Players version of ‘Falsettos’ hits high notes about love

LISA ADAMS/The Acorn PLAYTIME IN THE AFTERNOON - Lefto to right: Tom Hand playing Dr. Mendel; Arryck Adams as Whizzer; Alex Mastrovito as Jason and Delaney Gibson as Trina point accusing fingers at Steve Kirwan as Marvin in this scene from "Falsettos" written by William Finn and James Lapine. The afternoon curtain continues to go up at 2:30 p.m. on July 8 ,9 and 15. For information about ticket prices and availability, please call Conejo Players at (805) 495-3715.

The musical "Falsettos," which just opened at the veteran Conejo Afternoon Theatre, isn’t a play for the less-experienced actor.

The 1992 winner nabbed best book and best original score Tony Awards and its complicated score and sometimes frenzied staging are ambitious elements to coordinate. Then there’s the plot, with its main male character being Marvin, who grows up along the way and learns to "face the music."

He does so at the expense of his wife and child, whom he leaves, and then his next lover, whom he also leaves but returns to before play’s end.

Finally, there are the intertwined ingredients: Marvin’s Jewish background, his learning how to interact with others, among them his psychiatrist; and, finally, the biggest challenge, "coming out of the closet" and the impacts of homosexuality, including a "new and frightening disease that defies everybody’s understanding."

The strength in the production team in quite evident: Shawn W. Lanz as director, producer Erin Fagundes, music direction by Charles Padilla and choreography, Tracy Hand.

The strongest in voice and acting are the women, Delaney Gibson as Trina, Marvin’s angst-ridden ex-wife; and the neighbors whose arrival in Act II really adds pep: Leslie Duval as Dr. Charlotte and Laura Lombard as Cordelia.

Conveying the intent of their roles with passion are Steve Kirwan as the confused Marvin; Arryck Adams as Whizzer; and Tom Hand as Marvin’s psychiatrist, Dr. Mendel.

Putting in a first appearance at Conejo and contributing charming facial gestures is pre-teen Alex Mastrovito as Jason, Marvin and Trina’s son. Marianne Robertson has a cameo appearance as a patient of the psychiatrist.

The musical has music and lyrics by William Finn, and book by Finn and James Lapine.

"Falsettos" is a combination of the second and third pieces in a trilogy of one-acts plays called "The Marvin Trilogy." And, like its main character, sometimes the play seems confused as to its own identity, whether it’s a comedy, satire, drama or melodrama.

Despite the intricate score and context, some questions don’t seem to be answered clearly such as why the title "Falsettos" and how come the son, Jason, in his quest to form his own identity, looks to Whizzer for answers.

There are memorable moments of dialogue. When the ex-husband calls the psychiatrist a loser, the latter responds with, "At $80 an hour?"

The abandoning dad tells his son, "I never wanted to love you, I only wanted to see my face in yours."

Says one character, "Everyone hates their parents. You grow up, you get older, you hate less."

But the liveliest interaction is between the two neighbors, with the health-conscious Cordelia telling the doctor, "You save lives, I save chicken fat."

Some of the play’s best scenes are in solo songs, such as when Marvin sings, "How confused I am by our happiness..I cannot tie my shoes…what more can I do….take it day by day, what more can I say." Another time he sings, "who would I be if I had not loved you."

Unlike other successful musicals, there aren’t any hummable songs that stick to your tongue after you leave the theater, but "Falsettos" carries important messages of how to live life — and that alone is worth the ticket.

For "Falsetto" tickets, call Conejo Afternoon Theatre at (805) 495-3715.

It continues through July 15 at Conejo Players Theatre.