Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Falsettos by William Finn William Finn. Composer William Finn's musicals, particularly the trilogy of shows about the bisexual character Marvin (In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, and Falsettoland), excited hope among musical theater aficionados… Read Full Biography. Biography ↓ Discography ↓ Songs ↓ Credits ↓ Related ↓ facebook twitter tumblr. Artist Biography by William Ruhlmann. Composer William Finn's musicals, particularly the trilogy of shows about the bisexual character Marvin (In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, and Falsettoland), excited hope among musical theater aficionados that he was a major songwriter for the stage and a possible successor to Stephen Sondheim. Diverted by a medical emergency in the 1990s, he recovered to write a show about his ordeal, A New Brain. Finn grew up in Natick, MA, and attended Williams College, where, upon graduation, he was awarded the Hutchinson Fellowship for musical composition. (Sondheim earlier attended the same college and won the same fellowship.) He first came to attention with In Trousers, the first of the Marvin shows, which was developed by the Playwrights Horizons theater company and given a production off-off-Broadway starting on February 21, 1979. The piece, for which Finn wrote the music, lyrics, and book, combined lively, attractive music with provocative subject matter and witty lyrics, telling the story of Marvin, a contemporary man, who grows up, marries, and leaves his wife for a man. Original Cast Records recorded a cast album of the show, which was released in 1979. Finn returned to the Marvin character with March of the Falsettos, which again began at Playwrights Horizons on May 20, 1981, before moving to an off-Broadway house for an eventual combined run of 298 performances. The work was celebrated at the time, and remains in high regard. For example, in his book Show Tunes, historian Steven Suskin called it "a very special theatre work, and arguably the best score of the 1980s." DRG Records recorded it for a cast album. Starting on March 2, 1983, Playwrights Horizons held a tryout of Finn's next musical, America Kicks Up Its Heels, but the show did not open formally. Finn reworked the material, which became Romance in Hard Times, opening for a short workshop production at the off-off-Broadway Public Theater on December 28, 1989. Finn was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984. He added lyrics to the music of Astor Piazzolla for the dance show Tango Apasionado, which opened off-off-Broadway on November 6, 1987. The show was reworked and renamed Dangerous Games for a short run beginning October 19, 1989, which gave Finn his Broadway debut. On June 28, 1990, Falsettoland, the third of the Marvin musicals, which followed its characters into the age of AIDS, opened at Playwrights Horizons, later moving to an off-Broadway house and earning a run of 215 performances, a cast album on DRG, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for best off-Broadway musical. Both one-act musicals, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland were combined into a two-act musical, Falsettos, which opened on Broadway on April 29, 1992. For this production, Finn won Tony Awards for best score and best book. It ran 487 performances. Starting in the early '90s, Finn wrote songs for animated children's films, including The Poky Little Puppy's First Christmas (1992), Ira Sleeps Over (1993), The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998), The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1999), and The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2002). Around the same time, he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, but eventually surgery was performed successfully. When he recovered, he wrote A New Brain, a musical about a composer of children's music who is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, which opened off-Broadway at the Lincoln Center Theater on June 18, 1998, and ran 78 performances. It won the Outer Critics Circle Award for the best off-Broadway musical of the season, and RCA Victor recorded a cast album. Four days after its opening, Finn's one-act play, Painting You, was included as part of the collection of one-act plays Love's Fire at the Public Theater. In 2000 and 2001, Finn and a group of singers performed an anthology of his work, Infinite Joy: The Songs of William Finn, at Joe's Pub, a nightclub within the Public Theater, and the show was recorded by RCA for an album released in May 2001. The Falsettos 'Jewface' row proves how easily the Jewish experience is ignored. I f this summer’s spats in theatreland have taught us anything, it’s that producers should pause whenever they itch to answer controversy. First came the mansplaining team behind Idris Elba’s Tree – initially at the Manchester international festival – with its disputed authorship. Then Selladoor, producing the musical Falsettos, leapt into aggressive-defensive mode when a group of Jewish theatremakers, in an open letter, claimed the show apparently lacked any Jewish voices among the cast and creative team. For good measure, the production’s “cultural consultant” tweeted about actors sporting yellow stars on their sleeves. None of this was a good look. Why the controversy? Falsettos, by the US composer William Finn, is undeniably a Jewish story. Most of its characters are Jewish, and the last scene portrays an unconventional barmitzvah. Its irresistible opening number is Four Jews in a Room Bitching (“I’m neurotic, he’s neurotic, they’re neurotic, we’re neurotic”). There