ENTERTAINMENT

JCC opens season with coming-out musical

OCTOBER 28, 1994 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 23

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Kerry Brennen as Marvin, I, and Rob Gebb as Wizzer, the lovers in Falsettos.

by Barry Daniels

William Finn's award-winning musical Falsettos is both an appropriate and daring choice for the Cleveland Jewish Community Center to open its 1994-1995 season at the Halle Theatre. Falsettos portrays the world of a New York Jewish family and deals with issues of faith and community. Finn lightens the seriousness at the heart of the work with traditional Jewish humor. What separates Falsettos from the standard musical is its story, which has a gay man for its protago-

nist.

In Part I, March of the Falsettos, Marvin, a married man with a ten-year-old son, falls in love with another man. His coming out and its effect on his family is compassionately portrayed by Finn. But Marvin is self-centered, neurotic, and confused. He is not really capable of love. In Part II, Falsettoland, Marvin grows up. With the help of his son and his boyfriend he learns to love. Although an unnamed disease-Part II takes place in 1981-brings tragedy, Falsettos is not so much about AIDS as it is about love, community, and family. A lyric in the opening number of part II makes this clear: "It's about growing up. Getting older./ Living on a lovers shoulder./ Learning love is not a crime./ It's about time."

Falsettos is almost a chamber opera for seven actors. It is entirely sung, and the

beautiful score is both witty and melodic. The director of the JCC production, Jon Rubinstein, has assembled a fine cast. I was impressed with their singing, led by musical director Bob Day, at the early rehearsal I attended. Rubinstein does not want Falsettos to be simply perceived as the AIDS musical. For him, "the show is about unrequited love, about choices people make, about relationships, and about people dealing with tragedy." He explains, "I was attracted to it because I think it has the most wonderful score. It's the wittiest piece I've ever seen. And it's very risky."

Elaine Rembrandt, director of the Cultural Affairs Department at the JCC, explains that Falsettos was chosen "because of the need for heightened awareness of AIDS in the Jewish community." In conjunction with the production there will be a display of local panels made for the Names Project Quilt. The Design Industry Foundation for AIDS ribbon board will be in the lobby, and there will be a table of literature provided by the AIDS Task Force of Cleveland and the Mt. Sinai Medical Center.

Falsettos plays at the Halle Theatre through November 19, Thursday at 8 pm, Saturday at 8:30 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm and 7:30pm. Tickets are $10-$16. Reservations, at 216382-4000, are advised as advance sales have been lively.

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