking jealousy in Marvin ("A Marriage Proposal"). Trina is frustrated with the male-dominated world she lives in and the immaturity of the four men around her, who sing a hymn to masculinity, the three adults singing in falsetto to match Jason's unbroken voice ("Trina's Song/March of the Falsettos"). Trina recollects herself and calms down from her frustration (Trina's Song - Reprise).

Marvin tries to teach Whizzer how to play chess, but bitterness and ill-feeling boil over ("The Chess Game"). They fight and break up. Meanwhile, Trina and Mendel move in together ("Making a Home"). As he packs, Whizzer reflects on his life and relationship with Marvin. He has been used and abused by other men because of his looks his whole life, and Whizzer finally decides that he doesn't want to live like that anymore. ("The Games I Play"). After receiving Mendel and Trina's marriage announcement, Marvin breaks down in rage and slaps her ("Marvin Hits Trina"). Shocked by his actions, everyone confesses that they never intended to feel so deeply about the people in their lives, and they accept the pain that love can bring ("I Never Wanted To Love You"). Jason discovers his attraction to girls, to his immense relief. In the wake of the destruction of his relationships with both Whizzer and Trina, Marvin sits Jason down for a talk and tells him that no matter what kind of man Jason turns out to be, Marvin will always be there for him ("Father to Son") .

Act II: Falsettoland Edit

It is 1981, two years later. Nancy Reagan is in the White House, and two new people are introduced: Marvin's lesbian neighbors Dr. Charlotte, an internist, and Cordelia, a non-Jewish caterer specializing in Jewish cuisine. Marvin observes that it's "About Time" to grow up and get over himself. He has managed to maintain his relationship with Jason and now shares split custody with Trina, who has married Mendel. He has not seen Whizzer for two years and has not gotten over him (Falsettoland/About Time). Marvin and Trina begin planning "Jason's Bar Mitzvah", and each character has a different opinion regarding how it should be celebrated ("The Year of the Child"). Later, at Jason's Little League Baseball game, Jason ponders which girls he will invite to the bar mitzvah ("The Miracle of Judaism"). Whizzer arrives at the baseball game after being invited by Jason. Marvin cautiously asks Whizzer on a date just as Jason manages to hit the ball ("The Baseball Game"). An interlude ends with everyone reflecting on how wonderful life is ("A Day in Falsettoland"). Soon afterwards, Marvin and Trina argue at length about the logistics of the bar mitzvah ("The Fight"), which makes Jason want to call it off. Mendel consoles the boy, telling him that "Everyone Hates His Parents" at his age, but everyone eventually matures and hates them less.

Marvin sits in bed one morning, looking at the sleeping Whizzer, and wonders at how much he loves him ("What More Can I Say?"). Dr. Charlotte, meanwhile, is becoming aware that young gay men in the city arrive at the hospital sick with a mysterious illness that no one understands ("Something Bad is Happening"). Whizzer collapses suddenly during a game of racquetball and is hospitalized, and Trina is disturbed to find how upset she is at his condition ("Holding to the Ground"). In Whizzer's hospital room, everyone gathers to cheer him up, commenting on how well he looks. They agree that it is days like this that make these secular Jews believe in God, but Jason, in childish honesty, tells Whizzer that he looks awful ("Days Like This"). Mendel and Trina sit Jason down to inform him that Whizzer may not recover; they give him the option of "Canceling the Bar Mitzvah". Marvin sits in Whizzer's hospital room, soon joined by Cordelia and Dr. Charlotte, and the four "Unlikely Lovers" reaffirm their commitment to each other despite Whizzer's worsening situation.

As Whizzer's condition deteriorates, Jason turns to God, offering to get bar mitzvahed if Whizzer gets better ("Another Miracle of Judaism"). Dr. Charlotte explains to Marvin that "Something Bad is Happening" and heavily implies that Marvin may become sick as well. Whizzer's illness becomes terminal, and he resolves to face death with dignity and courage ("You Gotta Die Sometime"). Suddenly, everyone bursts into the hospital room. Jason has had an epiphany: he wants to hold the ceremony in Whizzer's hospital room ("Jason's Bar Mitzvah"). As Jason completes his recitation, Whizzer collapses and is taken from the room, followed by all but Marvin. Marvin, left alone, asks the departed Whizzer what his life would be if they had not loved each other. Whizzer's spirit appears, and asks if Marvin regrets their relationship, and Marvin resolutely states he would do it again ("What Would I Do?"). Marvin's friends and family surround him, and he finally loses his composure and breaks down in their arms. Mendel steps forward, tearfully declaring that "this is where we take a stand" ("Falsettoland (reprise)").

Song list Edit

Encore

  • "In Trousers" – Marvin and Ladies


† - Indicates a song not included on the cast album

Productions Edit

Original Broadway production Edit

 
The John Golden Theatre

Falsettos opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on April 29, 1992, and closed on June 27, 1993, after 487 performances.[14] Directed by James Lapine, the cast included Michael Rupert as Marvin, Stephen Bogardus as Whizzer, Barbara Walsh as Trina, Chip Zien as Mendel (he played Marvin in In Trousers), Jonathan Kaplan as Jason, Heather MacRae as Charlotte, and Carolee Carmello as Cordelia. Rupert, Bogardus, and Zien reprised their roles from the original off-Broadway productions of March of the Falsettos[15] and Falsettoland, MacRae reprised her role from Falsettoland,[16] and Walsh reprised her role from a Hartford Stage regional production of Falsettoland.[17] Scenic design was by Douglas Stein, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, and lighting by Frances Aronson.[18][19] The cast and producers were unsure if the show would find a strong following on Broadway, but were encouraged when Frank Rich of The New York Times gave the musical a positive review.[12]

Falsettos, the last show of Broadway's 1991–92 season, had a budget of $957,000, a low budget by Broadway standards.[20] Producers Barry and Fran Weissler tried various marketing strategies to promote the musical. Hoping to create an easily-identifiable logo inspired by the minimalist design of Cats, the Weisslers used the work of artist Keith Haring in which two adults and a child hold up a bright red heart.[20] Although audiences were enthusiastic at previews, the producers worried that the marketing strategy would not draw a large audience, and Barry Weissler explained that "Since Keith died of AIDS, many people felt the drawing was meant to attract a gay audience."[20] The Weisslers then hired advertising agency LeDonne, Wilner & Weiner, who launched a promotional campaign centered on photographing audience members "not targeting specific Catholic or Jewish or family audiences, but trying to get across the idea that Falsettos is for everyone."[20] The advertisers invited the newly-crowned Miss America, who had recently launched an Atlantic City-based AIDS awareness campaign, to attend the show and be photographed. In the following months, the producers began to earn back their initial investment and to profit from the show.[20]

Australian productions Edit

In 1994, Sydney Theatre Company presented an Australian production directed by Wayne Harrison and featuring John O'May as Marvin, Gina Riley as Trina, Tony Sheldon as Mendel, and Simon Burke as Whizzer. After playing at the Sydney Opera House's Drama Theatre from 12 January to 5 March 1994, the production toured Victoria, Hobart and Canberra.[21][22] Riley and Sheldon were both awarded Green Room Awards for this production, winning Best Female Artist in a Leading Role and Best for Best Male Artist in a Supporting Role, respectively.[22]

In 2014 Darlinghurst Theatre Company presented a revival directed by Stephen Colyer. The cast featured Tamlyn Henderson as Marvin, Katrina Retallick as Trina, Stephen Anderson as Mendel, Ben Hall as Whizzer, Elise McCann as Cordelia and Margi de Ferranti as Charlotte. The production played as part of the Sydney Mardi Gras festival throughout February and March 2014.[23] In her review of the production, Cassie Tongue of Aussie Theatre viewed the production as a "promising sign of things to come" for the Sydney theater scene, and praised the casting by remarking, "Henderson's Marvin and Retallick's Trina are clear standouts, and de Ferranti and McCann are so essential to the emotional weight of the second act that they are just as impressive as if they had been there from the first".[24]

2016 Broadway revival Edit

 
 
In the 2016 revival, Christian Borle (left) and Andrew Rannells (right) starred as Marvin and Whizzer, respectively.

Producer Jordan Roth announced in 2015 that he would revive the show under the direction of James Lapine in the spring of 2016.[25] The set design incorporated a cube made of large blocks that the actors rearranged throughout the show.[26] The production began previews on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on September 29, 2016, and opened officially on October 27, directed by Lapine.[27] Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells, Stephanie J. Block and Brandon Uranowitz played Marvin, Whizzer, Trina, and Mendel respectively.[28] Tracie Thoms was Dr. Charlotte, Betsy Wolfe played Cordelia, and Anthony Rosenthal was Jason.[29]

The production closed on January 8, 2017.[30] Two performances were filmed on January 3 and 4, 2017, which were repackaged into a presentation for the PBS television series Live from Lincoln Center, and aired on October 27, 2017.[31][32][33] A North American tour of the 2016 Broadway revival launched in February 2019, under Lapine's direction, and ended in late June 2019. Max von Essen starred as Marvin, with Eden Espinosa as Trina, Nick Adams as Whizzer, and Nick Blaemire as Mendel.[34][35]

2019 Off-West End Edit

Selladoor Worldwide announced that they would produce Falsettos at The Other Palace, an off-West End theatre in London, for a strictly limited run.[36] The show began previews on August 30, 2019, before officially opening on September 5.[37] The original cast featured Natasha J Barnes as Cordelia, Daniel Boys as Marvin, Gemma Knight-Jones as Charlotte, Laura Pitt-Pulford as Trina, and Oliver Savile as Whizzer.[38] Joel Montague played Mendel.[39] The show closed on November 23, 2019.

