Review: FALSETTOS PROVES TO BE VERY SOBERING at STAGEWORKS THEATRE

Falsettos, a primarily sung-through musical was written by William Finn and James Lapine and features two one-act installments March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland. The aforementioned are the last two additions to a trio of one-act musicals by Finn and Lapine, the other being called In Trousers.

Our story centers around Marvin, who has recently left his wife and son, to be with a man. Marvin has taken on a lover in Whizzer, a much younger man. Marvin continually struggles to keep his family afloat all while maintaining a relationship with Whizzer and trying to continue his relationship with his son Jason. Much of the first act explores the tension and strain Marvin’s relationship with Whizzer has on his family.

While Marvin is courting around with Whizzer, Trina, Marvin’s wife begins counseling to deal with the undoing of her relationship. While during counseling she meets Mendel, her psychiatrist. Soon the pair form a bond and decide to get married.

In the second act, we find Marvin and Trina preparing a bar mitzvah for their son Jason who is coming of age. Adding into the mix a couple of lesbians who live next door to Marvin and Whizzer, one is an internist, the other a caterer. All the while planning the bar mitzvah, Marvin has seemingly left Whizzer, but as they continue to work and rekindled their relationship, Whizzer gets sick with an unknown disorder.

Themes of gay life in the 1970s and 80s, Jewish life/identity, and gender roles are all intermixed into the storyline of Finn and Lapine’s musical. It also deals with the AIDS epidemic of the time, and the shocking unknown that follows.

Falsettos first premiered on Broadway in 1992 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards. Of the seven awards, the show won Best Book and Best Original Score. Falsettos was revived on Broadway in 2016 starring Christian Borle, Andrew Rannels, and Stephanie J. Block. The 2016 Revival was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Revival. In 2016 the Revival was filmed and adapted for PBS Live from Lincoln Center and aired in October of 2017. The original cast and the revival came together for a performance at the Tony Awards. Since 2016 other revivals have been produced and have toured in Australia and the United Kingdom.

The musical has been praised by critics over the years for its humor, character development, and positive portrayal of non-traditional family structures “A Tight-Knit Family.”

The interesting inception of Falsettos came after many trials. Finn first wrote In Trousers which was not received well by critics. Continuing writing around the storyline of the character Marvin, Finn and Lapine collaborated on March of the Falsettos.

After almost a decade following the completion of March of the Falsettos, Finn followed up with Falsettoland during the wake of the AIDS Epidemic of the 1980s. Upon completion of Falsettoland, Finn and Lapine decided to combine the two into a cohesive consistent and unified piece.  Judging by the heavy themes found in Falsettoland, Finn decided to rely on making the audiences laugh as opposed to bringing on the tears. 

The interesting thing about Falsettos as a whole, despite the incredible musical score, the plot can come off convoluted and messy. This in part by fact that those who knew Finn personally came to know him as often disorganized. When writing Falsettos he had a hard time placing the order of songs in sequence of events. Finding it hard to figure out where to place the bar mitzvah, Finn settled on this idea of holding it in a hospital, after the idea appeared to him in a dream. Other moments of clarity came from the haftorah which is read by Jason at the bar mitzvah. It was the same text in which Finn used in his bar mitzvah, but he got bored, and instead threw in words that were musically enjoyable but were grammatically not correct in Hebrew.

Boasting a whopping 43 musical numbers over the course of two acts, proves to be a mammoth feat for even the most seasoned performer.

Director JL Rey, Guest Director at Stageworks Theatre, has assembled a dynamite and “tight-knit family” within this exceptional company of performers. Not a weak-link in the mix, this company delivered the poignant, and often all too sobering tale of Finn and Lapine’s musical with empathy and heartache set to the tune of  beautiful music.

Leading our cast, and subsequently the story that follows, is the exceptional Jonathan Van Dyke as Marvin. Mr. Van Dyke’s delivery is both sobering and empathetic, giving Marvin and almost wonderful wounded nature. Normally Marvin is the character you hate, but here there is another layer to his otherwise stoic nature. You feel his heart, and his love for Whizzer, and the need to prove his love to his son, Jason.

As Trina, Heather Kreuger is exceptional. Her “I’m Breaking Down,” provides a mirror- image into Parental Struggle. Her vocals are exquisite, and her “Holding the Ground,” is wonderfully delivered and will make your heart sing. Always a presence on stage, Heather is in her element here. Having experienced her work many times on stage, Heather is in the top of her game as Trina, and this performance, makes the top of my list as favorite roles in which I have seen her portray.

As Cordelia, Abby Daner, makes her Professional Debut, and  is perfect as the lesbian caterer from next door. Her vocals are impressive, her comedic timing is perfectly balanced,  and her chemistry with Jaime Giangrande’s Charlotte is on point the entire time. We do not get to see Cordelia and Charlotte until Act 2, but it was well worth the wait.

As Charlotte, the internist, Jamie Giangrande is perfectly cast here. Delivering strong vocals and a powerful connection with Abby’s Cordelia, her performance deserves all the accolades.  Strong from first entrance, she makes an incredible impact on the world of the show. When you see her begin to discover what AIDS really is, you feel the weight placed upon her shoulders. A truly wonderful performance from Jamie and a welcomed return to Stageworks. Having last experienced her work in last season’s The Great American Trailer Park, its always a joy to witness her work on stage.

