page_title: Falsettos
section_title: Original Broadway production
hierarchical_section_title: Falsettos / Productions / Original Broadway production
caption_attribution_description: English: Nighttime photo of the Broadway theaters on West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in New York City. From right to left, the Golden Theater showing Oleanna; the Jacobs Theater showing God of Carnage; the Schoenfeld Theatre showing A Steady Rain, and the Booth Theater, showing Next to Normal.
context_page_description: Falsettos is a musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine, and music and lyrics by Finn. The musical consists of March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, the last two installments in a trio of one-act musicals that premiered off-Broadway. The story centers on Marvin, who has left his wife to be with a male lover, Whizzer, and struggles to keep his family together. Much of the first act explores the impact his relationship with Whizzer has had on his family. The second act explores family dynamics that evolve as he and his wife plan his son's Bar Mitzvah. Central to the musical are the themes of Jewish identity, gender roles, and gay life in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
  Falsettos premiered on Broadway in 1992 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning those for Best Book and Best Original Score. The musical was revived on Broadway in 2016 starring Christian Borle and Andrew Rannells. The 2016 revival was filmed and adapted for the PBS Live from Lincoln Center television series, and aired on October 27, 2017. The revival was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical.
context_section_description: Falsettos opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on April 29, 1992, and closed on June 27, 1993, after 487 performances. Directed by James Lapine, the cast included Michael Rupert as Marvin, Stephen Bogardus as Whizzer, Barbara Walsh as Trina, Chip Zien as Mendel (he played Marvin in In Trousers), Jonathan Kaplan as Jason, Heather MacRae as Charlotte, and Carolee Carmello as Cordelia. Rupert, Bogardus, and Zien reprised their roles from the original off-Broadway productions of March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, MacRae reprised her role from Falsettoland, and Walsh reprised her role from a Hartford Stage regional production of Falsettoland. Scenic design was by Douglas Stein, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, and lighting by Frances Aronson. The cast and producers were unsure if the show would find a strong following on Broadway, but were encouraged when Frank Rich of the New York Times gave the musical a positive review.
  Falsettos, the last show of Broadway's 1991–92 season, had a budget of $957,000, a low budget by Broadway standards. Producers Barry and Fran Weissler tried various marketing strategies to promote the musical. Hoping to create an easily-identifiable logo inspired by the minimalist design of Cats, the Weisslers used the work of artist Keith Haring in which two adults and a child hold up a bright red heart. Although audiences were enthusiastic at previews, the producers worried that the marketing strategy would not draw a large audience, and Barry Weissler explained that "Since Keith died of AIDS, many people felt the drawing was meant to attract a gay audience." The Weisslers then hired advertising agency LeDonne, Wilner & Weiner, who launched a promotional campaign centered on photographing audience members "not targeting specific Catholic or Jewish or family audiences, but trying to get across the idea that Falsettos is for everyone." The advertisers invited the newly-crowned Miss America, who had recently launched an Atlantic City-based AIDS awareness campaign, to attend the show and be photographed. In the following months, the producers began to earn back their initial investment and to profit from the show.
caption: Falsettos at the John Golden Theatre
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