Before the production opened, a group of more than 20 Jewish actors and playwrights, including Miriam Margolyes and Maureen Lipman, signed an open letter to the producers, concerned about the lack of Jewish presence within the cast and creatives.[40] Despite this, the show opened to mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the cast, story and music, but aiming criticism at the set design.[37] The show was nominated for Best Video Design and won Best Off-West End Production at the 2020 WhatsOnStage Awards.

Themes Edit

Judaism Edit

 
Finn's Jewish upbringing inspired themes in Falsettos.

Jewish culture and identity plays a significant role in Falsettos. It takes place in the "often humorous environment of Jewish neuroses and self-deprecation".[13] Finn gave Judaism a central role in the musical, emphasized by beginning it with the song "Four Jews in a Room Bitching".[13] The stage version begins with all four male characters dressed in clothing from Biblical times before they remove these robes to reveal modern clothing.[41] In the song, three characters state that they are Jewish, while Whizzer specifies that he is "half-Jewish". The first act, "March of the Falsettos", was originally intended to be titled Four Jews in a Room Bitching until Lapine insisted that Finn change the title.[13] Writers Raymond and Zelda Knapp compared the implications of the AIDS epidemic in Falsettos to the foreshadowing of the Holocaust in the 1964 Jewish musical Fiddler on the Roof, noting that both works suggest the "comparatively innocent" atmosphere before tragedy and the "grim" environment afterward.[42]

Jason's bar mitzvah is a major plot point and accentuates the theme of the male characters maturing and becoming men.[13] Jesse Oxfeld of The Forward wrote that the musical is a "story about love and family – about making your own chosen family, which is of course a classic gay trope, but also, in its message of accommodation and dedication and, well, l'dor v'dor, very Jewish."[43] He also noted that due to the musical's casual, matter-of-fact depiction of homosexuality, "The lesbians are most interesting for being goyim".[43] The song "The Baseball Game" pokes fun at a stereotypical lack of athletic prowess among American Jews, but Mendel then points out the success of Jewish baseball players Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg.[44] Finn, who played Little League baseball as a child, invited Koufax to a performance of Falsettos in Los Angeles, and the baseball player was "offended – not at all pleased" by the joke.[7]

AIDS epidemic Edit

While Falsettos never explicitly mentions the words HIV or AIDS, the disease plays a major role in the second half of the musical. Whizzer first hand suffers from the disease and ultimately loses his life to it. Examples of implicit references to the virus include "Something that kills/Something infectious/Something that spreads from one man to another" and "something so bad that words have lost their meaning".[44][45] The first half of the musical takes place in 1979, before the start of the epidemic, and the second half takes place in 1981, the year the epidemic began. This historical development results in the first act being primarily a comedy, but the second being mostly a tragedy, so that an audience member is likely to "enter laughing and exit crying".[7] In 1981, the disease was not understood by the medical community and was eventually called GRID (Gay-related immune deficiency) by The New York Times in May 1982.[46] Lapine has described the AIDS epidemic as "a time frame in our past that has somewhat been forgotten ... we had lost a lot of people to HIV. ... We really need to keep that history alive.'"[47]

Finn wanted to convey the tragedy of AIDS accurately in Falsettoland and thought, "I can't have AIDS be peripheral in the show, and I don't know that I could write about AIDS head-on because the horror is too real and I don't want to trivialize it."[13] Finn later described Falsettos as a "catharsis for people who've been going through the AIDS epidemic as well as for people not going through it", hoping that the show would allow people who had only read about the epidemic to empathize with people who had lived through it first-hand.[3] The inclusion of lesbian characters Charlotte and Cordelia is a tribute to the lesbians who assisted gay men during the epidemic. Finn expressed that the inclusion of women in the story was paramount to the message of the show, explaining, "Gay men's lives have a lot of women in them. This is important to come into the conversation. They should not be ignored."[48] The show also explores heterosexual Trina's perspective on Whizzer's illness in "Holding to the Ground", where she shows solidarity with him despite previously struggling to accept his relationship with Marvin.[48]

The revival of the show in 2016 was partly intended to educate young LGBT youth about gay life in the 1980s and to instill a sense of gratitude at how both societal views of gay people and HIV/AIDS treatments have vastly improved since that period.[48] Lapine was inspired to revisit the show when attending a performance of The Normal Heart with a recent college graduate. He recalled: "At intermission, she just looked at me and she said, 'Well, I kind of know about AIDS, but was it really like this?'"[48] AIDS activist and playwright of The Normal Heart Larry Kramer attended a performance of the 2016 Falsettos revival. Andrew Rannells, who portrayed Whizzer, noted that seeing Kramer in the audience while singing "You Gotta Die Sometime" left him "completely wrecked" due to his admiration for Kramer's activism in support of the LGBT community and HIV-positive people.[49]

Masculinity Edit

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times asserts that definitions of masculinity form "a sharp undercurrent in the show".[50] In the first act, Marvin attempts to force Whizzer into the role of "pretty boy homemaker", which causes Whizzer to step away from the relationship. Though Marvin is now in a same-sex relationship, he still tries to assume the more traditionally masculine role of the provider.[51] Daily Herald writer Jennifer Farrar characterized the arguments between Marvin and Whizzer as "testosterone-laden".[26] The song "March of the Falsettos" is an ode to the immaturity of the male characters, and features the three adult male characters singing in falsetto to match Jason's pre-pubescent voice.[7] In "Trina's Song", Trina complains that "I'm tired of all the happy men who rule the world", and "her fondness for the man-babies in her life battling with exasperation and needy resentment at every turn."[51]

Trina's struggles with the men in her life are also symbolized in "I'm Breaking Down", where she manically chops bananas and carrots for her "banana-carrot surprise", "an unusual combination but an appropriately phallic one".[43] By including Jason's bar mitzvah as a key component of the second act, Finn represents the evolution of the male characters in the show. Finn explains, "There's so much about what it means to be a man in the show. It's not only the kid becoming a man – it's kind of all the men becoming men. It's a metaphor that resonates."[13] Critics interpreted the set design of the 2016 revival to reflect immaturity by representing the New York City skyline in the form of children's building blocks.[26] The musical additionally explores the link between masculinity and sexuality. Marvin's preteen son Jason questions his sexuality and worries that his father's homosexuality could be genetically passed down to him "My Father's a Homo".[26]

Reception Edit

Early performances Edit

Frank Rich of The New York Times praised the 1992 opening night performance as "exhilarating and heartbreaking", speaking favorably of the musical's cast, humor, and emotional depth.[45] He called Jason's bar mitzvah scene "one of the most moving you've ever seen" and explained that in addressing the AIDS epidemic, "It is the heaven-sent gift of Mr. Finn and company that they make you believe that the love, no less fortissimo, somehow lingers on."[45] Joe Brown of The Washington Post praised the chemistry between Marvin and Whizzer, calling their relationship "sexily combative".[3] Brown also highlighted the emotional ending, stating that the audience, "which began the play roaring with laughter, is left in tear-soaked shreds".[3] Jeremy Gerard of Variety commented that "to call Falsettos a musical about gay life in modern times is also to shortchange its tremendous appeal as a masterly feat of comic storytelling and as a visionary musical theater work".[52] Gerard thought "Four Jews in a Room Bitching" "hilarious" and praised the musical's pacing, opining that "Lapine and Finn tell their complex story with astonishing economy".[52]

In her report about Finn's Tony Award acceptance speech in June 1992, Kim Hubbard of People characterized Falsettos as both "a laugh-a-minute musical" and "a tragedy filled with hope".[4] Sylvie Drake of the Los Angeles Times called a 1993 San Diego performance a "stunning ode to modern living" noting that the musical's "virtuosity is in its mastery of the bittersweet – and eventually the tragic – wailing over life's nasty habit of giving and taking away, but without wasting time on self-pity. Instead, the show makes intricate songs from the sour lemons. And the result is glorious lemonade."[53] In 2016, Daily Herald writer Jennifer Farrar wrote that the play was considered "groundbreaking for its time" upon its 1992 debut.[26]

John Simon of New York magazine, however, lamented the musical's "big lie" of portraying the illness of AIDS to look "gentle, elegant–something like a nineteenth-century heroine's wistful expiring of consumption–where we all know that it is grueling and gruesome".[54] Clive Barnes of the New York Post wrote that the musical "clatters like a set of false teeth in a politically correct ventriloquist's dummy".[54] Douglas Watt of the New York Daily News described the musical as "too sweet and sugary by far" and its plot as "sticky with sentiment", comparing the tone of Falsettos to that of a soap opera.[54] In his book The Complete Book of 1990s Broadway Musicals, Dan Dietz called the musical "commendable … but weak and disappointing in execution" and described the characters as "too bright, too self-aware, too articulate, and too 'on'".[54] He further commented that "one never had time to get to gradually know and discover [the characters] because they were forever explaining themselves."[54]

