Stars of FALSETTOS and THIS DAY FORWARD Visit THEATER TALK Today

This week THEATER TALK features creators and cast members of two new productions - Falsettos, a musical revival currently at the Walter Kerr Theatre through January 8 and This Day Forward, at THE VINEYARD through December 18.

Falsettos began as three one-act shows with nearly sung-through scores by William Finn. The first of them, In Trousers, debuted in 1979 and was about the character of Marvin, a married man and father who decides he prefers to be partnered with men. Next, Finn, in collaboration with James Lapine created both March of the Falsettos (1981), tackling Marvin's relationship with his son after acquiring a male partner named Whizzer, and finally Falsettoland (1990), about what happens during the early days of the AIDS crisis when Whizzer becomes ill with the then unknown disease.

Finn and Lapine went on to combine the three works into Falsettos, which won TONY AWARDS for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score in 1992. In the THEATER TALK segment, co-hosted by Susan Haskins and New York Magazine drama critic Jesse Green, Finn admits that he was "petrified" that the current revival would be perceived as dated, but Christian Borle, the current Marvin, observes that it is still "shockingly emotional" for audiences.

In the second half of the program, co-hosted by Michael Riedel of the New York Post and Susan Haskins, the focus in on the new play This Day Forward, with its playwright Nicky Silver, actress Holley Fain, and director Mark Brokaw. Riedel says that Silver is one of America's most underrated playwrights, with Silver's The Lyons being one of Riedel's favorite plays of the past 10 years. Fain, who had been working regularly in TV for the past 6 years in Los Angeles, describes how she got the play's lead role as an errant bride; Brokaw speaks of collaborating with Silver on four productions, and Silver explains what inspired his love of theater and his subsequent career.

This week's episode of THEATER TALK premieres today, Dec. 9 (2016) on PBS station Thirteen/WNET at 1:30 AM (Saturday morning) and repeats there on Sunday 12/11 at 11:30 AM; it reairs on CUNY TV* Saturday 12/10 at 8:30 PM, Sunday 12/11 at 12:30 PM, and Monday 12/12 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM; and also airs on WLIW/21 on Monday 12/12 at 5:30 PM and on NYCLife/25 on Thursday 12/15 at 11 PM.

THEATER TALK is jointly produced by the not-for-profits Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV. The program is taped in the Himan Brown TV and Radio Studios at The City University of New York (CUNY) TV in Manhattan, and is distributed to 100+ participating public television stations nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The CUNY TV Foundation, and The Friends of THEATER TALK. *CUNY TV, the City University of New York television station, is broadcast in the NYC metropolitan area on digital Ch. 25.3 and cablecast in the city's five boroughs on Ch. 75 (Time Warner & Optimum Brooklyn), Ch. 77 (RCN), and Ch. 30 (Verizon FiOS). THEATER TALK episodes are available online anytime at www.cuny.tv and www.theatertalk.org and via iTunes.

Pictured: Christian Borle, William Finn and Andrew Rannells. Image courtesy Theater Talk Prod./CUNY TV.