Falsettos NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (1,021)
See it if You appreciate the dramatic craft of telling a good story through music and lyrics
Don't see it if You only like old-fashioned, middle of the road shows
See it if you enjoy musicals that have something to say. These characters are flawed and not always likable-- just like life. Masterfully written
Don't see it if you go to theatre to escape from the world around you. This show deals with complicated people living through complicated times.
See it if You want to laugh out loud. Super fun. All performers were magnificent particularly the little boy. Though Stephanie Block stole the show
Don't see it if You want a slow paced show.
See it if You want to see an incredible cast perform a moving rendition of this classic.
Don't see it if you are looking for a massive Broadway production. Read more
See it if you like intelligent theater, performed by top professionals. This production is the perfect production of this classic, important musical.
Don't see it if you want a mindless night at the theater. You'll laugh, but you'll also have to think about some complicated issues. You won't forget it.
See it if You relate to non-traditional jewish families with evolving relationships. I enjoyed the many musical combos and creative set. Lovely show.
Don't see it if You are tired of stories about people coming out and their families adjusting.
See it if You enjoy original staging singing funny poignant and always relevant theatre
Don't see it if You're homophobic, don't like a play that is all sung and minimally staged
See it if you love the actors involved (all are masterful), enjoy super specific yet universal family dynamics, or have a heart that could use a tug.
Don't see it if you want a big, bright, splashy Broadway musical or a happy ending. You're not open to sparse and quirky staging or a non-traditional story.
Critic Reviews (49)
"Pretty much everything about Lincoln Center Theater's ideally cast Broadway revival, again directed by Lapine with as much humor as sensitivity, makes it pure pleasure...The characters are so fresh, the writing so emotionally insightful and the situations played with such feeling that 'Falsettos' hasn't aged a day...Part of the show's durability is the generosity of spirit and affection with which the writers approach every last one of their imperfect characters."
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"What this erratic revival doesn’t possess much of is the ecstatic brand of New York neurosis that should fire the pistons of this anxiety-infused show...Borle is a gifted farceur, but shifting into the hyper drive of the inordinately needy doesn’t come naturally to him. For this and other reasons, having to do with casting and some of the directorial choices by Finn’s co-bookwriter, James Lapine, the acidic humor of much of the first act of 'Falsettos' feels forced and unmoored."
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"Some of the individual moments of this Lincoln Center production are fantastic — Block, who is so well cast here and doing the best work of her Broadway career, does everything you could ask with the show's great, reflective ballads. You are never entirely convinced that Borle and Rannells are deeply in love...Mostly though, it is an unequivocal pleasure to let Finn's music and lyrics return to your consciousness."
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"You don’t want to walk into the Walter Kerr Theatre without a pocketful of Puffs...There’s no shortage of laughs, from tuneful one-liners to entire numbers...But amid all the laughter, there will be tears...It’s nice to see Borle finally playing a flesh-and-blood human being, even if he lacks Marvin’s necessary menace...Curse you, William Finn, for writing these heart-wrenching songs. And curse me for forgetting the Kleenex."
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"Farcical comedy and heartbreaking drama are served in equal measure in the triumphant Broadway revival...The world has changed considerably since 'Falsettos' premiered, but the musical holds up as a poignant exploration of family breaking apart, growing up and coming together...Lapine’s production is energetic, finely textured and extremely well-cast...The cast scores vocally, comically and dramatically, bringing out the manic heights and tender pauses of this truly extraordinary musical."
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"Finn's superlative music and lyrics give fervent voice to each of the characters. And Lapine's intelligent staging, helped by geometric set pieces, shape the narrative with extreme sensitivity. Everyone is outstanding...Together, they ooze humanity in all its messy glory. I can't say enough about this wonderful production. It is a mirror on life, as truthful and pure as only theatre can be."
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"While it is always delightful to hear the composer's idiosyncratic voice onstage, the dramaturgical flaws inherent in the piece don't go unnoticed...The songwriting is the real reason to see this show...The drastic tonal swing of the second act requires an emotional gear shift that not every audience member may be able to make...That disappointing outcome is not for lack of trying on the part of the cast...A near-perfect revival of a decidedly imperfect musical."
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"Lapine serves as director for the terrific new Broadway revival of 'Falsettos' that, through more lyric revisions and interpretations that provide a greater unity of tone, finally fuse the two acts into a singular piece of romance, wit, jaunty melodies and realistic characters trying to keep their neuroses in check...Lapine's new cast takes 'Falsettos' in intriguing new directions."
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