Dated Gay-Themed Musical
Produced by Harlequin Productions the 1992 Tony award winning sung-through musical The Falsettos by William Finn and James Lapine opened this past weekend at the state theatre in Olympia.
Taking place in 1979 and 1981, it concerns gay male life of that era; specifically the aftermath of a middle-aged, middle class NYC gay man coming out, leaving his wife and ten year old son, for a precarious relationship with a much younger gay man.
Like a Wagner Opera, the music on its own was excellent, very catchy but the libretto was weak. It had similarities to Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, because all the really dramatic action took place off-stage, before the musical even started. Hence, the whole first act was recounting the actions of the break-up of the family, not staging the process.
The second act was marginally better, from a dramatic point of view, as there was a small amount of tension around Bar Mitzvah planning. I got the impression that one could coin a new word “Bar Mitzvahzilla” as the intricacies of planning any Bar Mitzvah, let alone this one, seemed almost as fraught as planning a wedding.
Stand-outs in the cast were Kristen Natalia as Dr. Charlotte, a lesbian doctor neighbor, who is on the forefront of aids care in the early 1980’s, and her partner Cordelia, played by Karin Terry, both of them were lively, animated and were able to milk the lyrics for some humor.
The Bar Mitzvah boy, Jason, played by Josh Doyle delivered the goods on every solo and did an outstanding job. One scene which stood out was when Doyle, as Jason, tries to play baseball at a Little League game, with his un-athletically inclined blood-relatives, and non-blood relatives, cheering him on.
Although there was applause in the appropriate places and even a standing ovation, in my opinion, the actual script itself, although not the subject matter, was lackluster.
It was a shame because it was a solid production led by superb director Corey McDaniel, excellent musicians, Aaron Lamb on the Piano, Nick Hall-Woodwinds and Andy Garness-Drums and Percussion. The scenic design by Jeannie Beirne and lighting, by Mark Thomason, really facilitated the complicated scene changes efficiently.
People’s tastes differ, what once may have seemed pertinent, no longer does. Society, at least in urban areas, has made a lot of progress since 1992 and definitely since 1979.
The Falsettos. Harlequin Productions. The State Theatre. 202-4th Ave E. Olympia, WA 98501. Evening and Matinée performances til July 22.