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Falsettos, to put it mildly, is an utter gorgeosity of a musical triumph. Following the story of Trina, her psychiatrist, her husband, her husband's boyfriend and her oh-so-pubescent son, this camp and spangly Jewish-based musical is not only fun but, surprisingly, highly realistic. Superlatives aside, this is the tale of a modern family trying to retain a settled and harmonious life, despite the realization of Marvin that he is gay, and in love with a man called Whizzer. Marvin and Trina have divorced, and their almost-Bar Mitvah'ed son Jason is having to deal with the fallout of the fact that 'My father's a homo...' Oh, and his mother's about to marry the psychiatrist - one of Marvin's closest friends. To add to the harem of delightful characters, the second half introduces us to Dr. Charlotte and Cordelia, the very aptly named 'lesbians from next door'. The cast of Falsettos is uniformly strong, as is the band, under the very able musical direction of Joe Atkins. As Marvin, Justinian Jampol is beautiful. His solos are amongst the most touching, and it is easy to see why both Trina and Whizzer share such a love for this husky-voiced, twinkly-eyed bastard. Chantelle Staynings as Trina is simply astounding, providing comedy and raw emotion by turns. Utterly believable as the confused wife just trying to be the girl her mother thought she would be, she shines on stage whenever she appears. Mark Schaan as the pretty-boy Whizzer (all puns aside) handles his difficult part with great sensitivity; similarly, Ronan Busfield's portrayal of Jason (the son), with his eventual acceptance of, and affection for, his father's boyfriend, is to be commended. Staged in the all-new O'Reilly Theatre, this show is well worth seeing. Unlike pretty much anything Oxford has seen, (and receiving its first British amateur outing), Falsettos is a fast-paced musical for the modern world. While the comedy elements are intrinsic to this show, so too are the more touching, with songs such as 'I Never Wanted to Love You', and the four-part delight of 'Unlikely Lovers' (including Amy Matthews and Alexa-Maria Rathbone as the very talented lesbians). Whilst it would spoil things to reveal too much, suffice it to say that the powerful and heart-rending climax may well move you to tears. Suffering a bit from first night jitters, and perhaps an overly-exuberant use of the new lighting, this is a show which can only get better. Go and see it. Possibly twice. Rebecca Smith, 18.11.02 |
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