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January 18, 2002
Falsettos fails to shock
Actors do an OK job with a mediocre musical score.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Martin Finn's Falsettos is a Tony Award-winning musical
comedy. I have to admit, the reason why eludes me. While reasonably
well-acted, I walked away from the Vancouver première of
the play not humming one single tune.
Perhaps once controversial and novel - Falsettos won the
1992 awards for best musical score (Finn) and best musical book
(Finn and James Lapine) - the storyline, while a bit risqué,
is nothing new. And the songs, frankly, are pretty dull, uninspiring
and have a high school quality about them.
The night I saw the play, Benjamin Sigal Nachmani did a solid job
as Jason, the son of divorced parents, played by Heather Feeney
(Trina) and Mark Pawson (Marvin). Nachmani shares the role, alternating
nights with Andrew Cohen. Both boys are in Grade 7 and, despite
their youth, they have an impressive list of accomplishments.
Both have performed in Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! for a number of
years and both are in Showstoppers. As well, they each have other
theatre experience. Nachmani was in the recent Gateway Theatre production
of Oliver. Cohen has studied at the Dena Wosk School for
Performing Arts and has performed in Gateway productions of Peter
Pan and Oliver, as well as in The Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat with Uncle Randy Productions.
As to the story of Falsettos, in which most of the characters
are Jewish, one of Jason's songs sums it up: "My father's a
homo and my mother's not thrilled at all."
The first act is set in 1979; the second act jumps to 1981. When
the play starts, Marvin has already fallen in love with another
man, Whizzer, played by Cary Shields, and has divorced his wife.
Nonetheless, Marvin wants them all - lover, son, ex-wife and him
- to be one big happy family. Meanwhile, Trina falls in love with
her psychiatrist (and that of Marvin and Jason), who is played by
Allan Zinyk. Amid all of the relationship turmoil, the family must
plan for Jason's bar mitzvah and deal with the effects of AIDS,
which strikes both Whizzer and Marvin. Thrown into the mix is a
lesbian couple: the caterer of the bar mitvah, Cordelia (Crystal
Coté), and her partner, Dr. Charlotte (Cailin Stadnyk), who
also happens to be Whizzer's attending physician.
The story may have been avant-garde some 10 years ago. The creepy
song "The March of the Falsettos" has as its lyrics something
along the lines of "homosexuals, women with children, short
insomniacs in a small band in falsetto land." I'm not sure
what ties these types of people together except maybe that they
are at the margins of society. The word falsetto means a way of
singing in which the voice is much higher pitched than normal, which
would give credence to this theory. However, for audiences in 2002,
the theme of a person facing death due to AIDS is not new and the
relationships exposed in this play have little shock value anymore.
With the possible exception of the amusing "I'm Breaking Down"
and the moving "You Gotta Die Sometime," the music of
Falsettos was truly forgettable. (And would have been to
me a decade ago, I think.)
The actors do a pretty good job with the limited material they have.
I particularly enjoyed the performances of Feeney and Zinyk. As
well, there were some very funny scenes, such as when Jason's parents
interrupt him as he is learning the blessings for his bar mitzvah;
their excitement contrasts wonderfully with his stereotypical pre-teen
boredom with anything family-oriented and religious.
Despite what I felt were some serious pitfalls - a feeling obviously
not shared by the people who award the Tonies - seeing the musical
makes for a pleasant night out on the town. However, the evening
would have been more enjoyable had director Rick Tae cut four or
five numbers from the production; as it stands, Falsettos
runs about 15 minutes over the two-hour mark.
Nachmani plays Jason on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while
Cohen takes over the role on Tuesdays, Fridays, Sundays and the
Wednesday matinée. Cohen's homemade chocoholic cookies are
available every night and, I have to say, they are a tasty and worthwhile
purchase. Parents should be aware that, in addition to the potentially
controversial subject matter, Falsettos contains swearing
and several suggestive scenes.
Falsettos is at the Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright St.,
on Granville Island, until Jan. 26. Showtimes are Tuesday to Sunday,
8 p.m.; Saturday matinées, 2 p.m. The Sunday, Jan. 20, performance
is a benefit for AIDS Vancouver and there's a two-for-one matinée
special Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2 p.m. Tickets are $29; $25 for students,
seniors and Alliance members; $20 for individuals in a group of
10 or more. Call 604-257-0366 to order.
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