2016 revival Edit

Reviewing the 2016 revival, Alexis Soloski of The Guardian called the show "radically intimate" and praised the musical's emotional depth and character development, remarking that, "anyone who leaves without shedding a tear may want to see his or her ophthalmologist".[55] She viewed the first half as more complex than the second, which she described as "more conventional, its narrative arc familiar, its characterizations less intense, particularly those of the lesbians".[55] Jesse Green of Vulture.com described the ending as "almost unbearably moving".[56] Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Falsettos "throbs with passion and compassion, a masterwork strong enough to bare [sic] formative comparison to the work of Stephen Sondheim, but a whole lot more cuddly of a show".[57] He praised the performances of Block, Thoms, and Wolfe, writing, "The show centers on men in its structure, but the women in this cast all are so strong that you sense a realignment from 25 years ago."[57] Emily Bruno of Broadway World wrote, "Groundbreaking...achingly poignant."[58]

Linda Winer of Newsweek appreciated Finn's "enormously quotable, conversational lyrics that catch in the throat as often as they stick in the mind", describing "Unlikely Lovers" as an "emotional killer of an anthem".[59] Winer also commented on the show's set design, noting, "though David Rockwell's modular foam set pieces and silhouetted Manhattan skyline can get a bit monotonous, they support the passion by getting out of the play's powerful way".[59] Marilyn Stasio of Variety called the cast "terrific".[60] She characterized the music as "a fusion of tuneful melodies with insightful lyrics".[60] Christopher Kelly of NJ.com praised Rannells and Block, stating that the latter's performance of "I'm Breaking Down" "sends the show to such dizzying heights that it takes the audience a few minutes to recover".[61] However, he felt that Borle "comes across as too staid – it [sic] impossible to see what Whizzer sees in the guy."[61] Melissa Rose Bernardo of Entertainment Weekly gave the show a "B+" and noted the musical's emotional impact, exclaiming, "Curse you, William Finn, for writing these heart-wrenching songs. And curse me for forgetting the Kleenex."[44] She described "The Baseball Game" as "a work of lyrical comic genius".[44]

Recordings Edit

The original cast recordings of the Off-Broadway The March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland were both released by DRG Records on January 1, 1991.[62][63]

The Broadway revival cast album was released on January 27, 2017.[64] This album peaked at number two on the Billboard Cast Albums chart and number 98 on the Billboard Album Sales chart.[65][66] PBS aired a filmed performance of the revival as part of Live from Lincoln Center on October 27, 2017.[32][33] For this recording, lines in "I'm Breaking Down," "The Chess Game," "The Baseball Game," "You Gotta Die Sometime," and "A Day in Falsettoland" were edited for profanity.[31]

Notable casts Edit

Character Broadway First National Tour Second National Tour First Broadway Revival Third National Tour London
1992 1993 2016 2019
Marvin Michael Rupert Adrian Zmed Gregg Edelman Christian Borle Max von Essen Daniel Boys
Trina Barbara Walsh Carolee Carmello Stephanie J. Block Eden Espinosa Laura Pitt-Pulford
Whizzer Stephen Bogardus Ray Walker Peter Reardon Andrew Rannells Nick Adams Oliver Savile
Mendel Chip Zien Stuart Zagnit Adam Heller Brandon Uranowitz Nick Blaemire Joel Montague
Jason Jonathan Kaplan Jeffrey Landman Ramzi Khalaf Anthony Rosenthal Jonah Mussolino,
Thatcher Jacobs, &
Jim Kaplan
Albert Atack,
George Kennedy,
Elliot Morris, &
James Williams
Charlotte Heather MacRae Barbara Marineau Tracie Thoms Bryonha Marie Parham Gemma Knight-Jones
Cordelia Carolee Carmello Yvette Lawrence Jessica Molaskey Betsy Wolfe Audrey Cardwell Natasha J Barnes
Replacements/Transfers (Original Broadway Cast)[67]

Awards and accolades Edit

Falsettos won Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical at the 1992 Tony Awards.[4] The 2016 revival was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical.[68] At the 46th Annual Tony Awards, the original cast performed a medley consisting of "Falsettoland," "My Father's a Homo" and "The Baseball Game". The 2016 revival cast performed "A Day in Falsettoland" at the 71st Tony Awards.[69]

Original Broadway production Edit

2016 Broadway revival Edit

Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2017 Tony Award Best Revival of a Musical Nominated [68]
Best Actor in a Musical Christian Borle Nominated
Best Featured Actor in a Musical Andrew Rannells Nominated
Brandon Uranowitz Nominated
Best Featured Actress in a Musical Stephanie J. Block Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Nominated [73]
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Brandon Uranowitz Nominated
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Stephanie J. Block Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical Christian Borle Nominated [74]
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Andrew Rannells Nominated
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Stephanie J. Block Nominated
Drama League Award Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical Nominated [75]
Distinguished Performance Christian Borle Nominated

2019 Off-West End Edit

Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2020 Offie Award Male Performance in a Musical Daniel Boys Nominated [76]
Male Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical Oliver Savile Finalist

References Edit

  1. ^ a b Dietz, p. 88
  2. ^ "Theater: In Trousers" 2019-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, March 4, 1981, p. C20
  3. ^ a b c d e f Brown, Joe (May 10, 1992). "The Truth about Falsettos". The Washington Post. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e Hubbard, Kim (June 29, 1992). "Plague-Years Music Man". People. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  5. ^ "Alison Fraser – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  6. ^ Pall, Ellen (June 14, 1998). "The Long-Running Musical of William Finn's Life". The New York Times. from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d Haun, Harry (October 2, 2016). "William Finn Explains How Falsettos Came to Be". Playbill. from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Dietz, p. 473
  9. ^ ' Falsettoland Lortel Theatre" June 11, 2015, at the Wayback Machine lortel.org, accessed May 23, 2015
  10. ^ Gabriele, Tony (February 19, 1999). "So Why Is It Called Falsettos?". Daily Press. from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Miller, p. 110
  12. ^ a b c Gans, Andrew (August 18, 2015). "The Entire Cast of Broadway's Falsettos! Where Are They Now?". Playbill. from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Buchwald, Linda (December 12, 2016). "The Jewish story behind the Broadway hit Falsettos". Times of Israel. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  14. ^ Dietz, p. 86
  15. ^ March of the Falsettos 2016-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, lortel.org, accessed June 29, 2016
  16. ^ Falsettoland 2016-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, lortel.org, accessed June 29, 2016
  17. ^ Rich, Frank (October 15, 1991). "Review/Theater; The 'Falsetto' Musicals United at Hartford Stage". The New York Times. from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  18. ^ Finn, William and James Lapine. "Falsettos Script" 2021-02-07 at the Wayback Machine, Falsettos (1995), Samuel French, ISBN 978-0-573-69424-0
  19. ^ Falsettos 2016-05-01 at the Wayback Machine, ibdb.com, accessed June 29, 2016
  20. ^ a b c d e Collins, Glenn (November 26, 1992). "The Many Faces and Facets of Keeping Falsettos Afloat". The New York Times. from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  21. ^ "AusStage – Falsettos". AusStage. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  22. ^ a b "Archive: STC Musicals". Sydney Theatre. May 9, 2017. from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  23. ^ "Sydney Theatre Award Nominations for Constellations & Falsettos". Darlinghurst Theatre Company. Retrieved 30 May 2020.[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ Tongue, Cassie (February 13, 2014). "Review: Falsettos – Darlinghurst Theatre Company". Aussie Theatre. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  25. ^ Gans, Andrew. "James Lapine Will Direct Broadway Revival of Tony-Winning Falsettos Musical". playbill.com. from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  26. ^ a b c d e Farrar, Jennifer (October 27, 2016). "Review: Complex family emerges in lively Falsettos". Daily Herald. from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  27. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Marvin's Back with Whizzer, as 'Falsettos' Revival Begins" 2016-12-20 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, September 29, 2016
  28. ^ Paulson, Michael. "Falsettos Revival Casts Its Leads: Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells and Stephanie J. Block" 2017-09-03 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, March 31, 2016
  29. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Betsy Wolfe, Tracie Thoms, Brandon Uranowitz Join Falsettos Revival". Playbill.com. Playbill. from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  30. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "13 Shows Close as Broadway Gears Up for a Packed Spring" 2017-01-01 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, December 29, 2016
  31. ^ a b Fierberg, Ruthie. "Falsettos on PBS Will Include Lyric Changes" 2017-01-06 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, January 5, 2017
  32. ^ a b Gans, Andrew. "Falsettos Revival Filmed for PBS Broadcast January 3–4" 2017-01-06 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, January 3, 2017
  33. ^ a b Gans, Andrew. "Broadway's Falsettos Revival Sets Premiere Date on PBS" 2017-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, September 14, 2017
  34. ^ Gans, Andrew. "National Tour of Broadway's Falsettos Announces Full Tour Dates and Cities| Playbill". Playbill. from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  35. ^ Franklin, Marc L. (December 4, 2018). "Meet the Newest Tight-Knit Falsettos Family for the National Tour". Playbill. from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  36. ^ "UK premiere of award-winning musical Falsettos announced for The Other Palace London". British Theatre. 2019-04-15. from the original on 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  37. ^ a b Roundups, Review. "Review Roundup: What Did Critics Think of the UK Premiere of Falsettos?". BroadwayWorld.com. from the original on 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  38. ^ Longman, Will (June 14, 2019). "Full casting announced for UK premiere of Broadway musical Falsettos". London Theatre Guide. from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  39. ^ @UKfalsettos (August 13, 2019). "Announcement Celebrated West End performer, @JoelMontague, joins our tight-knit family stepping in to the role of Mendel..." (Tweet). Retrieved August 16, 2019 – via Twitter.
  40. ^ Bakare, Lanre (August 23, 2019). "'Jewface' row: West End musical accused of cultural appropriation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  41. ^ Sternfeld, p. 312
  42. ^ Sternfeld, p. 308
  43. ^ a b c Oxfeld, Jesse (October 28, 2016). "Falsettos Isn't As Gay As It Once Was – But It's Still Just as Jewish". The Forward. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  44. ^ a b c d Bernardo, Melissa Rose (October 27, 2016). "Falsettos: EW stage review". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  45. ^ a b c Rich, Frank (April 30, 1992). "Review/Theater: Falsettos; Broadway Boundary Falls Amid Reunions". The New York Times. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  46. ^ Altman, Lawrence K (May 11, 1982). "New Homosexual Disorder Worries Health Officials". The New York Times. from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  47. ^ Floyd, Thomas (June 6, 2019). "Falsettos co-creator James Lapine returns to a different time with the AIDS-era musical's revival". The Washington Post. from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  48. ^ a b c d Gilchrist, Tracy E. (April 2, 2019). "Falsettos' Story of Love & Family Amid the Onset of AIDS Is Timeless". The Advocate. from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  49. ^ Gans, Andrew (May 15, 2017). "What Audience Member Left Falsettos Tony Nominee Andrew Rannells 'Completely Wrecked'?". Playbill. from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  50. ^ Isherwood, Charles (October 28, 2016). "Review: Falsettos, a Perfect Musical, an Imperfect Family". The New York Times. from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  51. ^ a b Rooney, David (October 27, 2016). "Falsettos: Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  52. ^ a b Gerard, Jeremy (April 30, 1992). "Falsettos – Review". Variety. from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  53. ^ Drake, Sylvie (March 20, 1993). "Theater Review: An Ode to Modern Living". Los Angeles Times. from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  54. ^ a b c d e Dietz, p. 87
  55. ^ a b Soloski, Alexis (October 28, 2016). "Falsettos review – radically intimate musical hits the high notes". TheGuardian.com. from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  56. ^ Green, Jesse (October 27, 2017). "Theater Review: Fizzing in Every Direction, Falsettos Marches Back to Broadway". Vulture. from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  57. ^ a b Jones, Chris (October 27, 2016). "'Falsettos' gives a feeling of love and family as they are lived". The Chicago Tribune. from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  58. ^ Bruno, Emily (2017-10-27). "BWW Looks Back at FALSETTOS in Honor of Tonight's PBS Debut". Broadway World.
  59. ^ a b Winer, Linda (October 27, 2016). "Falsettos review: Revival still passionate, powerful and funny, too". Newsweek. from the original on November 1, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  60. ^ a b Stasio, Marilyn (October 27, 2016). "Broadway Review: 'Falsettos'". Variety. from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  61. ^ a b Kelly, Christopher (October 28, 2016). "Falsettos Broadway review: This show hits both high and low notes". NJ.com. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  62. ^ "The March of the Falsettos". Apple Music. January 1991. from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  63. ^ "Falsettoland". Apple Music. August 1990. from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  64. ^ Viagas, Robert (January 27, 2017). "Falsettos Releases Cast Album Jan. 27 with CD Signing and Performance". Playbill. from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  65. ^ "Cast Album Chart History – Falsettos Revival Cast Recording". Billboard. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  66. ^ "Album Sales Chart History – Falsettos Revival Cast Recording". Billboard. from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  67. ^ "IBDB Replacements/Transfers". www.ibdb.com. from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  68. ^ a b Kelley, Seth (May 2, 2017). "Tony Nominations Announced: Full List of 2017 Nominees". Variety. from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  69. ^ Calfas, Jennifer (June 12, 2017). "Here Are the Best and Worst Moments From the 2017 Tony Awards". Time. from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  70. ^ "Falsettos". Broadway Musical Home. from the original on 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  71. ^ "Barbara Walsh - About". www.barbarawalsh.biz. from the original on 2021-02-07. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  72. ^ "Theatre World Awards - Theatre World Awards". www.theatreworldawards.org. from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  73. ^ Millward, Tom (2017-05-10). "Drama Desk Awards 2017: Meet The Nominees". New York Theater Guide. from the original on 2021-02-07. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  74. ^ Cox, Gordon (2017-04-25). "Outer Critics Circle Nominations: 'Anastasia,' 'Hello, Dolly!' Lead the Pack (Full List)". Variety. from the original on 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  75. ^ "Drama League Awards 2017: And the Winners are..." New York Theater Guide. 2017-10-19. from the original on 2020-03-07. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  76. ^ "2020 Finalists & Nominations – The Offies". Offies. from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2021-02-07.

