NOVEMBER 11, 1994 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 23

ENTERTAINMENT

JCC's Falsettos is splendidly performed

From father to son sings Marvin to his son Jason in Falsettos.

Falsettos

by William Finn

Halle Theatre

Reviewed by Barry Daniels

Falsettos, the 1992 Tony Award winning musical by William Finn, is very Jewish and very gay. It is receiving its Cleveland premiere in a splendidly sung and beautifully designed production at the Halle Theatre in the Jewish Community Center. Falsettos is the story of one man's journey from sexual confusion and neurotic behavior to a mature understanding of love, family and community.

In Act I, March of the Falsettos (written in 1981), Marvin confronts the real nature of his sexuality and leaves his wife, Trina, and ten-year-old son, Jason, for Whizzer, a handsome younger man. This is not an uncommon situation, at least for my generation, and having been a married father myself, I can certainly relate to Marvin's ambivalence and confusion, if not his neuroses. Marvin's selfabsorption and consuming needs nearly destroy the love he so desperately demands from Whizzer and his former family. Finn portrays all of this with frankness and honesty. His music is clever and the lyrics are sharp and witty.

The relationship between father and son is the grace that saves Marvin from himself. In Act II, Falsettoland (written in 1990), Marvin grows up and finds true love; through Jason's plotting he is reunited with Whizzer. Family and friends-the lesbian couple next doorform a loving community that helps Marvin face the deadly, unnamed virus-it is 1981that takes Whizzer from him. The music remains engaging and witty in Act II, but it is richer and more lyrical in its depiction of passion and compassion.

Musical Director Robert Day deserves praise for the high musical quality of the evening. Finn's score is beautifully played by a small band, placed at the back of the stage, and throughout the singing is excellent. Jon Rubinstein's staging is generally effective and often amusing, although the complex and moving final sequence was rather awkwardly handled. The set by David Glowacki is a handsome grey-on-grey Jim

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Dine-style series of walls with cleverly moving panels that facilitate the smooth flowing changes of place. Furniture is in reds and black. The costumes are well chosen by Amy Meyer. They are kept in a restrained palette of earth colors with occasional touches of brighter color, usually red, darker colors appearing in the final scenes.

Jared Stein and Robert Gibb give outstanding performances as Jason and Whizzer. Stein gets Jason's innocence, decency and wisdom just right. Gibb manages to give Whizzer more depth than I thought the character had. Gibb is a handsome man with a remarkable singing voice. His Whizzer is genuine and kind of sweet. Mendel, Marvin's manic psychiatrist who marries Trina, is played with energy and wit by Christian Webb, although he seemed to be forcing the humor at times. As Marvin, Kerry Brennan's awkwardness and physical uneasiness is effective in Act I. Brennan is less successful realizing Marvin's transformation in Act II. His lilting voice and Finn's haunting music, to some extent, cover this failure. Throughout Brennan seems uncomfortable with the character's sexuality. The three women's roles are ably played by Leslie Varnick (Trina), Karoline Kramer-Reinhardt (Dr. Charlotte), and Erica Miller (Cordelia).

Falsettos is about pride and finding a sense of self-worth. In the midst of the most horrible epidemic, a sense of community blossoms. During the performance, I couldn't help thinking about Paul Monette, whose latest book of essays I've been reading. He's lost two lovers to AIDS, and nearly dead himself, he's still writing, not giving up, making art to the very end. Falsettos is, in some sense his story; it describes where we've been and where we are now. It demonstrates we are capable of being a loving community, who, in the worst of times, know how important it is to sing.

Performances of Falsettos continue through November 19, Thursday at 8 pm, Saturday at 8:30pm, and Sunday at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets $15 on weekdays and $16 on weekends. For reservations telephone 382-4000. ACT UP Cleveland is having a benefit performance on Sunday evening, November 13. Tickets are $15 and may be reserved by telephoning 621-2233.

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