Equal parts hilarious, heartwarming, and heartbreaking, Falsettos on BroadwayHD is a great watch for Pride Month (or any month, really) and a great argument for why we need more filmed theater. Shot live during the musical’s acclaimed 2016 Broadway revival, Falsettos features an all-star musical theater cast that includes Christian Borle (Smash), Andrew Rannells (Girls), Stephanie J. Block, and newly minted Tony Award winner Brandon Uranowitz. Essentially, Falsettos is a complex web of love stories centered around Marvin (Borle), who left his “tight knit family” for a man, Whizzer. Initially conceived as two separate one act musicals, act one of the combined musical focuses on the new family dynamics as Marvin’s son Jason begins acting out and ex-wife Trina falls in love with Marvin’s psychiatrist, Mendel. The second act, which continues to look at the impact Marvin’s actions have as Jason prepares for his bar mitzvah, takes on a more somber tone as it’s set during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in 1981. Weaving together threads on masculinity, Judiasm, queerness, parenting, and more, this superbly acted rendition of Falsettos will stick with you for a long time after the curtain falls and the credits roll.
Photo: PBS
