Broadway Review: ‘Falsettos’
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 and provisional joy of that period. March on.
The warm performances of a terrific cast soften the underlying sadness of Finn’s breakthrough musical about a nebbish named Marvin (an endearing performance from Christian Borle) who leaves his loving wife, Trina (Stephanie J. Block, dynamite), and young son (Anthony Rosenthal, blessedly unaffected) for a male lover with the improbable name of Whizzer (Andrew Rannells, irresistible to all sexes).
