‘Falsettos’ a new take on family values

Tom Titus

Family is, indeed, what you make it, and the extended family of the

musical “Falsettos” has come a long way from the nuclear families of

countless television sitcoms.

This quirky play -- at once a comedy, a drama and a musical --

makes its local premiere at the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse with the

message that love and togetherness can conquer most obstacles, except

for the really big one -- AIDS, which surfaced at the time the play

is set, 1980 and 1981.

There’s Marvin (director Kyle Myers), a Jewish homosexual; his

ex-wife Trina (Cathy Petz) who goes into therapy and falls in love

with her psychiatrist (Joaquin Nunez); their precocious son Jason

(Paul Pakler), who not only accepts but virtually idolizes his dad’s

new lover (Christopher Diehl); and the “two lesbians from next door”

(Janet McGregor and Jennifer Bridge), who add some spice to the

second act.

The specter of AIDS is omnipresent. As you enter the theater,

you’re greeted by a huge portion of the “names quilt,” remembering

those whose lives have been claimed by the disease. In the second

act, we see one of the characters struggle with and ultimately

succumb to the dreaded infection.

On stage, “Falsettos” -- by William Finn and frequent Stephen

Sondheim collaborator James Lapine -- is a story told entirely in

verse. Finn’s music and lyrics are poignant and powerful, despite his

proclivity for repeating a key lyric over and over in many of the

numbers.

Director Myers, forced to step into the leading role late in

rehearsal, delivers a powerful interpretation of a gay man who traded

his traditional family for a homosexual relationship, which doesn’t

seem to be working any better than his marriage did. Myers endows his

character with a brutal, soul-searing honesty as he searches for

happiness in his conflicted life.

Petz has some splendid moments as she endures her own conflicts,

spurned by one man and pursued by another. Her singing voice is among

the strongest in the show.

As Myers’ faithless lover, Whizzer, Diehl endures his character’s

heart-wrenching battle with AIDS quite credibly. In a key scene, he

arrives at Jason’s baseball game and gives him the advice that helps

the youngster overcome his ineptness, earning the lad’s fervent

admiration.

Pakler -- last seen on the Costa Mesa stage in the central role of

“Biloxi Blues” -- successfully ages himself down to play the

grade-schooler Jason. He’s especially effective as he wrestles with

when, where or if he’ll have his bar mitzvah.

McGregor’s concerned doctor and Bridge’s cutesy housemate and

kosher caterer are another lovingly contentious couple who provide

some breadth to “Falsettos” after intermission. Musical director and

pianist Justin Pyne keeps the tempo brisk as the show’s one-man

orchestra.

“Falsettos” is less a mocking of traditional values as a

declaration that alternative lifestyles are equally valid and as

fraught with emotional peril as the straight life. It’s sort of a

low-rent “Rent.”

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.