Falsettos: A Small Band of Unlikely Lovers

Falsettos

Music and Lyrics by William Finn

Book by William Finn and James Lapine

Director, Russell Garrett; Musical Director, Fred Frabotta; Set Designer, Janie Howland; Costume Designer, Molly Trainer; Lighting Designer, Jeff Adelberg; Sound Designer, Ed Thurber; Prop Designer, Nathan Colby; Stage Manager, Steve Espach

Cast (in order of appearance): Chip Phillips (Marvin), Wil Darcangelo (Whizzer), David Josef Hansen (Mendel), Daniel Lazour (Jason – at this performance), Ross Kane Oparowski (Jason – alternate), Beverly Ward (Trina), Mary Callanan (Dr. Charlotte), Lisa Yuen (Cordelia)

Performances through June 1, 2008 at Foothills Theatre Company

Box Office 508-754-4018 or www.foothillstheatre.com

There are some good quality components in the Foothills Theatre Company's production of Falsettos, but the musical is showing its age like the sheen on an old, worn pair of corduroys. It is remarkable that a story about a man leaving his wife and son for another man is no longer remarkable, but much has happened in our society since this Tony Award winner (Best Music/Lyrics, Best Book) ran on Broadway for 486 performances in 1992 and 1993. Without the shock value it may have had 15 years ago, Falsettos must rely on its music and its message about creating a family from the shards of a previous life to grab the audience.

Falsettos is sung through with nearly two dozen songs in each of its two acts. Using a variety of musical styles to provide character exposition and move the story along, the score is fast and often frenetic with a plethora of counterpoint making it difficult to glean all of the information being sung at us. Some of lyricist William Finn's rhymes are, at best, tired and, at worst, contrived. However, the last number prior to intermission ("Father to Son") and the final song in the show ("What Would I Do") are especially beautiful, poignant ballads which wring every ounce of emotion from those two scenes.

Fortunately, the cast consists of seven talented voices who give their all to put the music across, and each of the major players has a standout solo. Trina (Beverly Ward) goes more than a little crazy adjusting to the new family dynamic and shows off her belting ability in "I'm Breaking Down," while her new husband Mendel (David Josef Hansen) demonstrates his goofiness in "Everybody Hates His Parents." Jason (Daniel Lazour) displays his panic in "My Father's a Homo" and his maturing sweetness in "Another Miracle of Judaism." Wil Darcangelo embodies all of the fear, confusion, and anger of the AIDS-stricken Whizzer in "You Gotta Die Sometime." Mary Callanan (Dr. Charlotte) and Lisa Yuen (Cordelia) are the lesbian neighbors who join Marvin and Whizzer for melodious four-part harmony in the bittersweet "Unlikely Lovers."

Chip Phillips plays the protagonist Marvin and is worthy of the central role as he acts circles around the rest of the ensemble. However, nothing he does can make Marvin into a sympathetic, likeable character. By his own admission, the man is egotistical, self-absorbed, and wants it all. It begs the question why Whizzer would want to be with him as they fight more than anything else. There is an unfortunate lack of romantic chemistry between the two actors, even when they share a bed in one scene. I can't help but wonder if the director made a choice not to push the limits of his audience's tolerance by keeping them more platonic than passionate. By the end of the play, the pair shows a modicum of tenderness toward each other, but nothing that indicates a relationship between lovers. Tensions between Marvin and the new family unit of his son, ex-wife, and former psychiatrist are palpable, but uneven. Lazour is a natural as the troubled boy floundering around in the sea of unsteady adults who surround him. Jason is often called upon to be the most mature of the bunch and Lazour is up to the task.

One of the themes running through the play is the family's Judaism. It is fodder for several songs and gags from the opening bell ("Four Jews in a Room Bitching"), to planning Jason's Bar Mitzvah, to watching Jewish boys who cannot play baseball play baseball. Because Finn makes their religion integral to the story, it creates an expectation that the people on the stage will at least appear to be Jewish, but the physical depiction is wanting in this company.

The musicians are seated upstage and do yeoman's work under the direction of conductor/keyboard player Fred Frabotta. Joshua Finstein on synthesizer, Pieter Struyk on percussion, and Zach Chadwick on reeds are as vital to the production as the actors and play in perfect synch with them. The set is primarily a quartet of moveable, colorful doors and furniture on wheels and the clothing takes us back to the 1979-1981 time frame. The Foothills Theatre cadre of technicians makes the show look and sound good, as usual.

Playwright Finn grew up in Natick, Massachusetts, and wrote both music and lyrics for his more recent successful Broadway show, The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I'd love to see Foothills and Russell Garrett take a crack at that and stay a bit more current. Sad to say, Falsettos has surpassed its shelf life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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