"There’s hardly a moment in the exhilarating, devastating revival of the musical 'Falsettos' that doesn’t approach, or even achieve, perfection...Directed by Mr. Lapine—whose work is so sharp it’s as if he were seeing the show with a new pair of eyes...Mr. Borle shines here as he has never before...'Falsettos' never feels like a singing time capsule. Its fundamental subject is that mysterious, maddening, uplifting, life-complicating emotion we refer to as love, which hasn’t changed in 25 years."
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"Few musicals have the range, idiosyncrasy and emotional punch of this profoundly unconventional and personal work...As enjoyable as the snaggletoothed and biting first half can be, it hardly prepares you for the extraordinary second...Finn pushes musical theater to the limits of what we can ask of it. Those who know the show may find fault with some of the revival’s choices...But flaws are written into 'Falsettos,' as is the impulse it elicits to forgive them."
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"A heartbreaking revival...It’s hard to get through the last half hour intact...If this Lincoln Center Theater production, directed by Lapine, has any serious faults, they arise from that agenda. As written, Marvin is so nasty and erratic in the first act ...Christian Borle can’t resolve that contradiction and thus comes off a bit unsteady, at least until he regains his footing in the second act. The other principals, whose roles are more tightly written, are excellent throughout."
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"One of the most dishonest musicals I have ever seen...What can you do with a show that opens with a song called 'Four Jews in a Room Bitching,' and uses AIDS to endow it with seriousness? The rot at the center of 'Falsettos' is slathered in self-congratulation. Finn and Lapine use Jews, AIDS, and so on to rope in a particular audience, which is then held captive to their seemingly endless array of self-referential songs and weak humor."
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"So how does 'Falsettos' hold up...Better than 'The Normal Heart,' but not nearly so well as 'Angels in America'. The first act, 'March of the Falsettos,' remains impressive. Notwithstanding Finn’s inability to write once-heard-never-forgotten tunes, the musical numbers are cleverly crafted and the overall tone is appropriately tart...In 'Falsettoland,' by contrast, a hideously painful situation is portrayed with a sincere but cloying sentimentality that occasionally curdles into kitsch."
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"It’s got tons of heart, unimpeachable performances...But while the production left me teary in all the right places, and laughing in all the other right places, it never actually took flight. It’s earthbound...What’s bafflingly wrong with the production has primarily to do with the visuals...That, combined with a first act that just works too damned hard to win us over, makes for some rough going...But then Act II happens and the show, for all its dark turns, suddenly seems light as air."
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"Life is messy — as everybody knows...That includes creators William Finn and James Lapine. They don’t sugarcoat reality when it comes to love, sexuality and relationships...That clear-eyed take has always been — and still is — an intriguing strength of 'Falsettos'...Finn’s alternately lighthearted and poignant score in this mostly sung-through show is another major asset...Plan on being deeply touched and richly satisfied at this show."
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"This surprisingly fresh revival has been directed by original director Lapine, who plainly understands the bittersweet humor and provisional joy of that period...The warm performances of a terrific cast soften the underlying sadness of Finn’s breakthrough musical...The story is largely told through the easygoing score, a fusion of tuneful melodies with insightful lyrics...Borle’s neurotic hero is well matched with Rannells’ Whizzer."
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