are scraps of Yiddish, squabbles about catering, angst for days. You can understand the argument that, without Jewish voices in the room, the musical will lack the savour and authenticity of lived experience – that everything will feel slightly awry, like the story’s “shiksa caterer” who can’t pronounce gefilte fish. And yet, Falsettos, which opened in London last month, is also a milestone gay musical. Theatre scholar Emily Garside has explored the show’s place in modern theatre history, placing gay men – and their female, often lesbian allies – centre stage. The first section was written in 1979, as gay liberation spun the glitterball in New York, and a man like Marvin might be emboldened to leave his wife for a male lover. The last act, premiered in 1990, pushes forward into cruelly changing times, as the Aids epidemic takes hold. Events turn musical comedy into something approaching musical tragedy. Approaching musical tragedy … Natasha J Barnes, Gemma Knight-Jones and Laura Pitt-Pulford in Falsettos at the Other Palace, London. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian. Questions about identity pervade the piece – about finding your truth, then trying to live it. In the first act, everyone struggles through their meshugganah emotions – the husband who leaves his wife for a man, but enters an equally unsettled dynamic; the lover coddled yet constrained by commitment; the wife left wondering what her marriage really meant, then starting a new relationship; the child bewildered by his parents’ choices; the shrink who treats them all then marries mom. (It’s very Manhattan.) In the second act, the characters settle into their choices, even as time comes for them: Reagan and Aids arrive in sync. It’s a brilliantly witty show – every line a paper cut – and the register is quintessentially New York: fitfully campy and achingly sincere. These are hyper-articulate, emotionally conflicted, painfully self-aware characters – even pre-teen Jason can sing, “I’m too smart for my own good, / And I’m too good for my sorry little life.” Of course, weighing identities – ethnic, sexual, gender – against each other isn’t helpful. The musical swims in that merry mess. The production at the Other Palace could use more flair. But could it be more Jewish? What would that even mean? After the Guardian’s report on Falsettogate, the actor David Djemal wrote in a letter to the paper: “It’s the difference between being in on the joke, or the joke being on you.” Beautifully put, but I wonder how that distinction plays in practice. Finn’s characters live a very different Jewish life from the one their parents would have experienced – overwhelmingly secular, pursuing sex and self-fulfilment, returning to ritual with wavering conviction. As Adam Lenson, one of the authors of the open letter published in the Stage and a theatre director, has been at pains to point out, this isn’t principally about casting (though the letter’s list of high-profile, non-Jewish actors in Jewish roles was distracting). And it’s unfair to focus on actors, who can only work with the roles in which they’re cast. However slow-footed and surly Selladoor’s public responses, its terrific cast doesn’t deserve any flak. Terrific … the cast of Falsettos. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian. Gay people and Jews can both “pass”, to use the throwback term. Artists who want to swivel around these identities can often do so, but that means that Jewish experience has too easily been ignored in British theatre, even when integral to the material. What has changed for Jewish artists in recent years is the pressure and impetus around visibility. As voices across the political spectrum, in the UK and elsewhere, feel increasingly comfortable with antisemitic rhetoric, Jewish artists are less polite about drawing attention and making a fuss. It’s notable that prominent artists of colour – such as Daniel York Loh and Roy Alexander Weise – have joined the argument around Falsettogate, and the production’s apparent unconcern with representation. It shouldn’t seem remarkable to argue that all voices should be respected and heard. In future, you’d hope that producers of Jewish-themed material will at least consider what expertise they need in the room. Raising the level of first-hand knowledge, information and empathy is an unmatchable resource. What productions do with that context – well, that will depend on the intelligence and integrity of the artists involved. I'm Breaking Down: The Top Ten Songs by William Finn. I can still remember the first time I heard a William Finn song. It was actually two songs: Falsettos ' "My Father's A Homo" and "The Baseball Game" on the 1992 Tony Awards. My father's a homo. My mother's not thrilled at all. Father homo — what about chromosomes? Do they carry? Will they carry? Who's the homo now? It was like my life was on that stage. And then: We're watching Jewish boys, who cannot play baseball play baseball. We're watching Jewish boys, who almost read Latin, up battin' — and battin' bad . It was like the lives of everyone I knew were on that stage, too. And not only were our lives so vividly reflected in this piece of theatre, but in a musical — a hilarious, heartbreaking, manically melodic show unlike anything I'd ever heard or seen. I immediately bought the complete cast recording and memorized every word and note, fully expecting to enter into a lifetime of loving new musicals by William Finn. Musical theatre, though, is a tough beat. It's difficult to succeed commercially, to build a career, and it's difficult to succeed artistically. It can't be said enough: