March of the Falsettos

March of the Falsettos
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MusicWilliam Finn
LyricsWilliam Finn
BookWilliam Finn
James Lapine
Productions1980 Playwrights Horizons workshop (as Four Jews in a Room Bitching)
1981 Off-Broadway
1982 Los Angeles
1987 West End
AwardsGuggenheim Fellowship (1984, shared with In Trousers)

March of the Falsettos is a 1981 musical with music and lyrics by William Finn and a book by Finn and James Lapine. It is the second in a trilogy of musicals, preceded by In Trousers and followed by Falsettoland. March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland later formed the first and second act respectively of the 1992 musical Falsettos.

Concept

A sequel to In Trousers, the one-act continues the story of Marvin and his journey in search of self-understanding, inner peace, and a life with a "happily ever after" ending. His extended family consists of ex-wife Trina, son Jason, lover Whizzer Brown, and psychiatrist Mendel, who complicates matters by becoming involved with Trina. The musical explores themes of family, Judaism, queerness, and love.

Development

Finn continued writing about Marvin under the working title "The Pettiness of Misogyny," then "Four Jews in a Room Bitching."[1] A concert workshop under the latter title was presented at Playwrights Horizons in April 1980, directed by Finn, who also played Marvin himself, with Alison Fraser as Trina, John Sloman as Whizzer, Lonny Price as Mendel, and John Turturro as a separate psychiatrist-adjacent character named Irving.[2] Miss Goldberg, Marvin's teacher and a holdover character from In Trousers, was played by Zora Rasmussen rather than Mary Testa, who had originated the role but was busy making her Broadway debut that same month in Barnum; Miss Goldberg was written out as the show was reworked into March of the Falsettos.[2]

James Lapine, who had recently brought his play Table Settings to Playwrights Horizons, was enlisted to help shape the material into a coherent book, persuading Finn to combine Mendel and Irving into a single character and to retitle the show March of the Falsettos; "Four Jews in a Room Bitching" survived as its opening number.[1]

Production

The musical began performances at Playwrights Horizons' Studio Theatre on March 27, 1981,[3] and opened officially on April 9—the day before Frank Rich's rave review ran in The New York Times calling it "a musical find"—with Michael Rupert as Marvin, Alison Fraser as Trina, Stephen Bogardus as Whizzer, Chip Zien as Mendel, and James Kushner as Jason, before transferring to the Mainstage Theatre on May 20, where it ran through September 26, 1981.[4][1][5][6] Michael Starobin served as musical director and orchestrator.[4][7] It transferred to the Westside Theatre (then known as the Cheryl Crawford Theatre) on October 13, 1981, where it played 128 performances before closing on January 31, 1982, for a total run of 340 performances.[5][8] The commercial transfer, produced by Warner Theater Productions, was grossing more than $20,000 a week by early December 1981, but when receipts dipped below the production's stop clause during the traditionally slow first weeks of the month, the theatre served an eviction notice, which the producers disputed while performances continued.[9] For the Westside engagement, Brent Barrett took over as Whizzer (Bogardus had earlier been succeeded in the role by Lance Roberts), and Gregg Phillips succeeded Kushner as Jason, joining Rupert, Fraser, and Zien.[10][11][12][9][13]

The musical then opened in Los Angeles at the Huntington Hartford Theater on April 21, 1982, again directed by Lapine and with Starobin again serving as musical director and orchestrator, with Rupert, Bogardus, and Zien reprising their roles, alongside Melanie Chertoff as Trina and Craig Taro Gold as Jason.[14][15]

The UK premiere of the show was at the intimate Library Theatre in Manchester, where the first European performance was given on January 29, 1987, directed by Roger Haines and Paul Kerryson.[16] This production, featuring Barry James (Mendel), Martin Smith (Marvin), Paddy Navin (Trina), Simon Green (Whizzer) and Damien Walker (Jason), transferred to the West End's Albery Theatre for a limited run from March 24 to April 18, 1987.[17]

Finn completed his Marvin trilogy with Falsettoland, which eventually became, with March of the Falsettos, the two-act Broadway musical Falsettos.

Synopsis

It's 1979 in New York City. Marvin, his son Jason, his psychiatrist Mendel and his male lover Whizzer introduce themselves, along with Marvin's ex-wife, Trina ("Four Jews in a Room Bitching"). Marvin steps forward to explain his situation: he has left his wife, Trina, for Whizzer, but explains that he wants to and is attempting to forge a new family situation with the addition of Whizzer.

Trina, on Marvin's recommendation, pays a visit to Mendel, where she wearily wonders how her life has turned out this way. Mendel, who is instantly attracted to her, tries to console her ("Tight-Knit Family/Love is Blind"). Meanwhile, Marvin and Whizzer comment on their relationship: the two have very little in common, apart from the fact that they both love fighting and are insanely attracted to each other ("The Thrill of First Love").