Bibliography Edit

  • Dietz, Dan. "The Complete Book of 1990s Broadway Musicals". Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016. ISBN 978-1442272132
  • Miller, Scott. "You Could Drive a Person Crazy: Chronicle of an American Theatre Company". Bloomington, Ind: iUniverse Publishers, 2002. ISBN 978-0595263110
  • Sternfeld, Jessica. "The Routledge Companion to the Contemporary Musical". Abingdon-on-Thames, England: Routledge, 2019. ISBN 978-1138684614

External links Edit

falsettos, singing, technique, falsetto, sung, through, musical, with, book, william, finn, james, lapine, music, lyrics, finn, musical, consists, march, 1981, falsettoland, 1990, last, installments, trio, musicals, that, premiered, broadway, first, trousers, . For the singing technique see falsetto Falsettos is a sung through musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine and music and lyrics by Finn The musical consists of March of the Falsettos 1981 and Falsettoland 1990 the last two installments in a trio of one act musicals that premiered off Broadway the first was In Trousers The story centers on Marvin who has left his wife to be with a male lover Whizzer and struggles to keep his family together Much of the first act explores the impact his relationship with Whizzer has had on his family The second act explores family dynamics that evolve as he and his ex wife plan his son s bar mitzvah Central to the musical are the themes of Jewish identity gender roles and gay life in the late 1970s and early 1980s It also deals with the topic of the AIDS epidemic FalsettosOriginal LogoMusicWilliam FinnLyricsWilliam FinnBookWilliam Finn James LapinePremiereApril 29 1992 1992 04 29 John Golden TheatreProductions1992 Broadway 1993 U S tour 2016 Broadway revival 2019 U S tour 2019 West EndAwardsTony Award for Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for Best Original ScoreFalsettos premiered on Broadway in 1992 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards winning those for Best Book and Best Original Score The musical was revived on Broadway in 2016 starring Christian Borle Stephanie J Block and Andrew Rannells The 2016 revival was filmed and adapted for the PBS Live from Lincoln Center television series and aired on October 27 2017 The revival was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical Both the original cast and 2016 revival cast performed at the Tony Awards Other revivals include tours in Australia and the United Kingdom The musical was praised by critics for its melodic compositions humor character development and positive portrayal of non traditional family structures Contents 1 Background 1 1 Inception 1 2 Composition 2 Synopsis 2 1 Act I March of the Falsettos 2 2 Act II Falsettoland 3 Song list 4 Productions 4 1 Original Broadway production 4 2 Australian productions 4 3 2016 Broadway revival 4 4 2019 Off West End 5 Themes 5 1 Judaism 5 2 AIDS epidemic 5 3 Masculinity 6 Reception 6 1 Early performances 6 2 2016 revival 7 Recordings 8 Notable casts 9 Awards and accolades 9 1 Original Broadway production 9 2 2016 Broadway revival 9 3 2019 Off West End 10 References 10 1 Bibliography 11 External linksBackground EditInception Edit nbsp James Lapine director and co book writerComposer William Finn began his theater career with a one act musical In Trousers 1979 which centers on the character Marvin questioning his sexuality It was produced twice at Playwrights Horizons off Broadway opening in February 1978 and again in December 1979 1 It was also produced off Broadway at Second Stage Theater in March 1981 2 After In Trousers received sharply unfavorable reviews Finn considered abandoning musical theater and attending medical school 3 He felt that if the critic for the Times at that time had been more responsible it would have been a considerable debut But as it was he just said it was junk 3 Finn struggled in his science classes and discarded his medical school plans turning back to writing about the character of Marvin 4 Finn soon wrote the songs for another one act musical about Marvin and his family March of the Falsettos collaborating with director James Lapine on the book Actress Alison Fraser who originated the role of Trina contributed additional vocal orchestrations 5 This premiered at Playwrights Horizons in April 1981 ran there through September and moved to the Westside Theatre in October 1981 1 March of the Falsettos received more positive critical reception than In Trousers Ellen Pall of The New York Times wrote that Finn s brilliant form combined with the absolute topicality of his social themes first bowled critics over 6 In 1989 Finn premiered another musical Romance in Hard Times which did not feature any of the characters of Falsettos it was not a success 4 Almost a decade after March of the Falsettos in the wake of the 1980s AIDS epidemic Finn followed with Falsettoland The musical concluded Finn s Marvin Trilogy of one act pieces about Marvin and his circle beginning with In Trousers and March of the Falsettos 7 Falsettoland opened at Playwrights Horizons on June 28 1990 then moved to the Lucille Lortel Theatre on September 16 1990 where it closed on January 27 1991 8 It won the 1991 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and the 1991 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics 9 Composition Edit Finn and Lapine then combined March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland to form a full length show titled Falsettos 10 slightly altering them to form a more unified more thematically consistent musical 11 In writing both acts of Falsettos Finn prioritized making the audience laugh believing that provoking laughter is more challenging than garnering tears 3 Each musical was developed during rehearsals particularly as Finn is a disorganized writer and composer 12 Finn often composed songs without a clear idea of where they would fit in the musical he struggled to decide where to place the bar mitzvah in the action The idea to set it in the hospital came to him in a dream 13 According to Stephen Bogardus who played Whizzer in the original cast of both shows as well as in Falsettos Lapine came up with the idea to incorporate racquetball scenes in Falsettoland and he and his racquetball partner Bogardus added racquetball terminology into the dialogue 12 The haftorah read by Jason at his bar mitzvah was originally the same one read at Finn s own bar mitzvah but he got bored in the middle of writing it and added words that he enjoyed musically but are grammatically incorrect in Hebrew 13 Some songs including Four Jews in a Room Bitching originated with Finn humming improvised melodies while strolling the streets of New York City 13 Synopsis EditAct I March of the Falsettos Edit Main article March of the Falsettos Synopsis In 1979 in New York City Marvin his ten year old son Jason his psychiatrist Mendel and his boyfriend Whizzer are in the midst of an argument Four Jews In a Room Bitching Marvin steps forward to explain his situation He has left his wife Trina for his male lover Whizzer but no one is happy with his attempts to integrate Whizzer into the family A Tight Knit Family At Marvin s suggestion Trina visits Mendel and explains she is having trouble accepting the end of her marriage and her failure to be a perfect wife Mendel instantly attracted to her tries to reassure her that she is not to blame Love Is Blind Marvin and Whizzer note that they have very little in common but are intensely attracted to each other and worry that their feelings for one another are fading The Thrill of First Love Whizzer presents an interlude titled Marvin at the Psychiatrist a Three Part Mini Opera In a series of therapy sessions with Mendel Marvin discusses his relationship with Whizzer his failed relationship with Trina which leads to Mendel pressing him for intimate details about his ex wife and his inability to connect with his son Jason is very worried that because of Marvin s sexuality he will turn out to be gay too My Father s a Homo and his parents suggest he receive therapy from Mendel to calm his mood swings Jason refuses to listen to his parents but agrees to go to therapy once Whizzer adds his recommendation Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist Marvin and Whizzer fight over Whizzer s lack of enthusiasm for monogamy and Marvin s attempt to force him into the role of a housewife This Had Better Come to a Stop while Trina is concerned that Whizzer is taking her place in the family and has a mental breakdown I m Breaking Down Trina requests that Mendel provide in home therapy for Jason Please Come to Our House and after getting to know her and Jason through these sessions Mendel clumsily proposes to her Trina accepts sparking jealousy in Marvin A Marriage Proposal Trina is frustrated with the male dominated world she lives in and the immaturity of the four men around her who sing a hymn to masculinity the three adults singing in falsetto to match Jason s unbroken voice Trina s Song March of the Falsettos Trina recollects herself and calms down from her frustration Trina s Song Reprise Marvin tries to teach Whizzer how to play chess but bitterness and ill feeling boil over The Chess Game They fight and break up Meanwhile Trina and Mendel move in together Making a Home As he packs Whizzer reflects on his life and relationship with Marvin He has been used and abused by other men because of his looks his whole life and Whizzer finally decides that he doesn t want to live like that anymore The Games I Play After receiving Mendel and Trina s marriage announcement Marvin breaks down in rage and slaps her Marvin Hits Trina Shocked by his actions everyone