Just where did the lesbians next door come from and why should we care about them? It’s a question you will end up pondering towards the end of the ponderous Mask & Bauble production of Falsettos, an overlong musical whose size couldn’t be overcome, even with some good performances. Directed by Ian-Julian Williams (CAS ‘03), Falsettos gives the viewer a panoramic view of the weirder side of human nature.
Falsettos is a series of three one-man musicals (only the second and third of the installments performed here for the sake of brevity in a play that already spans two-and-a-half hours) that revolve around the life and relationships of Marvin, a man who realizes he no longer loves his wife and is attracted to another man, Whizzer. In the second act of the trilogy, Marvin divorces his wife. But, hoping to eat his cake and have sex with it too, he tries to combine his family life, with wife Trina and son Jason, and his love life with Whizzer. Larry Socha (CAS ‘03) as Marvin and Tara Dankel (SFS/MAS ‘04) as Trina both turn in standout performances; both are good singers wth equally good acting ability. Things become complicated for them when Trina’s psychiatrist, Mendel, played by Adam Harris (SFS ‘03), proposes to her, prompting a violent outburst from Marvin which causes him to lose both his family and Whizzer.
Act Two (actually the third act) finds Marvin reconciled with his family, and eventually with Whizzer, as they plan Jason’s bar mitzvah. As the argument over the details of Jason’s bar mitzvah goes out of control, Whizzer reveals he is dying of a disease the nature of which is never made clear (possibly a voodoo hex, but most likely AIDS). As Whizzer worsens, the decision is made to have the bar mitzvah in his hospital room, and the characters reunite for a final time, overcoming their petty differences in order to focus on what is truly important to them all.
While acting wasn’t a big problem for most of the cast, singing was, as some of the characters either had problems with volume (due partly to microphone problems and partly due to the band being slightly too loud), or an inability to carry a solo number in song. When singing in conjunction with the other characters, some of the weaknesses of the individual performers could be glossed over.
Clayton Lord’s (CAS ‘03) unconventional stage set-up is a twist on the theater-in-the-round idea, with the spectator areas divided up into three areas, with a fairly minimal set design consisting of a bed, a couch/coffee table combo, a psychiatrist couch and chair, as well as whatever props can be wheeled or brought in by the actors. With the awkward stage arrangement, lighting is key in showing where the action is taking place, directing the audience’s attention to the part of the sprawling stage where the main action is taking place.
The pit band played well, yet none of the musical numbers manage to really stand out. Consisting primarily of a piano and percussion augmented by a woodwind section consisting of an alto and tenor saxophone and a clarinet, the band’s music is well spotted to the onstage action, mickey-mousing along with the characters’ actions for comical effect and effectively highlighting their movements. The musical numbers aren’t bad during the first act, with some of them, such as “I’m Breaking Down” and the surrealist “March of the Falsettos,” memorable for their quirkiness. (apollohospitals) The second act songs don’t fair as well, however, with the songs losing their distinction and blending into one another as the play becomes a matter of attrition. This can be blamed on the fact that the second act loses the cohesion of the first act, branching out to include disparate elements and storylines that detract focus from the original plot, which is hard enough to follow as it is, being told entirely through song.
The name Falsettos refers to the musical concept of singing outside of normal range. The implication is that the characters are abnormal or outside of the normal range of human experience. This is certainly an accurate synopsis of the play?the flamboyant style of the musical focuses on the characters’ problems and insecurities, with plot taking a backstage to its bloated form. But hopefully, you won’t think about that … you’ll dwell on the lesbians instead.