Musicals are hard to do, and they are almost impossible to do well. So, over the years, there have only been a few shows by Finn, and the only one to succeed financially on Broadway has been The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee , a show I thoroughly enjoyed but which I find inconsequential as a piece of musical theatre. It's a hilarious and moving play with enjoyable music and lyrics that enhance, but don't really impact the experience — and much of the best music and lyrics in Spelling Bee are motifs that pop up as appealing commentary without ever developing into full songs. Actually, even in the rest of Finn's shows, some of his best work falls into this category. So excluding all my favorite fragments, here are my top ten William Finn songs from his Tony-winning Falsettos (or the two one-act musicals, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, of which Falsettos is comprised), In Trousers (the 1979 Off-Broadway musical which is basically a prequel to Falsettos ), A New Brain (the 1998 Off-Broadway musical) and a couple of evenings of stray songs, notably Elegies (the 2003 Off- Broadway song cycle). Click through to read my selections. 10. "Four Jews In A Room Bitching" (from Falsettos/March of the Falsettos. "Four Jews In A Room Bitching" is the opening number of Falsettos and March of the Falsettos and was originally the title of an earlier version of March of the Falsettos . It is the quintessential William Finn song. The striking lyrics repeat the unforgettable title phrase on a melodic hook that calls to mind children's television and commercial jingles and music that plays in our 20th-century pop culture-infused subconscious. Finn is uniquely able to channel this style musically, and his lyrics spring so organically from the tune that it's like the characters' souls are singing. Often with Finn, the soul that sings is crazy, or at least quirky and neurotic, and in this case, hyper-self aware and extremely entertaining. The room of the title refers literally both to a psychotherapist's office and to the theatre in which it is performed, but it also suggests a metaphysical room in which the characters simultaneously live their lives and sing about it to the audience. It's a bold and effective way to establish the highly theatrical style of the show. 9. "Anytime" (from Elegies /cut from A New Brain ) "Anytime" represents a more mature, evolved voice from William Finn, revealing, in song, a character more widely relatable. The message of the lyric — that the singer is gone, but still watching over loved ones, always there "anytime" — is a beautiful take on what we all wish to hear from the people we care about after they die. The music is warm and rich and builds with the words. It's impressive that, in addition to acutely character- specific songs, Finn can give us something so versatile and universal as "Anytime." 8. "How Marvin Eats His Breakfast" (from In Trousers ) This bombastic production number from In Trousers is great example of the blazing presentational style Finn used with joyful abandon in much of his early career. It feels like not only are the lunatics running the asylum, but they're putting on a talent-show night at the sanitarium. This vaudevillian spirit is present in the text and even more so in the style, demonstrated by the way each verse gets increasingly more frantic, like we can see the strain on the troupe performing the number. We see their effort in actually singing and dancing the song, as well in the process around Marvin's breakfast, which is metaphorically represented by the music and lyrics and movement. It's a multi-dimensional kind of musical theatre that we don't see enough of. 7. "When the Earth Stopped Turning" (from Elegies ) Like "Anytime," "When The Earth Stopped Turning" is another sophisticated and broadly relatable power ballad of sorts. It can even be considered a bookend to "Anytime," as it's written from the perspective of the person who has lost someone, although still focused on the message of the deceased — in this case, a life's wisdom — which in other hands might have been saccharine, but which soars in Finn's bittersweet morsel, laced with humor, just a tiny bit profane and quite profound. The world is good, she said. Enjoy its shit, she said, ‘Cause this is it, she said, So make a parade of every moment. 6. "And They're Off" (from A New Brain ) You could fault "And They're Off" for being typical in the style of contemporary musical theatre, where the characters relates a story that occurred offstage without any actual events taking place in the moment. Nonetheless, the story related in "And They're Off" is action-packed and deeply compelling. Again, Finn's wit and humor balance the sentiment and the words are set to music that snaps and crackles and pops with feeling. 5. "Set Those Sails" (from In Trousers ) William Finn's 1979 musical, In Trousers , is an abstract, almost non-linear piece of theatre. Some of the songs have an acid-trip quality in their fantastical imagery and psychological daring. The aesthetic of "Set Those Sails" is Broadway by way of Pink Floyd (or Jefferson Airplane), especially in Mary Testa's psychedelic wailing on the original cast album. It's hard not to be hypnotized by this groovy tune and evocative lyrics that leave your mouth — and mind — watering for more. Feed your head. 4. "Love Me For What I Am" (from In Trousers ) Another gem from In Trousers is the character Trina's big ballad from the end of the show, "Love Me For What I Am." The pleading vulnerability and sweetheart folkiness are irresistible, especially in Alison Fraser's golden-honey performance on the original cast album. 