The cast presents an interlude of Marvin at his psychiatry appointment with Mendel. In Part One, Mendel asks Marvin about his relationship with Whizzer and Marvin weighs the pros and cons of the relationship, ultimately concluding that he does love Whizzer. In Part Two, Mendel shifts the topic to Trina, and the session becomes one where Mendel, obviously aroused, interrogates Marvin about his ex-wife's bedroom habits. In Part Three, Marvin and Jason provide counterpoint on their strained relationship ("Marvin at the Psychiatrist, a Three-Part Mini-Opera").

Jason, who is 10, is very worried that, because his father is gay, he will turn out similarly. He begins to act up. His parents try to convince him to see Mendel for a therapy session and fail; however, Whizzer convinces him and he agrees to see Mendel ("My Father's a Homo/Everyone tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist").

Meanwhile, Marvin is trying to pigeon-hole Whizzer into the role of homemaker, and they fight. Trina complains to Mendel how her role in the family dynamic is being phased out as Whizzer becomes increasingly prominent in Marvin and Jason's lives. Marvin, being blamed for the family's strife by both Whizzer and Trina, continues to insist that all participants get along together as one extended family ("This Had Better Come To A Stop").

Jason is acting up again, and Trina phones Mendel frantically to come for dinner and therapy. Mendel arrives and immediately charms Trina. ("Please Come To My House") He and Jason settle down for a therapy session in which Jason frets about his future and his similarities to his father. Mendel encourages him to simply relax and enjoy life. After several such dinners and therapy sessions, Jason asks Mendel what his romantic intentions are towards Trina, and Mendel makes a marriage proposal to Trina, which she accepts ("A Marriage Proposal"). Marvin feels defensive over losing his family to his psychiatrist, and he and Mendel argue. ("Tight-Knit Family (Reprise)").

Trina reflects on her situation: she is tired of the man's world she lives in, and even though she knows that Mendel is the same kind of man Marvin is, slightly childish and neurotic, she recognizes he loves her, and she could do a lot worse. The four men of the show suddenly appear, singing a hymn to masculinity in all its aspects, the three adults singing in a falsetto to match Jason's unbroken voice. Once they exit, Trina returns, deciding to enjoy her life for what it is and be happy. ("Trina's Song/March of the Falsettos/Trina's Song (Reprise)")

Marvin tries to teach Whizzer to play chess. Whizzer convinces Marvin to let him win, which he agrees to, but bitterness and ill feelings boil over once he does, and the two break up ("The Chess Game"). Meanwhile, Trina and Mendel move in together and start their life as an engaged couple, feeling unsure of where they stand, while Whizzer is forced to leave his and Marvin's apartment ("Making A Home"). As he packs, Whizzer reflects on himself and his past relationships, and comes to the conclusion that he does not love Marvin ("The Games I Play").

Marvin receives Trina and Mendel's wedding invitation, sending him into a rage. Confronting Trina in front of Mendel and Jason, he accuses her of trying to ruin his life, before he impulsively slaps her ("Marvin Hits Trina"). Shocked by Marvin's outburst, the characters all reflect on the events leading up to it. ("I Never Wanted to Love You").

Although Marvin has broken up with Whizzer and ruined his relationship with Trina, he attempts to salvage his relationship with Jason, who, to his immense relief, has just discovered women. Marvin sits Jason down, telling him that he loves him and no matter what kind of man Jason turns out to be, Marvin will always be there for him. ("Father to Son")

Musical numbers

Source:Guide to Musical Theatre[18]

  • "Four Jews in a Room Bitching" – Whizzer, Marvin, Jason, Mendel, and Trina
  • "A Tight-Knit Family" – Marvin
  • "Love is Blind" – Marvin, Jason, Whizzer, Mendel, and Trina
  • "The Thrill of First Love" – Marvin and Whizzer
  • "Marvin at the Psychiatrist (A 3-Part Mini-Opera)" – Mendel, Marvin, Jason, and Whizzer
  • "My Father's a Homo" – Jason
  • "Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist" – Jason, Marvin, Trina, and Whizzer
  • "This Had Better Come to a Stop" – Marvin, Whizzer, Jason, Trina, and Mendel
  • "I'm Breaking Down" – Trina[a]
  • "Please Come to My House" – Mendel, Trina, and Jason
  • "Jason's Therapy" – Mendel, Trina, Whizzer, Marvin, and Jason
  • "A Marriage Proposal" – Mendel
  • "Trina's Song" – Trina
  • "March of the Falsettos" – Mendel, Marvin, Jason, and Whizzer
  • "Trina's Song (Reprise)" – Trina
  • "The Chess Game" – Marvin and Whizzer
  • "Making a Home" – Mendel, Jason, Trina, and Whizzer
  • "The Games I Play" – Whizzer
  • "Marvin Hits Trina" – Marvin, Mendel, Jason, Trina, and Whizzer
  • "I Never Wanted to Love You" – Marvin, Mendel, Jason, Trina, and Whizzer
  • "Father to Son" – Marvin and Jason

Notes

  1. ↑ Added for the Los Angeles run; the song originally appeared in In Trousers.