confesses that they never intended to feel so deeply about the people in their lives and they accept the pain that love can bring I Never Wanted To Love You Jason discovers his attraction to girls to his immense relief In the wake of the destruction of his relationships with both Whizzer and Trina Marvin sits Jason down for a talk and tells him that no matter what kind of man Jason turns out to be Marvin will always be there for him Father to Son Act II Falsettoland Edit Main article Falsettoland Synopsis It is 1981 two years later Nancy Reagan is in the White House and two new people are introduced Marvin s lesbian neighbors Dr Charlotte an internist and Cordelia a non Jewish caterer specializing in Jewish cuisine Marvin observes that it s About Time to grow up and get over himself He has managed to maintain his relationship with Jason and now shares split custody with Trina who has married Mendel He has not seen Whizzer for two years and has not gotten over him Falsettoland About Time Marvin and Trina begin planning Jason s Bar Mitzvah and each character has a different opinion regarding how it should be celebrated The Year of the Child Later at Jason s Little League Baseball game Jason ponders which girls he will invite to the bar mitzvah The Miracle of Judaism Whizzer arrives at the baseball game after being invited by Jason Marvin cautiously asks Whizzer on a date just as Jason manages to hit the ball The Baseball Game An interlude ends with everyone reflecting on how wonderful life is A Day in Falsettoland Soon afterwards Marvin and Trina argue at length about the logistics of the bar mitzvah The Fight which makes Jason want to call it off Mendel consoles the boy telling him that Everyone Hates His Parents at his age but everyone eventually matures and hates them less Marvin sits in bed one morning looking at the sleeping Whizzer and wonders at how much he loves him What More Can I Say Dr Charlotte meanwhile is becoming aware that young gay men in the city arrive at the hospital sick with a mysterious illness that no one understands Something Bad is Happening Whizzer collapses suddenly during a game of racquetball and is hospitalized and Trina is disturbed to find how upset she is at his condition Holding to the Ground In Whizzer s hospital room everyone gathers to cheer him up commenting on how well he looks They agree that it is days like this that make these secular Jews believe in God but Jason in childish honesty tells Whizzer that he looks awful Days Like This Mendel and Trina sit Jason down to inform him that Whizzer may not recover they give him the option of Canceling the Bar Mitzvah Marvin sits in Whizzer s hospital room soon joined by Cordelia and Dr Charlotte and the four Unlikely Lovers reaffirm their commitment to each other despite Whizzer s worsening situation As Whizzer s condition deteriorates Jason turns to God offering to get bar mitzvahed if Whizzer gets better Another Miracle of Judaism Dr Charlotte explains to Marvin that Something Bad is Happening and heavily implies that Marvin may become sick as well Whizzer s illness becomes terminal and he resolves to face death with dignity and courage You Gotta Die Sometime Suddenly everyone bursts into the hospital room Jason has had an epiphany he wants to hold the ceremony in Whizzer s hospital room Jason s Bar Mitzvah As Jason completes his recitation Whizzer collapses and is taken from the room followed by all but Marvin Marvin left alone asks the departed Whizzer what his life would be if they had not loved each other Whizzer s spirit appears and asks if Marvin regrets their relationship and Marvin resolutely states he would do it again What Would I Do Marvin s friends and family surround him and he finally loses his composure and breaks down in their arms Mendel steps forward tearfully declaring that this is where we take a stand Falsettoland reprise Song list EditAct One Four Jews in a Room Bitching Whizzer Marvin Jason Mendel and Trina A Tight Knit Family Marvin Love Is Blind Marvin Jason Whizzer Mendel and Trina Thrill of First Love Marvin and Whizzer Marvin at the Psychiatrist Mendel Marvin Jason and Whizzer My Father s a Homo Jason Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist Jason Marvin Trina and Whizzer This Had Better Come to a Stop Marvin Whizzer Jason Trina and Mendel I m Breaking Down Trina Added for the Broadway run written originally for In Trousers Please Come to Our House Mendel Trina and Jason Jason s Therapy Mendel Trina Whizzer Marvin and Jason A Marriage Proposal Mendel Trina and Jason A Tight Knit Family reprise Mendel and Marvin Trina s Song Trina March of the Falsettos Mendel Marvin Jason and Whizzer Trina s Song reprise Trina The Chess Game Marvin and Whizzer Making a Home Mendel Jason Trina and Whizzer The Games I Play Whizzer Marvin Hits Trina Marvin Mendel Jason Trina and Whizzer I Never Wanted to Love You Marvin Mendel Jason Trina and Whizzer Father to Son Marvin and Jason Act Two Falsettoland Mendel amp Company About Time Marvin amp Company The Year of the Child Marvin Trina Mendel Jason Charlotte and Cordelia Miracle of Judaism Jason The Baseball Game Company A Day in Falsettoland Trina Mendel Charlotte Cordelia and Whizzer The Fight Mendel Jason Marvin and Trina Everyone Hates His Parents Mendel Jason Marvin and Trina What More Can I Say Marvin Something Bad Is Happening Charlotte and Cordelia More Racquetball Marvin and Whizzer Holding to the Ground Trina Days Like This Company Cancelling the Bar Mitzvah Mendel Trina and Jason Unlikely Lovers Marvin Whizzer Charlotte and Cordelia Another Miracle of Judaism Jason Something Bad Is Happening reprise Charlotte You Gotta Die Sometime Whizzer Jason s Bar Mitzvah The Company What Would I Do Marvin Whizzer Falsettoland Reprise MendelEncore In Trousers Marvin and Ladies Indicates a song not included on the cast albumProductions EditOriginal Broadway production Edit nbsp The John Golden TheatreFalsettos opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on April 29 1992 and closed on June 27 1993 after 487 performances 14 Directed by James Lapine the cast included Michael Rupert as Marvin Stephen Bogardus as Whizzer Barbara Walsh as Trina Chip Zien as Mendel he played Marvin in In Trousers Jonathan Kaplan as Jason Heather MacRae as Charlotte and Carolee Carmello as Cordelia Rupert Bogardus and Zien reprised their roles from the original off Broadway productions of March of the Falsettos 15 and Falsettoland MacRae reprised her role from Falsettoland 16 and Walsh reprised her role from a Hartford Stage regional production of Falsettoland 17 Scenic design was by Douglas Stein costumes by Ann Hould Ward and lighting by Frances Aronson 18 19 The cast and producers were unsure if the show would find a strong following on Broadway but were encouraged when Frank Rich of The New York Times gave the musical a positive review 12 Falsettos the last show of Broadway s 1991 92 season had a budget of 957 000 a low budget by Broadway standards 20 Producers Barry and Fran Weissler tried various marketing strategies to promote the musical Hoping to create an easily identifiable logo inspired by the minimalist design of Cats the Weisslers used the work of artist Keith Haring in which two adults and a child hold up a bright red heart 20 Although audiences were enthusiastic at previews the producers worried that the marketing strategy would not draw a large audience and Barry Weissler explained that Since Keith died of AIDS many people felt the drawing was meant to attract a gay audience 20 The Weisslers then hired advertising agency LeDonne Wilner amp Weiner who launched a promotional campaign centered on photographing audience members not targeting specific Catholic or Jewish or family audiences but trying to get across the idea that Falsettos is for everyone 20 The advertisers invited the newly crowned Miss America who had recently launched an Atlantic City based AIDS awareness campaign to attend the show and be photographed In the following months the producers began to earn back their initial investment and to profit from the show 20 Australian productions Edit In 1994 Sydney Theatre Company presented an Australian production directed by Wayne Harrison and featuring John O May as Marvin Gina Riley as Trina Tony Sheldon as Mendel and Simon Burke as Whizzer After playing at the Sydney Opera House s Drama Theatre from 12 January to 5 March 1994 the production toured Victoria Hobart and Canberra 21 22 Riley and Sheldon were both awarded Green Room Awards for this production winning Best Female Artist in a Leading Role and Best for Best Male Artist in a Supporting Role respectively 22 In 2014 Darlinghurst Theatre Company presented a revival directed by Stephen Colyer The cast featured Tamlyn Henderson as Marvin Katrina Retallick as Trina Stephen Anderson as Mendel Ben Hall as Whizzer Elise McCann as Cordelia and Margi de Ferranti as Charlotte The production played as part of the Sydney Mardi Gras festival throughout February and March 2014 23 In her review of the production Cassie Tongue of Aussie Theatre viewed the production as a promising sign of things to come for the Sydney theater scene and praised the casting by remarking Henderson s Marvin and Retallick s Trina are clear standouts and de Ferranti and McCann are so essential to the emotional weight of the second act that they are just as impressive as if they had been there from the first 24 2016 Broadway revival Edit nbsp nbsp In the 2016 revival Christian Borle left and Andrew Rannells right starred as Marvin and Whizzer respectively Producer Jordan Roth announced in 2015 that he would revive the show under the direction of James Lapine in