3. "Change" (from A New Brain ) The character of Lisa, the homeless woman, in A New Brain offers Finn and book-writer James Lapine a theatrical device. The idea is that homeless people are filter-less and can say crazy things. Then, the device pays off when that allows them to say the crazy things we're all thinking. The change Lisa sings about initially is "pennies or nickels or dimes," but ultimately she asks for change as in societal evolution. If the message sounds clichéd, what makes it work is that there's no platitude, she just wants what we all want. In fact, she actually admits sotto vocce, "I don't ask for hugs, just need money to buy more drugs." It's not a sermon; it's a complaint, and it's hilarious. 2. "I'm Breaking Down" (from Falsettos/March of the Falsettos ) In the first act of Falsettos , the character Trina, whose husband has left her for a man, and who, in the proceedings thus far, has played second fiddle to her son and her husband and his lover (and even to her husband's therapist), comes downstage to take the spotlight alone and stops the show cold with a song that offers as much entertainment value as the greatest old-school show business barnstormers, and yet also functions as a painfully real monologue on Trina's plight. The key is the outrageous comedy of a person rationally observing herself in the midst of a nervous breakdown. That Trina can sing about it in such a grand style is the epitome of Falsettos ' meta-theatricality. 1. "What Would I Do?" (from Falsettos/Falsettoland ) Just as the this list began with Falsettos ' opening number, fittingly it should close with the musical's closing. The central motif of "What Would I Do?" is beautifully both specific and universal. It manages to say something concrete on a topic as well trodden as the grief of losing a lover. "What would I do if I had not met you?" It's moving that such a painful moment in this person's life is filled not just with suffering, but also with gratitude. Then, the bridge section grounds the song in the moment of AIDS and gay life at that time, "All your life you wanted men and when you got it up to have them, who knew it could end your life?" It's so succinct, it's dry, and yet it's poetry. Bill Finn. William Finn is the writer and composer of Falsettos, for which he received two Tony Awards, Best Book of a Musical (with James Lapine) and Best Original Score. A revival of Falsettos directed by James Lapine, is slated for Spring 2016. He has also written and composed In Trousers, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland (Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, two Los Angeles Drama Critics Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, the Lucille Lortel Award and Guggenheim Fellowship in Playwriting). Falsettos will have a Broadway revival in the Fall of 2016. He wrote music and lyrics and co-wrote book with James Lapine for A New Brain, which was produced at Lincoln Center and also a part of the 2015 Encores! Off-Center season. Mr. Finn wrote the lyrics to Graciela Daniele's Tango Apasionado (music by the great Astor Piazzolla) and, with Michael Starobin, the music to Lapine's version of The Winter's Tale. His musical Romance in Hard Times which was presented at The Public Theater had a production with a reimagined book by Rachel Sheinkin at Barrington Stage in Summer of 2014. Mr. Finn wrote Painting You (one segment of the eight-part Love's Fire), a piece commissioned and performed by the Acting Company, based on Shakspeare's sonnets. His Songs of Innocence and Experience, commissioned by Williams College for the 2005 opening of its ‘62 Center for Theater and Dance, had it’s New York premiere at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room in 2012. For television, Mr. Finn provided the music and lyrics for the Ace Award-winning HBO cartoon Ira Sleeps Over, Tom Thumb and Thumbelina, Pokey Little Puppy's First Christmas and, with Ellen Fitzhugh, two Brave Little Toaster cartoons. Mr. Finn has written for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and The New Yorker. A graduate of Williams College, where he was awarded the Hutchinson Fellowship for Musical Composition, Finn now teaches a weekly master class at the NYU Tisch Graduate Program in Musical Theatre Writing. His most recent projects include Elegies, A Song Cycle (Lincoln Center), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee which had a three-year run on Broadway and has been produced nationally and all over the world, and Little Miss Sunshine with James Lapine which received a production at Second Stage in 2013. For the past 9 years he has been the Artistic Head of the Musical Theatre Lab at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Falsettos. Falsettos is the story of a large, eccentric, and dysfunctional -- but loving -- Jewish family in New York at the end of the 1970s. Initially, Marvin seems blessed with the perfect family. He has a caring wife, Trina and a young son, Jason. Nevertheless, the family is soon broken apart, when the homosexual Marvin leaves Trina for a man called Whizzer. Trina, meanwhile, ends up romantically involved with the family psychiatrist, Mendel. All the while, their son, Jason, is stuck in the middle. Included in the mix are lesbian neighbors Dr. Charlotte and Cordelia. When Marvin's lover, Whizzer, is diagnosed with AIDS, the entire family -- non- traditional as it may be -- must put aside their issues and come together. Notes: This two-act musical is in fact a synthesis of a trilogy of one acts: In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, and Falsettoland .