Falsettos
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Falsettos is a musical with a book by James Lapine and William Finn and music and lyrics by Finn, comprised of March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, the last two in a trio of one-act off-Broadway plays (the first was In Trousers) focusing on Marvin, his ex-wife Trina, his son Jason, and his gay lover Whizzer.
In Act One, it's 1979, and Marvin is torn between his desire to be with Whizzer and his determination not to lose the affections of Trina and Jason. Helping him on his journey of self-discovery and decision is his psychiatrist Mendel, who complicates matters by becoming involved with Trina. In his frenzy to keep everyone, Marvin loses all of them, although as the curtain falls he is confident he at least has salvaged his relationship with his son.
Two years later, in Act Two, Jason is preparing for his bar mitzvah and Whizzer is suffering from a mysterious, life-threatening, as yet undefined illness, which the audience recognizes is AIDS.
After 23 previews, the Lapine-directed production opened on April 29, 1992 at the John Golden Theatre, where it ran for 487 performances. The opening night cast included Stephen Bogardus, Michael Rupert, Chip Zien, Carolee Carmello, Jonathan Kaplan, Heather MacRae, and Barbara Walsh.
[edit] Song list
Act One
- Four Jews in a Room Bitching
- A Tight Knit Family
- Love is Blind
- Thrill of First Love
- Marvin at the Psychiatrist (A Three-Part Mini-Opera)
- Everyone Tells Jason to See a
- This Had Better Come to a Stop
- I'm Breaking Down
- Jason's Therapy
- A Marriage Proposal
- Trina's Song
- March of the Falsettos
- The Chess Game
- Making a Home
- The Games I Play
- Marvin Goes Crazy
- I Never Wanted to Love You
- Father to Son
Act Two
- Welcome to Falsettoland
- The Year of the Child
- Miracle of Judaism
- Sitting Watching Jason (Play Baseball)
- A Day in Falsettoland
- Everyone Hates His Parents
- What More Can I Say
- Something Bad Is Happening
- Holding to the Ground
- Days Like This I Almost Believe in God
- Cancelling the Bar Mitzvah
- Unlikely Lovers
- Another Miracle of Judaism
- You Gotta Die Sometime
- Jason's Bar Mitzvah
- What Would I Do?
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Original Score (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Rupert, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Kaplan, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Walsh, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Walsh, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival (nominee)
- Theatre World Award (Kaplan, winner)