Whizzer, the “antagonist” of our story is played by the incredibly talented Troy Ochoa- Rowland, making his Stageworks debut. His vocals are top-notch, and choreography is wonderfully realized. His emotions and through-line are fully delivered in every moment to moment. His connection with Marvin is a very real delivery of the ups and downs of relationships. In Troy’s Whizzer, I found a stronger connection with his portrayal, than any Whizzer I have seen portrayed before.  Troy sings his face off, and his talent shines especially in “Games I Play,” and “You Gotta Die Sometime.” A marvelous turn for this young performer, and one who will be on my radar for his future endeavors.

As Jason, Sam Sobel is a wonderful addition to the company. Playing the child and the center of most of the story is a hard road to lead, but Sam does so with ease. My favorite moment of his is during “Baseball Game.” Kudos to Sam, for he truly has fun with the role, and adds a great layer to show. I will say I have noticed exceptional growth in both vocals and stage presence since having last seen him onstage. If he keeps on this road the sky is the limit, brava to a truly wonderful performance.

Finally, as Mendel, Ricky Cona pulls out all the stops. Providing not only comic relief, but audience interaction, his Mendel is exceptional. Vocals always outstanding, and his presence onstage unmatched, we get a true sense of the type of performer Mr. Cona is. He is completely in the moment from start to finish, and his interactions with both Trina and Jason are full of joy, and wonderful to watch. Ricky Cone is always in his element onstage and as Mendel this is no exception. In an exceptionally strong company, Mr. Cona comes out slightly ahead and for me earns the title of “Best in Show.”

JL Rey’s strong direction delivers a clear road-map to the complex storylines of the “tight-knit family.” Expertly pacing a show as complex as Falsettos is no small feat. Staging a staggering 43 musical numbers can seem cumbersome, but JL proves he can expertly stage a complex world such as Falsettos with precision and a keen eye to detail. The ending portrayed here is handled in a different manner than I have seen delivered before. I will not give away the events, as you should definitely see this show, but for me I was left a little stunned. Different, but in an interesting manner, that makes me wonder what led to the direction of choices. I’m still trying to piece together the sequences that came together to arrive at the ultimate conclusion, and this is one ending that will stick with me for some time, not necessarily the written ending, as anyone who is familiar with this show, understands the ending, but rather its staging, its concept, its ultimate goal. Many questions remain.

JL Rey mentions his personal connection to the show in his Director’s Notes, by saying,

“The concept of chosen family is not new to anyone who has been forced to leave their home because of differences in religion, politics, economics, sexuality, and identity among others. Immigrants are forced to create family where they settle. Religiously persecuted people have forged their own families in order to hold on to their spiritual identities. Political refugees, make family wherever circumstances lead them. LGBTQIA2S+ people long ago, learned to form chosen families who offer the support, love, structure, and security that biological families frequently have failed to provide for many of us...”

“... Personally, this show is very meaningful to me because “What More Can I Say?” is the first love song I ever heard, where the lovers are both men. This song helped to legitimize the possibility of love for me, an openly gay man...”

From a technical standpoint, Falsettos works as a representational world. You will find no real structure, but rather pieces formed together to make furniture and then come apart again. Much like the coming together, and splitting apart of the relationships in the show, the furniture takes on the same concept. Anne Tully’s Set Design works well for the world in which the characters reside. I liked the use of the role out piece for the bed, that is just as easily tucked away. Lighting Design by Karla Hartley perfectly evokes the world of the show, and allows the characters to move about the space with ease. There is a strange moment where Mendel is in the dark in his office, not sure if this was a hang and focus issue, or just a placement of the performer onstage. Debbie Lastinger’s Costume Design fits perfectly for the time period of the show, and gives each character a unique identity. Alli Bica’s Sound Design fits perfectly into the world of the show.

Music Director Xander McColley perfectly assembled a four piece band to lead us through the 43 songs in the book of Falsettos. He provided exceptional accompainment to our performers. Allowing the audience the ability to perfectly hear the performers and the band equally. Shout out to the incredible musicians involved, Diana Belcher on Reeds, Lance Norman on Percussion,  Xander McColley and Megan Zeitler on Keys.

Falsettos is a tough show to stage, but the amazing folks at Stageworks Theatre take a difficult show, and pack it with so much heart. Not a dry eye in the audience following the show. True super fans, that is who come out for Falsettos. Do yourself a favor, take a moment to visit the Channel District through June 23rd to catch Falsettos. Stageworks Theatre continually puts there stamp on the Tampa Bay Theatre Community, and continually proves why they are Tampa’s longest running Professional Theatre Company for over 40 years. Tickets for Falsettos can be purchased by visiting www.stageworkstheatre.org  This dynamic cast, this incredible story, told in a unique way, makes William Finn’s Falsettos the perfect ticket to share with your very own “Tight-Knit Family,” and making it the perfect highlight to Pride Month here in Tampa Bay!

PHOTO CREDIT: STAGE PHOTOGRAPHY OF TAMPA

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