Critical reception

Frank Rich, in his review for The New York Times, wrote: "The songs are so fresh that the show is only a few bars old before one feels the unmistakable, revivifying charge of pure talent....However slight and predictable the raw materials, Mr. Finn has transformed them into a show that is funny and tender on its own contained, anecdotal terms."[4]

Writing in the Soho News, Don Shewey praised the show as a fast-paced musical in the Sondheim tradition, highlighting its five unstereotyped characters and its refusal to draw simplistic conclusions about marriage or gay relationships, though he found songs such as "The Games I Play" and "Trina's Song" underdeveloped. He called it the kind of "pocket musical" Sondheim had once envisioned and named Finn among the most exciting composers then working in musical theater.[19]

Recording

An original cast recording of the 1981 production was released by DRG Records as a gatefold LP (DRG SBL 12581) in 1982, packaged with a full printed libretto.[20] Recommending the album in November 1981, Frank Rich called it "exemplary."[13] It was reissued on CD in 1992 (DRG CDSBL 12581), and again later that year as part of a two-disc set pairing it with the original cast recording of Falsettoland (DRG 22600).[20] Reviewing that combined set, Seth Christenfeld of Cast Album Reviews gave it a full five stars, calling the performances of Michael Rupert, Stephen Bogardus, and Chip Zien as Marvin, Whizzer, and Mendel definitive, and judging Alison Fraser's Trina only narrowly superior to Faith Prince's take on the role in Falsettoland.[21]

Awards and nominations

In Trousers and March of the Falsettos together won Finn a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lemon, Brendan (September 28, 2016). "Ira Weitzman: Falsettos Past and Present". Lincoln Center Theater Blog.
  2. 1 2 Forevermore, Finley. "Four Jews in a Room Bitching (1980 Playwrights Horizons)". Genius. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  3. ↑ Lawson, Carol (March 27, 1981). "Broadway; McCowen Returning in May With 'St. Mark's Gospel'". The New York Times.
  4. 1 2 3 Rich, Frank (April 10, 1981). "Stage: March of Falsettos, A Musical Find". The New York Times.
  5. 1 2 Dietz, Dan. Off-Broadway Musicals, 1910–2007. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2010, p. 283.
  6. ↑ "March of the Falsettos". Playwrights Horizons. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Credits for March of the Falsettos (Original Off-Broadway Production, 1981)". Ovrtur.
  8. ↑ "March of the Falsettos (1981), Westside Theatre – Upstairs". Spectra. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Blau, Eleanor (December 17, 1981). "'March of the Falsettos' Fights Eviction". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ "'March of the Falsettos' Moves to Westside Arts". The New York Times. October 11, 1981.
  11. ↑ "Credits & Role Info for "Whizzer Brown, his lover" for March of the Falsettos (Original Off-Broadway Production, 1981)". Ovrtur.
  12. ↑ "Credits & Role Info for "Jason, his son" for March of the Falsettos (Original Off-Broadway Production, 1981)". Ovrtur.
  13. 1 2 Rich, Frank (November 22, 1981). "Critics' Choices". The New York Times.
  14. ↑ "March of the Falsettos – Los Angeles Production 1982". Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  15. ↑ "Credits for March of the Falsettos (Los Angeles Production, 1982)". Ovrtur.
  16. ↑ March of the Falsettos, Albery Theatre programme (Freeshooter Productions Ltd / Wyndham Theatres Ltd, London, 1987); records the first European performance at the Library Theatre, Manchester, on 29 January 1987 and the first Albery performance on 24 March 1987.
  17. ↑ "Falsettos (1987-03-Albery Theatre-London)". musicalsworld.net. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  18. ↑ March of the Falsettos guidetomusicaltheatre.com, accessed May 22, 2015
  19. ↑ Shewey, Don (April 15, 1981). "Finn's Follies". Soho News. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  20. 1 2 "March of the Falsettos – 1981 Original Off-Broadway Cast". CastAlbums.org.
  21. ↑ Christenfeld, Seth. "Falsettos (March of the Falsettos/Falsettoland)". Cast Album Reviews.
  22. ↑ Stasio, Marilyn (December 24, 1989). "A New Musical Finds Comedy And Romance in Hard Times". The New York Times.
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