the spring of 2016 25 The set design incorporated a cube made of large blocks that the actors rearranged throughout the show 26 The production began previews on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on September 29 2016 and opened officially on October 27 directed by Lapine 27 Christian Borle Andrew Rannells Stephanie J Block and Brandon Uranowitz played Marvin Whizzer Trina and Mendel respectively 28 Tracie Thoms was Dr Charlotte Betsy Wolfe played Cordelia and Anthony Rosenthal was Jason 29 The production closed on January 8 2017 30 Two performances were filmed on January 3 and 4 2017 which were repackaged into a presentation for the PBS television series Live from Lincoln Center and aired on October 27 2017 31 32 33 A North American tour of the 2016 Broadway revival launched in February 2019 under Lapine s direction and ended in late June 2019 Max von Essen starred as Marvin with Eden Espinosa as Trina Nick Adams as Whizzer and Nick Blaemire as Mendel 34 35 2019 Off West End Edit Selladoor Worldwide announced that they would produce Falsettos at The Other Palace an off West End theatre in London for a strictly limited run 36 The show began previews on August 30 2019 before officially opening on September 5 37 The original cast featured Natasha J Barnes as Cordelia Daniel Boys as Marvin Gemma Knight Jones as Charlotte Laura Pitt Pulford as Trina and Oliver Savile as Whizzer 38 Joel Montague played Mendel 39 The show closed on November 23 2019 Before the production opened a group of more than 20 Jewish actors and playwrights including Miriam Margolyes and Maureen Lipman signed an open letter to the producers concerned about the lack of Jewish presence within the cast and creatives 40 Despite this the show opened to mostly positive reviews with critics praising the cast story and music but aiming criticism at the set design 37 The show was nominated for Best Video Design and won Best Off West End Production at the 2020 WhatsOnStage Awards Themes EditJudaism Edit nbsp Finn s Jewish upbringing inspired themes in Falsettos Jewish culture and identity plays a significant role in Falsettos It takes place in the often humorous environment of Jewish neuroses and self deprecation 13 Finn gave Judaism a central role in the musical emphasized by beginning it with the song Four Jews in a Room Bitching 13 The stage version begins with all four male characters dressed in clothing from Biblical times before they remove these robes to reveal modern clothing 41 In the song three characters state that they are Jewish while Whizzer specifies that he is half Jewish The first act March of the Falsettos was originally intended to be titled Four Jews in a Room Bitching until Lapine insisted that Finn change the title 13 Writers Raymond and Zelda Knapp compared the implications of the AIDS epidemic in Falsettos to the foreshadowing of the Holocaust in the 1964 Jewish musical Fiddler on the Roof noting that both works suggest the comparatively innocent atmosphere before tragedy and the grim environment afterward 42 Jason s bar mitzvah is a major plot point and accentuates the theme of the male characters maturing and becoming men 13 Jesse Oxfeld of The Forward wrote that the musical is a story about love and family about making your own chosen family which is of course a classic gay trope but also in its message of accommodation and dedication and well l dor v dor very Jewish 43 He also noted that due to the musical s casual matter of fact depiction of homosexuality The lesbians are most interesting for being goyim 43 The song The Baseball Game pokes fun at a stereotypical lack of athletic prowess among American Jews but Mendel then points out the success of Jewish baseball players Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg 44 Finn who played Little League baseball as a child invited Koufax to a performance of Falsettos in Los Angeles and the baseball player was offended not at all pleased by the joke 7 AIDS epidemic Edit While Falsettos never explicitly mentions the words HIV or AIDS the disease plays a major role in the second half of the musical Whizzer first hand suffers from the disease and ultimately loses his life to it Examples of implicit references to the virus include Something that kills Something infectious Something that spreads from one man to another and something so bad that words have lost their meaning 44 45 The first half of the musical takes place in 1979 before the start of the epidemic and the second half takes place in 1981 the year the epidemic began This historical development results in the first act being primarily a comedy but the second being mostly a tragedy so that an audience member is likely to enter laughing and exit crying 7 In 1981 the disease was not understood by the medical community and was eventually called GRID Gay related immune deficiency by The New York Times in May 1982 46 Lapine has described the AIDS epidemic as a time frame in our past that has somewhat been forgotten we had lost a lot of people to HIV We really need to keep that history alive 47 Finn wanted to convey the tragedy of AIDS accurately in Falsettoland and thought I can t have AIDS be peripheral in the show and I don t know that I could write about AIDS head on because the horror is too real and I don t want to trivialize it 13 Finn later described Falsettos as a catharsis for people who ve been going through the AIDS epidemic as well as for people not going through it hoping that the show would allow people who had only read about the epidemic to empathize with people who had lived through it first hand 3 The inclusion of lesbian characters Charlotte and Cordelia is a tribute to the lesbians who assisted gay men during the epidemic Finn expressed that the inclusion of women in the story was paramount to the message of the show explaining Gay men s lives have a lot of women in them This is important to come into the conversation They should not be ignored 48 The show also explores heterosexual Trina s perspective on Whizzer s illness in Holding to the Ground where she shows solidarity with him despite previously struggling to accept his relationship with Marvin 48 The revival of the show in 2016 was partly intended to educate young LGBT youth about gay life in the 1980s and to instill a sense of gratitude at how both societal views of gay people and HIV AIDS treatments have vastly improved since that period 48 Lapine was inspired to revisit the show when attending a performance of The Normal Heart with a recent college graduate He recalled At intermission she just looked at me and she said Well I kind of know about AIDS but was it really like this 48 AIDS activist and playwright of The Normal Heart Larry Kramer attended a performance of the 2016 Falsettos revival Andrew Rannells who portrayed Whizzer noted that seeing Kramer in the audience while singing You Gotta Die Sometime left him completely wrecked due to his admiration for Kramer s activism in support of the LGBT community and HIV positive people 49 Masculinity Edit Charles Isherwood of The New York Times asserts that definitions of masculinity form a sharp undercurrent in the show 50 In the first act Marvin attempts to force Whizzer into the role of pretty boy homemaker which causes Whizzer to step away from the relationship Though Marvin is now in a same sex relationship he still tries to assume the more traditionally masculine role of the provider 51 Daily Herald writer Jennifer Farrar characterized the arguments between Marvin and Whizzer as testosterone laden 26 The song March of the Falsettos is an ode to the immaturity of the male characters and features the three adult male characters singing in falsetto to match Jason s pre pubescent voice 7 In Trina s Song Trina complains that I m tired of all the happy men who rule the world and her fondness for the man babies in her life battling with exasperation and needy resentment at every turn 51 Trina s struggles with the men in her life are also symbolized in I m Breaking Down where she manically chops bananas and carrots for her banana carrot surprise an unusual combination but an appropriately phallic one 43 By including Jason s bar mitzvah as a key component of the second act Finn represents the evolution of the male characters in the show Finn explains There s so much about what it means to be a man in the show It s not only the kid becoming a man it s kind of all the men becoming men It s a metaphor that resonates 13 Critics interpreted the set design of the 2016 revival to reflect immaturity by representing the New York City skyline in the form of children s building blocks 26 The musical additionally explores the link between masculinity and sexuality Marvin s preteen son Jason questions his sexuality and worries that his father s homosexuality could be genetically passed down to him My Father s a Homo 26 Reception EditEarly performances Edit Frank Rich of The New York Times praised the 1992 opening night performance as exhilarating and heartbreaking speaking favorably of the musical s cast humor and emotional depth 45 He called Jason s bar mitzvah scene one of the most moving you ve ever seen and explained that in addressing the AIDS epidemic It is the heaven sent gift of Mr Finn and company that they make you believe that the love no less fortissimo somehow lingers on 45 Joe Brown of The Washington Post praised the chemistry between Marvin and Whizzer calling their relationship sexily combative 3 Brown also highlighted the emotional ending stating that the audience which began the play roaring with laughter is left in tear soaked shreds 3 Jeremy Gerard of Variety commented that to call Falsettos a musical about