Falsettos

‘Falsettos the musical’ is the Tony Award winning musical based on the book by James Lapine and William Finn, with music and lyrics by William Finn. The show ran for 500 performances on Broadway in 1992. This great two and a half hour show is being presented at the Old Mill Theatre, Corner of Mends Street and Mill Point Road, South Perth. Nightly at 8.00 pm until Saturday 18^th February.

       It is 1979 in New York, and family man Marvin (Matthew Kiely) is explaining to psychiatrist Mendel (David Bowyer) that he has left his wife, Trina (Sharon Wisniewski), for his gay lover Whizzer (Tyler Jones). Marvin is hoping to build a new family group including Whizzer. Not surprisingly
      Trina is upset and pays Mendel a visit. For the doctor, seeing Trina is love at first sight.
     Marvin and Whizzer’s relationship is strained from the start.
     For Marvin’s son, ten-year-old Jason (Welland Joyce), the two biggest worries are will he ‘turn out to be a homo too’ and does he really have to have a bar mitzvah? He would rather have a party with some girls.
    Trina has found that one of the two lesbians next door (Carolyn Latter, Breeahn Jones) is a kosher caterer – just the thing for Jason’s special day.
     Will Marvin’s love affair continue? Will Jason have to go through his ceremony?

When I learnt that the story is about American Jewish homosexuals, the show slipped way down my must see list. Then you learn that it was based on the book by James Lapine, with the script being written, then set to music  by William Finn whose ‘Spelling Bee’ last year brought acclaim, then perhaps the musical might be worth a look.

There are 29 songs in this politically incorrect, hilarious show.

What does one look for in a musical? If a show has half of the following points, then it will be the norm.

·         Pleasant tunes

·         Clever libretto

·         Beautiful voices

·         Clear enunciation

·         No nasal singing

·         Capable of belting out lyrics without strain or distortion

·         An ability to sing soft romantic songs

·         Smooth ‘non-artificial’ action and movement

·         Smiling singers and general fun

·         Good pace, with variety

·         Good orchestration

·         Decent musician volume, not drowning out the singers

This show had all of these aims, in abundance and of the highest quality.

Sharon Wisniewski is a professional vocalist, and is one of WA’s most respected singers by her theatre colleagues - she was stunning. David Bowyer gave a performance similar to that of Ron Moody as Fagin in ‘Oliver’, his dancing and singing was highly entertaining. Then there was Welland Jones, a 12 (?) year old from Sawyers Valley. This young man covered humour, dancing complex actions and still managed to sing with a clear voice, what a find. Matthew Kiely and Tyler Jones were on stage for most of the two and a half hours, their strong voices never weakened for a second, they produced such tenderness that many a tear must have been cast by the audience. Finally, but certainly not least, were Carolyn Latter and Breeahn Jones again they added their magic to this memorable musical.

The cast’s team work and total chemistry had to be seen.

The stage had a very simple but highly effective set (The Brothers Carr). There were side flats and a solid ‘backcloth’ all with a panoramic scene of New York painted on (Tim Prosser). The lighting (designer Kareena Daws and operator Ben Davis) then projected a screen of the Empire State Building onto the back. Long net curtains were draped around the stage, giving the appearance of the view from a penthouse apartment. The props were many and were moved around the stage by the actors.

The musical trio Alistair Smith (keyboard), Callum Moncrieff (Percussion and some novel instruments) and Jacqui O’Neill (Flute, sax and clarinet) proved that big isn’t better. This beautifully balanced trio, played the amazingly intricate, but wonderful arrangements by the Musical Director Alistair Smith, the effect was stunning. The volume was soft and tender and they accompanied the singers rather than driving them with force (sound operator Graeme Johnson). The songs were lyrical, light-hearted and hilarious. The music was catchy without trying to be too clever.

The whole cast were magnificent. With innovative, strong direction by John Milson they put heart and soul into their delivery. Singing, dancing, playing squash whilst singing, nothing was too much. The result was an amusing quality night out. Very highly recommended.