When the revival of the William Finn/James Lapine musical Falsettos opened on Broadway in 2016 there were questions about whether or not the show would feel like a museum piece. You’ll get a chance to form your own opinion when the Tony-nominated revival is broadcast on PBS this Friday. In the meantime, here are my two cents.
First some backstory: The show is a pairing of two one-act musicals: March of the Falsettos, which debuted in 1981 and Falsettoland that debuted in 1990. They were written separately and later paired to make a two-act show. The resulting show landed both Lapine and Finn Tony Awards for their work.
The basic premise is that of a family facing the father’s homosexuality and how that impacts the relationships he has with his son and his wife. There’s a psychiatrist who gets involved with the wife and two lesbian neighbors. There’s also the man the father has fallen in love with. How they all navigate this changing definition of family forms the spine of the musical.
In the second act, AIDS becomes part of the story. It’s definitely the darker half of the two and some would argue that it feels like a different musical. And this is where the museum piece comes in. The way one character’s diagnosis comes about and how that plays out seem like relics from a time before the advent of drugs that are now commonplace. But are they?
On September 9th of this year, Michael Freidman, a 41-year-old Broadway composer, died of AIDS. He was the co-creator of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (which had is world premiere at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2008 before going to Broadway) and had multiple shows in various stages of production or development.
How did someone so young, with all the knowledge we have of HIV/AIDS, die of a disease commonly considered to be manageable? Friends are family are asking that same question. Perhaps he didn’t get his diagnosis soon enough or get treatment fast enough. Perhaps he didn’t take it seriously enough. These are questions we might never have answered. The only thing we do know is this is once again a promising life cut tragically short.
So I ask you to think of Friedman when you watch Falsettos. We aren’t out of the woods with this devastating disease. No matter how far science and medicine take us, there are always going to be these anomalies. Hopefully not very many. At their best, the performing arts challenge us to face realities we perhaps need to be reminded of. Falsettos is one of those shows.
At same time, don’t let this lead you to believe that all of Falsettos is doom and gloom. It certainly isn’t. Finn and Lapine have crafted a musical that, while not lacking in substance, still entertains, amuses, challenges and yes, has memorable songs.
A particular highlight is Stephanie J. Block performing “I’m Breaking Down.” The song “What More Can I Say” features Christian Borle giving a beautiful and moving performance. The entire cast is terrific.
In a 2013 interview with Eric Grode of the New York Times, Michael Friedman talked about the importance of relationships through one’s career. But I think his words resonate both with Falsettos and with his own life:
“Those are the things that keep you tethered, and I think they keep you thinking of moving forward. Otherwise, what’s the whole point of this?”