Falsettos (2016 Broadway Revival) is a sung-through musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine, music and lyrics by William Finn, and directed by James Lapine. The musical is a combination of two of Finn’s previous works, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland and is parts 2 and 3 of the “Falsettos Trilogy.” Additionally, In Trousers is the first part of the Falsettos Trilogy which follows Marvin’s teenage years and his realization of his homosexuality. The musical opened on October 27th, 2016 at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York, NY. The show eventually closed on January 8th, 2017. The show had a run time of two hours and 40 minutes, with one intermission. As of January 8th, 2017, Playbill reports that Falsettos grossed $8,311,545.70 overall. Falsettos played 84 performances and had 30 previews. Falsettos was eventually nominated for FIVE Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival. A Pro-shot version of the musical was released on BroadwayHD for viewing, and was also released in theaters in select locations. Sadly, the musical is no longer on BroadwayHD, and is not officially able to be streamed.

Falsettos follows the life of Marvin (Christian Borle), a Jewish man who leaves his wife, Trina (Stephanie J. Block), for a male lover, Whizzer (Andrew Rannells), while struggling to maintain a “close-knit family” with his son, Jason (Anthony Rosenthal) as well. Heartbroken and having a hard time dealing with Marvin leaving, Trina falls in love with Marvin’s psychiatrist, Mendel (Brandon Uranowitz). Over time, Marvin and Trina slowly make up, accepting one another and creating the close-knit family they always wanted. However, this all comes to be as Whizzer falls ill, mostly speculated to be of AIDS, ultimately leading to his death. The story discusses topics of the AIDS crisis, LGBTQ+ Identity and Relationships, Family and Parenthood, Jewish Identity and Tradition, Love, Grief, and Loss. Through a combination of humor and drama, Falsettos can make you cry and laugh in the same breath.

Track List:

Act One

“Four Jews in a Room B—–ing”
“A Tight-Knit Family/Love Is Blind”
“The Thrill of First Love” – Marvin and Whizzer
“Marvin at the Psychiatrist (A Three-Part Mini-Opera)”
“My Father’s a Homo” / “Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist”
“This Had Better Come to a Stop”
“I’m Breaking Down”
“Please Come to Our House/Jason’s Therapy”
“A Marriage Proposal/A Tight-Knit Family (Reprise)”
“Trina’s Song/March of the Falsettos/Trina’s Song (Reprise)”
“The Chess Game”
“Making a Home”
“The Games I Play”
“Marvin Hits Trina”
“I Never Wanted to Love You”
“Father to Son”

Act Two

“Falsettoland/About Time”
“The Year of the Child”
“Miracle of Judaism”
“The Baseball Game”
“A Day in Falsettoland”
“Everyone Hates His Parents”
“What More Can I Say?”
“Something Bad Is Happening/More Racquetball”
“Holding to the Ground”
“Days Like This”
“Cancelling the Bar Mitzvah”
“Unlikely Lovers”
“Another Miracle of Judaism”
“You Gotta Die Sometime”
“Jason’s Bar Mitzvah”
“What Would I Do?”
“Falsettoland (Reprise)”

Falsettos is a musical that evokes almost every emotion in the book for me. Throughout the entire musical, it is an entire rollercoaster that the characters take you through. However, this is what makes me love it so deeply. I found myself crying through one scene, laughing through another, and then yelling at the air because the characters make me so annoyed! The complexity of the characters makes them all feel real, flawed, and fully developed, making the story more compelling. Similarly, the ability to create a story and not let it end with a happy ending really puts into perspective the real-life effects that the AIDS crisis put people through. In the final scene, the set being used to create the nameless grave of Whizzer really took a toll on me. I literally had to put my phone down to collect myself before I could even begin processing what I had watched. I also think that the score is beautiful. One of my favorite songs, “I Never Wanted to Love You,” has such amazing harmonies, and the blend in voices in the end between the 2016 Broadway cast is absolutely incredible. Similarly, the lyricism in some of the songs makes for a really intriguing musical. The lyrics also share the rollercoaster of emotions, ranging from Trina’s breakdown (“I’m Breaking Down”) to Jason trying to figure out which girl to invite to his Bar Mitzvah (“Miracle of Judaism”).

I also think the stylistic choice in the 2016 version of only having a single set piece be used to create multiple set pieces (a foam cube made of different shapes to be used as tables, chairs, archways, etc.) really allows the set to be left up to the person’s imagination. Stylistically, the pacing between the musical is a bit jarring sometimes, as everything moves at many different paces and doesn’t feel consistent at times, and not in a good way. One of the biggest places I find this issue is in Act 1, as it’s more comedic and frantic, which does not flow well to me with the emotional depth of the second act. However, the reason for this may be that combining two musicals to make a bigger one, such as this musical, can also have some issues with the flow, as it sometimes feels like two separate stories. I also have an issue with the amount of songs compared to dialogue, as I feel a majority of the story is told solely through the songs, which takes away from the story. If there was more dialogue rather than songs, I feel as though it could’ve made the story more impactful. With a run-time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, the cast album says the music takes up 2 hours and 13 minutes of it. With only 27 minutes of dialogue, I feel like it can really take away from the story. With that to say, I feel as though the style of this musical is something I still have to get used to, as I am more adjusted to the style of musical with a balance of song and dialogue.

If I were given the opportunity to be in this musical, I would love to play the role of Trina. Her character offers a perfect balance between drama, humor, and vocal challenge. Her character goes through a rollercoaster of events, through betrayal, love, anxiety, and resilience. This makes her an incredibly deeply layered character. Songs like “I’m Breaking Down” allow Trina to process her experiences through humor; however, through songs like “Holding to the Ground” allows her to showcase her emotional depth. Vocally, she requires really strong control, blending, and raw emotion. Trina is an extremely relatable and sympathetic character, just trying to keep her family together while navigating her upturned world.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this musical. If you’re someone who enjoys musicals that balance humor with deep, emotional storytelling, are an LGBTQ+ person or ally, or an enjoyer of stories about unconventional family dynamics, this musical would be an amazing addition to your list.