gay life in modern times is also to shortchange its tremendous appeal as a masterly feat of comic storytelling and as a visionary musical theater work 52 Gerard thought Four Jews in a Room Bitching hilarious and praised the musical s pacing opining that Lapine and Finn tell their complex story with astonishing economy 52 In her report about Finn s Tony Award acceptance speech in June 1992 Kim Hubbard of People characterized Falsettos as both a laugh a minute musical and a tragedy filled with hope 4 Sylvie Drake of the Los Angeles Times called a 1993 San Diego performance a stunning ode to modern living noting that the musical s virtuosity is in its mastery of the bittersweet and eventually the tragic wailing over life s nasty habit of giving and taking away but without wasting time on self pity Instead the show makes intricate songs from the sour lemons And the result is glorious lemonade 53 In 2016 Daily Herald writer Jennifer Farrar wrote that the play was considered groundbreaking for its time upon its 1992 debut 26 John Simon of New York magazine however lamented the musical s big lie of portraying the illness of AIDS to look gentle elegant something like a nineteenth century heroine s wistful expiring of consumption where we all know that it is grueling and gruesome 54 Clive Barnes of the New York Post wrote that the musical clatters like a set of false teeth in a politically correct ventriloquist s dummy 54 Douglas Watt of the New York Daily News described the musical as too sweet and sugary by far and its plot as sticky with sentiment comparing the tone of Falsettos to that of a soap opera 54 In his book The Complete Book of 1990s Broadway Musicals Dan Dietz called the musical commendable but weak and disappointing in execution and described the characters as too bright too self aware too articulate and too on 54 He further commented that one never had time to get to gradually know and discover the characters because they were forever explaining themselves 54 2016 revival Edit Reviewing the 2016 revival Alexis Soloski of The Guardian called the show radically intimate and praised the musical s emotional depth and character development remarking that anyone who leaves without shedding a tear may want to see his or her ophthalmologist 55 She viewed the first half as more complex than the second which she described as more conventional its narrative arc familiar its characterizations less intense particularly those of the lesbians 55 Jesse Green of Vulture com described the ending as almost unbearably moving 56 Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Falsettos throbs with passion and compassion a masterwork strong enough to bare sic formative comparison to the work of Stephen Sondheim but a whole lot more cuddly of a show 57 He praised the performances of Block Thoms and Wolfe writing The show centers on men in its structure but the women in this cast all are so strong that you sense a realignment from 25 years ago 57 Emily Bruno of Broadway World wrote Groundbreaking achingly poignant 58 Linda Winer of Newsweek appreciated Finn s enormously quotable conversational lyrics that catch in the throat as often as they stick in the mind describing Unlikely Lovers as an emotional killer of an anthem 59 Winer also commented on the show s set design noting though David Rockwell s modular foam set pieces and silhouetted Manhattan skyline can get a bit monotonous they support the passion by getting out of the play s powerful way 59 Marilyn Stasio of Variety called the cast terrific 60 She characterized the music as a fusion of tuneful melodies with insightful lyrics 60 Christopher Kelly of NJ com praised Rannells and Block stating that the latter s performance of I m Breaking Down sends the show to such dizzying heights that it takes the audience a few minutes to recover 61 However he felt that Borle comes across as too staid it sic impossible to see what Whizzer sees in the guy 61 Melissa Rose Bernardo of Entertainment Weekly gave the show a B and noted the musical s emotional impact exclaiming Curse you William Finn for writing these heart wrenching songs And curse me for forgetting the Kleenex 44 She described The Baseball Game as a work of lyrical comic genius 44 Recordings EditThe original cast recordings of the Off Broadway The March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland were both released by DRG Records on January 1 1991 62 63 The Broadway revival cast album was released on January 27 2017 64 This album peaked at number two on the Billboard Cast Albums chart and number 98 on the Billboard Album Sales chart 65 66 PBS aired a filmed performance of the revival as part of Live from Lincoln Center on October 27 2017 32 33 For this recording lines in I m Breaking Down The Chess Game The Baseball Game You Gotta Die Sometime and A Day in Falsettoland were edited for profanity 31 Notable casts EditCharacter Broadway First National Tour Second National Tour First Broadway Revival Third National Tour London1992 1993 2016 2019Marvin Michael Rupert Adrian Zmed Gregg Edelman Christian Borle Max von Essen Daniel BoysTrina Barbara Walsh Carolee Carmello Stephanie J Block Eden Espinosa Laura Pitt PulfordWhizzer Stephen Bogardus Ray Walker Peter Reardon Andrew Rannells Nick Adams Oliver SavileMendel Chip Zien Stuart Zagnit Adam Heller Brandon Uranowitz Nick Blaemire Joel MontagueJason Jonathan Kaplan Jeffrey Landman Ramzi Khalaf Anthony Rosenthal Jonah Mussolino Thatcher Jacobs amp Jim Kaplan Albert Atack George Kennedy Elliot Morris amp James WilliamsCharlotte Heather MacRae Barbara Marineau Tracie Thoms Bryonha Marie Parham Gemma Knight JonesCordelia Carolee Carmello Yvette Lawrence Jessica Molaskey Betsy Wolfe Audrey Cardwell Natasha J BarnesReplacements Transfers Original Broadway Cast 67 Marvin Mandy Patinkin Gregg Edelman Adrian Zmed Trina Randy Graff Mendel Jason Graae Cordelia Maureen Moore Jason Anthony Roth CostanzoAwards and accolades EditFalsettos won Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical at the 1992 Tony Awards 4 The 2016 revival was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical 68 At the 46th Annual Tony Awards the original cast performed a medley consisting of Falsettoland My Father s a Homo and The Baseball Game The 2016 revival cast performed A Day in Falsettoland at the 71st Tony Awards 69 Original Broadway production Edit Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref 1992 Tony Award Best Musical Nominated 4 Best Book of a Musical William Finn and James Lapine WonBest Original Score William Finn WonBest Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Michael Rupert NominatedBest Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Jonathan Kaplan NominatedBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Barbara Walsh NominatedBest Direction of a Musical James Lapine NominatedDrama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Nominated 70 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Barbara Walsh Nominated 71 Theatre World Award Jonathan Kaplan Won 72 2016 Broadway revival Edit Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref 2017 Tony Award Best Revival of a Musical Nominated 68 Best Actor in a Musical Christian Borle NominatedBest Featured Actor in a Musical Andrew Rannells NominatedBrandon Uranowitz NominatedBest Featured Actress in a Musical Stephanie J Block NominatedDrama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Nominated 73 Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Brandon Uranowitz NominatedOutstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Stephanie J Block NominatedOuter Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical Christian Borle Nominated 74 Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Andrew Rannells NominatedOutstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Stephanie J Block NominatedDrama League Award Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off Broadway Musical Nominated 75 Distinguished Performance Christian Borle Nominated2019 Off West End Edit Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref 2020 Offie Award Male Performance in a Musical Daniel Boys Nominated 76 Male Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical Oliver Savile FinalistReferences Edit a b Dietz p 88 Theater In Trousers Archived 2019 04 19 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times March 4 1981 p C20 a b c d e f Brown Joe May 10 1992 The Truth about Falsettos The Washington Post Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved April 12 2020 a b c d e Hubbard Kim June 29 1992 Plague Years Music Man People Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved May 27 2020 Alison Fraser Broadway Cast amp Staff IBDB www ibdb com Retrieved 2023 05 18 Pall Ellen June 14 1998 The Long Running Musical of William Finn s Life The New York Times Archived from the original on March 1 2020 Retrieved April 15 2020 a b c d Haun Harry October 2 2016 William Finn Explains How Falsettos Came to Be Playbill Archived from the original on April 13 2020 Retrieved April 12 2020 Dietz p 473 Falsettoland Lortel Theatre Archived June 11 2015 at the Wayback Machine lortel org accessed May 23 2015 Gabriele Tony February 19 1999 So Why Is It Called Falsettos Daily Press Archived from the original on May 1 2020 Retrieved May 28 2020 Miller p 110 a b c Gans Andrew August 18 2015 The Entire Cast of Broadway s Falsettos Where Are They Now Playbill Archived from the original on February 17 2020 Retrieved April 15 2020 a b c d e f g h i Buchwald Linda December 12 2016 The Jewish story behind the Broadway hit Falsettos Times of Israel Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved