In a time like this when the nation is becoming divided due to the outcome of a tough election, a rare revival comes to Broadway in time to redefine the question of what makes a family. The Lincoln Center Theater's shattering and touching production of the cult hit musical Falsettos is that show. This musical is as funny and poignant as it is heartbreaking and tragic and its message-that families comes in different forms-still rings true today as it did when it first opened on the Great White Way in 1992.
Conceived and put together from two one-act musicals that opened Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizon (March of the Falsettos in 1981 and Falsettoland in 1990), this show takes a look at a out-of-balance Manhattan Jewish family which spans a three-year period between 1979 and 1981. In the musical's first act, we meet Marvin (Christian Borle), his wife Trina (Stephanie J. Block) and their young son Jason (newcomer Anthony Rosenthal). Anything wrong with this seemingly perfect family? Actually, there is. Marvin leaves the wife and kid to have an affair with another man by the name of Whizzer (Andrew Rannells). Not only that, but Trina has her own affair with the family's psychologist, Mendel (Brandon Uranowitz). Mendel and Trina's affair succeeds while Marvin and Whizzer's relationship goes off track near the end of the act.
Two years pass at the start of the second act and we now see Marvin reconnecting with his son, who is preparing his Bar Mitzvah. Marvin even has a lesbian couple (Tracie Thoms and Betsy Wolfe) for neighbors. But soon, Whizzer comes back to Marvin's life. Then, a tragedy in the form of AIDS (not mentioned here) spreads throughout the city and someone in Marvin's circle of family and friends becomes one of its victims.
James Lapine, handling the same duties he did in 1992 as the show's director, has crafted a superb reworking of this timeless musical. The brilliant, Tony-winning score by William Finn still reaches the heartstrings and it will linger in your brain long after you hear it (you can listen to the original Off-Broadway cast recordings of March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland on Spotify to see what I mean). The Lapine and Finn-penned book, though sung through, holds this show very well.
This musical may not have big million-dollar sets or gigantic special effects, but Spencer Liff's fine footed choreography and David Rockwell's small set filled with large-scale school playhouse blocks gives the show an extra lift without trying too much for the audience's attention. The fine lighting design by Jeff Croiter help enhance the show's scenery and the nice costumes by Jennifer Caprio reflects the show's time periods (the 70's and 80's) very closely.
As the show's "unlikely lovers", Borle (who will be Willy Wonka on Broadway this coming spring) and Rannells (who is gay in real life) both give excellent performances. Thoms (best known from the movie adaptation of the musical Rent) and Wolfe bring their lesbian couple to life as real people, not as cartoon caricatures. Rosenthal makes a delightful Broadway debut and Uranowitz (last seen on stage in An American in Paris) brings a wild and crazy persona to Mendel.
But for me, the performance that takes the cake here is Block. She plays Trina as a mother trying to keep a strong bond around her already broken family. Block even steals the show in the first act as she starts to act crazy and insane in the aftermath of finding out her husband's infidelity, while making a recipe in the kitchen, in the showstopping number, "I'm Breaking Down". After seeing her past work in the revivals of Anything Goes and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, nothing prepared me for what she has done here in a astonishing portrayal. This is a performance that is destined to be remembered for the Tony Award nominating committee for next year's nominations.
In the end, I would like to congratulate Lincoln Center Theater for bringing this show back at a period when America is on the verge of a new transition at the White House, whether they like it or not. It's times like these when a show on Broadway such as this give you a sense of what it's like to be in a family that is fractured, but yet still holding on. Sadly, it's a shame that LCT has given this show a short run until January 8th. If you want to see musical theatre at its highest order, don't let an opportunity like this go away this holiday season. This is a show that shouldn't and cannot be missed. Period.
The Buzz on Falsettos:
Rating:**** (Don't Miss It)
Bottom Line: A shattering, heartbreaking and touching musical about what really defines a family, no matter who you're in love with or whatever tragedy that causes a crisis.
Recommended Best for: Ages 10 and up. Contains some adult language. You'll won't be embarrassed, but you'll be entertained and thrilled by the whole thing.
Playing at: The Walter Kerr Theatre. On 218 West 48th Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenue). Scheduled for a short run until January 8th. For tickets, go to ticketmaster.com or call 800-982-2787.
Ticket Tip: If you're between 21 and 35 years old, you can see Falsettos for only $32 when you join LincTix (Lincoln Center Theater's special ticket program) free. To join and for more information, go to www.lct.org/linctix.
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