Falsettos the heartbreaking musical available on BroadwayHD
The 2017 revival of Falsettos received 5 Tony award nominations and has recently been included into the BroadwayHD library and is a musical that shouldn’t be missed.
Falsettos is a story about Marvin played by Christian Borle. Marvin has recently come out as gay to his ex-wife Trina, played by Stephanie J. Block, and son Jason, played by Anthony Rosenthal. Marvin also decides to introduce his new boyfriend Whizzer, played by Andrew Rannells, to his family with a dynamic and hysterical twist that plays out on stage.
Set in the early 1980s, Falsettos focuses on a family and how each member handles change in the face of the AIDS epidemic. It is a touching, emotional and heartbreaking journey that will remind you of the amazing stories that are told on stage and what we can look forward to once this Covid-19 pandemic is over.
Directed by Matthew Diamond and James Lapine, this production of Falsettos is engaging with the very funny musical numbers like “Four Jews in a Room Bitching”, “My Father’s a Homo” and “I’m Breaking Down”. The story of Falsettos time and again highlights the importance of acceptance and living an authentic and full life.
Written by William Finn, originally conceived and developed as In Trousers, after a collaboration with James Lapine, March of the Falsettos was created and premiered in New York, Off-Broadway. Shortly afterwards a the second act, Falsettoland was devised and previewed. Finally Finn combined the two acts and Falsettos was born and has thrilled audiences ever since.
Christian Borle as Marvin is a tremendous character on stage. Set in a time when society was slowly accepting homosexuality, the performance by Christian Borle is strong and engaging.
Stephanie J. Block as Trina, is the ex-wife of Marvin. Trina is a high energy ball of nerves and watching Stephanie J. Block perform this role is perfection. There are a number of reasons why she’s just so good, including her musical number “I’m Breaking Down”, but her performance is consistently strong and worth watching.
Andrew Rannells as Whizzer is heartbreaking. There is a sense of innocence in the character that Rannells presents beautifully. Watching his romance with Marvin slowly develop and grow but also him being accepted into Marvin’s family is just so touching.
Falsettos is a musical that everyone should watch just to understand what it was like to be a gay person in the early 1980s and living through the AIDS epidemic. The difficulties that one man experiences trying to live a truthful and authentic life and how his family faces the changes and learn to love and accept them is one of the many heartwarming experiences about this production. It is emotional and you will need tissues but it is a reminder of what other’s went through so we can live the life we have today.
Falsettos is currently available to view on BroadwayHD.