April 12 2020 Dietz p 86 March of the Falsettos Archived 2016 09 19 at the Wayback Machine lortel org accessed June 29 2016 Falsettoland Archived 2016 09 19 at the Wayback Machine lortel org accessed June 29 2016 Rich Frank October 15 1991 Review Theater The Falsetto Musicals United at Hartford Stage The New York Times Archived from the original on March 2 2019 Retrieved May 28 2020 Finn William and James Lapine Falsettos Script Archived 2021 02 07 at the Wayback Machine Falsettos 1995 Samuel French ISBN 978 0 573 69424 0 Falsettos Archived 2016 05 01 at the Wayback Machine ibdb com accessed June 29 2016 a b c d e Collins Glenn November 26 1992 The Many Faces and Facets of Keeping Falsettos Afloat The New York Times Archived from the original on January 16 2018 Retrieved April 15 2020 AusStage Falsettos AusStage Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved September 21 2017 a b Archive STC Musicals Sydney Theatre May 9 2017 Archived from the original on September 21 2017 Retrieved September 21 2017 Sydney Theatre Award Nominations for Constellations amp Falsettos Darlinghurst Theatre Company Retrieved 30 May 2020 permanent dead link Tongue Cassie February 13 2014 Review Falsettos Darlinghurst Theatre Company Aussie Theatre Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved June 20 2020 Gans Andrew James Lapine Will Direct Broadway Revival of Tony Winning Falsettos Musical playbill com Archived from the original on 12 May 2015 Retrieved 11 June 2015 a b c d e Farrar Jennifer October 27 2016 Review Complex family emerges in lively Falsettos Daily Herald Archived from the original on October 29 2016 Retrieved May 28 2020 Gans Andrew Marvin s Back with Whizzer as Falsettos Revival Begins Archived 2016 12 20 at the Wayback Machine Playbill September 29 2016 Paulson Michael Falsettos Revival Casts Its Leads Christian Borle Andrew Rannells and Stephanie J Block Archived 2017 09 03 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times March 31 2016 Gans Andrew Betsy Wolfe Tracie Thoms Brandon Uranowitz Join Falsettos Revival Playbill com Playbill Archived from the original on 29 June 2016 Retrieved 28 June 2016 Hetrick Adam 13 Shows Close as Broadway Gears Up for a Packed Spring Archived 2017 01 01 at the Wayback Machine Playbill December 29 2016 a b Fierberg Ruthie Falsettos on PBS Will Include Lyric Changes Archived 2017 01 06 at the Wayback Machine Playbill January 5 2017 a b Gans Andrew Falsettos Revival Filmed for PBS Broadcast January 3 4 Archived 2017 01 06 at the Wayback Machine Playbill January 3 2017 a b Gans Andrew Broadway s Falsettos Revival Sets Premiere Date on PBS Archived 2017 10 25 at the Wayback Machine Playbill September 14 2017 Gans Andrew National Tour of Broadway s Falsettos Announces Full Tour Dates and Cities Playbill Playbill Archived from the original on June 10 2018 Retrieved June 7 2018 Franklin Marc L December 4 2018 Meet the Newest Tight Knit Falsettos Family for the National Tour Playbill Archived from the original on February 19 2019 Retrieved February 18 2019 UK premiere of award winning musical Falsettos announced for The Other Palace London British Theatre 2019 04 15 Archived from the original on 2019 11 17 Retrieved 2019 11 17 a b Roundups Review Review Roundup What Did Critics Think of the UK Premiere of Falsettos BroadwayWorld com Archived from the original on 2019 11 17 Retrieved 2019 11 17 Longman Will June 14 2019 Full casting announced for UK premiere of Broadway musical Falsettos London Theatre Guide Archived from the original on July 22 2019 Retrieved July 22 2019 UKfalsettos August 13 2019 Announcement Celebrated West End performer JoelMontague joins our tight knit family stepping in to the role of Mendel Tweet Retrieved August 16 2019 via Twitter Bakare Lanre August 23 2019 Jewface row West End musical accused of cultural appropriation The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Archived from the original on November 9 2019 Retrieved November 17 2019 Sternfeld p 312 Sternfeld p 308 a b c Oxfeld Jesse October 28 2016 Falsettos Isn t As Gay As It Once Was But It s Still Just as Jewish The Forward Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved April 13 2020 a b c d Bernardo Melissa Rose October 27 2016 Falsettos EW stage review Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on April 13 2020 Retrieved April 12 2020 a b c Rich Frank April 30 1992 Review Theater Falsettos Broadway Boundary Falls Amid Reunions The New York Times Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved April 13 2020 Altman Lawrence K May 11 1982 New Homosexual Disorder Worries Health Officials The New York Times Archived from the original on April 30 2013 Retrieved May 30 2020 Floyd Thomas June 6 2019 Falsettos co creator James Lapine returns to a different time with the AIDS era musical s revival The Washington Post Archived from the original on April 13 2020 Retrieved April 12 2020 a b c d Gilchrist Tracy E April 2 2019 Falsettos Story of Love amp Family Amid the Onset of AIDS Is Timeless The Advocate Archived from the original on April 13 2020 Retrieved April 12 2020 Gans Andrew May 15 2017 What Audience Member Left Falsettos Tony Nominee Andrew Rannells Completely Wrecked Playbill Archived from the original on August 19 2018 Retrieved April 13 2020 Isherwood Charles October 28 2016 Review Falsettos a Perfect Musical an Imperfect Family The New York Times Archived from the original on May 13 2020 Retrieved April 15 2020 a b Rooney David October 27 2016 Falsettos Theater Review The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on September 28 2020 Retrieved April 15 2020 a b Gerard Jeremy April 30 1992 Falsettos Review Variety Archived from the original on February 26 2018 Retrieved April 12 2020 Drake Sylvie March 20 1993 Theater Review An Ode to Modern Living Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on October 14 2019 Retrieved April 12 2020 a b c d e Dietz p 87 a b Soloski Alexis October 28 2016 Falsettos review radically intimate musical hits the high notes TheGuardian com Archived from the original on August 24 2019 Retrieved April 10 2020 Green Jesse October 27 2017 Theater Review Fizzing in Every Direction Falsettos Marches Back to Broadway Vulture Archived from the original on October 23 2020 Retrieved May 28 2020 a b Jones Chris October 27 2016 Falsettos gives a feeling of love and family as they are lived The Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on December 15 2020 Retrieved April 12 2020 Bruno Emily 2017 10 27 BWW Looks Back at FALSETTOS in Honor of Tonight s PBS Debut Broadway World a b Winer Linda October 27 2016 Falsettos review Revival still passionate powerful and funny too Newsweek Archived from the original on November 1 2016 Retrieved April 14 2020 a b Stasio Marilyn October 27 2016 Broadway Review Falsettos Variety Archived from the original on November 8 2020 Retrieved April 12 2020 a b Kelly Christopher October 28 2016 Falsettos Broadway review This show hits both high and low notes NJ com Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved April 12 2020 The March of the Falsettos Apple Music January 1991 Archived from the original on August 30 2017 Retrieved May 21 2017 Falsettoland Apple Music August 1990 Archived from the original on August 30 2017 Retrieved May 21 2017 Viagas Robert January 27 2017 Falsettos Releases Cast Album Jan 27 with CD Signing and Performance Playbill Archived from the original on January 27 2017 Retrieved May 21 2017 Cast Album Chart History Falsettos Revival Cast Recording Billboard Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved May 30 2020 Album Sales Chart History Falsettos Revival Cast Recording Billboard Archived from the original on February 7 2021 Retrieved May 30 2020 IBDB Replacements Transfers www ibdb com Archived from the original on 2016 04 04 Retrieved 2016 04 29 a b Kelley Seth May 2 2017 Tony Nominations Announced Full List of 2017 Nominees Variety Archived from the original on February 25 2020 Retrieved May 27 2020 Calfas Jennifer June 12 2017 Here Are the Best and Worst Moments From the 2017 Tony Awards Time Archived from the original on August 14 2020 Retrieved May 27 2020 Falsettos Broadway Musical Home Archived from the original on 2020 08 15 Retrieved 2021 02 07 Barbara Walsh About www barbarawalsh biz Archived from the original on 2021 02 07 Retrieved 2021 02 07 Theatre World Awards Theatre World Awards www theatreworldawards org Archived from the original on 2021 01 11 Retrieved 2021 02 07 Millward Tom 2017 05 10 Drama Desk Awards 2017 Meet The Nominees New York Theater Guide Archived from the original on 2021 02 07 Retrieved 2021 02 06 Cox Gordon 2017 04 25 Outer Critics Circle Nominations Anastasia Hello Dolly Lead the Pack Full List Variety Archived from the original on 2018 05 08 Retrieved 2021 02 07 Drama League Awards 2017 And the Winners are New York Theater Guide 2017 10 19 Archived from the original on 2020 03 07 Retrieved 2021 02 07 2020 Finalists amp Nominations The Offies Offies Archived from the original on 2020 11 26 Retrieved 2021 02 07 Bibliography Edit Dietz Dan The Complete Book of 1990s Broadway Musicals Lanham Maryland Rowman amp Littlefield Publishers 2016 ISBN 978 1442272132 Miller Scott You Could Drive a Person Crazy Chronicle of an American Theatre Company Bloomington Ind iUniverse Publishers 2002 ISBN 978 0595263110 Sternfeld Jessica The Routledge Companion to the Contemporary Musical Abingdon on Thames England Routledge 2019 ISBN 978 1138684614External links Edit Falsettos at the Internet Broadway Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Falsettos amp oldid 1178633478, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.