Upstage Theater Takes On FALSETTOS!

Upstage Theater, a home company of the Mountain View Center For The Performing Arts, is set to bring you William Finn's award-winning musical, Falsettos.

With music and lyrics by Finn and a book by James Lapine, Falsettos tells of Marvin, who leaves his wife and child for a man, creating a dysfunctional family, struggling to peacefully coexist. Growing and maturing alongside each other, the group, mixed with a wiry psychiatrist and lesbians from next door, discovers what it means to love and just how far they would go for it. The first and second act of the contemporary musical were originally written as two separate shows, titled March Of The Falsettos and Falsettoland, respectively. They were combined and produced on Broadway as one show in 1992.

Director Val Zvinyatskovsky says, "This story is just as important now as when it premiered in 1992. It paints a distinct historical picture for the younger generation, reignites a childhood memory for their parents, and offers a window back into how life was for their grandparents." At the completely teen-run company, Upstage Theater's production stars exclusively young adults from all around the San Francisco Bay Area. "This is not a show you will almost ever see produced by teens, let alone very much in community theater. However, we find it imperative to tell stories of those much older than us with younger faces. It will allow you to see the characters through a different, fresher lens."

Falsettos will also feature a live 4-person band, a new endeavor for Upstage Theater, boasting the full Broadway orchestration. "There is so much color and character in the orchestration alone, it breathes life into the show that solo piano could not," says Zvinyatskovsky, who will piano-conduct the band. The 3-quarter-thrust arrangement of the black box, at which Upstage Theater performs, allows for an intimate orchestral experience, in addition to placing the audience just a few feet away from the story.

After a year and a half of virtual productions and a strong hunger for returning to the stage, this is the first Upstage season featuring two musicals in one year. Set on the backdrop of 1980s New York City, Falsettos will open one of thousands of windows in the towering skyscrapers, behind which is loving and neurotic human life and offer an inimitable presentation of the acclaimed material.

Performances are March 11 - 13 at the Mountain View Center For The Performing Arts - SecondStage and are appropriate for ages 12 and up. Masks are required for all patrons.

Ticket prices are $22 for adults and $17 for students (21 & under). Tickets are available at https://tickets.mvcpa.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=421 or at the box office at 650.903.6000

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