Brett Williams
A scene from the StageQ production "Falsettos."
Falsettos made quite a splash on Broadway when it debuted in 1992. A combination of two separate one-act musicals by James Lapine and William Finn, it focuses on a fractured family — torn apart after the main character, Marvin, comes out of the closet — but drawn back together in a new configuration as Marvin’s lover is dying of AIDS.
The musical enjoyed a successful Broadway revival last year, and Madison audiences can get a glimpse of its renewed appeal in Stage Q’s current production, which plays at the Bartell Theatre through Oct. 14.
The first act begins in 1979, with Marvin (Dennis Yadon) at the center of a maelstrom of his own creation. In an era of sexual liberation, he’s ready to embrace his identity as a gay man. He divorces his wife, moves in with his younger lover Whizzer (Dan Pietrangelo) and tries to maintain a relationship with his son Jason (H.J. Farr). Speaking to his psychiatrist, Mendel (Daniel Jajewski), Marvin admits he wants to have it all — the excitement of a new love and the stability of a tightly knit family.
The sung-through first act is a pile of unhappiness. The characters are selfish, shallow, confused, hurt and needy. And they are driving each other crazy. The high point of this festival of neuroses is undoubtedly Marvin’s ex-wife’s desperate confession “I’m Breaking Down,” which Krystal Lonsdale throws herself into, bodily.
Meanwhile Marvin’s son Jason lashes out and fills his time playing games of chess against himself, which presumably informed the set design (by Zak Stowe). In front of the silhouette of New York City’s skyline, at least a dozen wooden cubes and other shapes painted white and black are arranged and rearranged onstage to create abstract settings for each scene — some literal living rooms and bedrooms, some purely imaginary tableaux. While the concept is fine, the execution is clumsy; actors spend a great deal of time building piles of blocks that don’t ultimately mean anything or add any value to the story.
Marvin and Whizzer’s newfound love is also breaking down, as they bicker about issues large and small — from dirty clothes left on the floor to the importance of monogamy. Unfortunately, there’s no passion or chemistry in Yadon and Pietrangelo’s performances — leaving the audience to wonder why they ever got together and why breaking up is so bad.
Although the first act feels like it’s missing some heart (and perhaps part of the book), the second act (written later) feels like it’s overcompensating. Suddenly warm, likable characters populate a conventional musical. A couple of lesbian neighbors have been added to the cast — a physician and her cute, trying-too-hard girlfriend, who’s angling for the job of catering Jason’s bar mitzvah. When the extended family gathers to cheer Jason on at a Little League baseball game, the formerly self-centered lot has transformed into a supportive community. And when Whizzer gets sick, the tragedy brings everyone even closer.
Uniting the two halves of the play must be the primary challenge for any Falsettos creative team, but director Michael Bruno seems to have emphasized their differences, which is frustrating for the audience.
The area where Falsettos succeeds with flying colors is the music — which is an enormous accomplishment. The difficult score filled with challenging harmonies was performed beautifully, led by music director J. Adam Shelton. Both in ensemble numbers and solos, the small cast’s voices soared. Daniel Jajewski, Kate Mann, Krystal Lonsdale and Dan Pietrangelo all had gorgeous moments in the spotlight, which they handled with confidence and ease. Dennis Yadon shines brightest in softer, more heartfelt numbers, including “What More Can I Say?” and “Father to Son.”
And special recognition goes to H.J. Farr, whose portrayal of the troubled pre-teen character is central to the play’s resolution. Farr’s performance during the bar mitzvah scene is especially touching.
