The production's spectacular revelation, however, is Block. In addition to a powerful voice, she brings to the role such warmth, self-deprecating humor and frazzled sexiness (that in itself is an achievement for anyone wearing the late-'70s fashion crime of rust culottes and a mustard cardigan) that her every number is a showstopper. In a gorgeous take on "Trina's Song," she complains, "I'm tired of all the happy men who rule the world," bemoaning their immaturity while berat

Stephanie J. Block is simply outstanding as Trina, full of both maddening inconsistency and warm humor. Her act-one showstopper “I’m Breaking Down” is practically a master class in building and delivering a comic solo. Read more

William Finn and James Lapine were ahead of the curve when they wrote a trilogy of plays about a married man, his family, and his gay lover in the age of AIDS. “In Trousers” debuted in 1979, followed by “March of the Falsettos” (1981) and “Falsettoland” (1990). The latter two went on to play Broadway in 1992 under the umbrella title of “Falsettos” — and this surprisingly fresh revival has been directed by original director Lapine, who plainly understands the bittersweet humor

There’s hardly a moment in the exhilarating, devastating revival of the musical “Falsettos” that doesn’t approach, or even achieve, perfection. This singular show, about an unorthodox family grappling with the complexities of, well, just being a family — unorthodox or otherwise — has been restored to life, some 25 years after it was first produced, with such vitality that it feels as fresh and startling as it did back in 1992. “Falsettos” — which began life as two one-acts, “

NEW YORK (AP) — She may hit a Broadway stage, as she always does, focused and ready eight times a week, but there's a tiny part of Stephanie J. Block's heart that's missing these days. That would be the longing to be with her daughter, Vivian, safe in her New Jersey home. Vivian is 18 months old, and mom leaving for work may be harder on Block than the little one. "I thought it was going to be much smoother as far as the transition. I miss her desperately every day. I think a