#1
Posted: 1/20/05 at 6:31pm
Are March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland worth purchasing? Which is better?
#2
Posted: 1/20/05 at 6:35pm
They are more than worth it...they are essential. They make up Act I and Act II of the musical Falsettos, which was never recorded as a single show. Personally, I prefer Falsettoland, but as they are really one story, get them both. :)
#4
Posted: 1/20/05 at 6:44pm
You gotta get both. "March" was written in the late 1970's, pre-AIDS era. "Falsettoland" was written nearly ten years later, yet it all fits together as one show. It's especially great to hear the same three men on both recordings.
#5
Posted: 1/20/05 at 7:12pm
Thanks for the input. Should I buy them seperately, or get the album that puts them together?
#6
Posted: 1/20/05 at 7:16pm
It'd be great if you find the double CD that puts em both together. That's what I did eventually. You still get both individual show's booklets inside.
My cassettes wouldn't play anywhere anymore, so I loved finding that when It came out.
My cassettes wouldn't play anywhere anymore, so I loved finding that when It came out.
Updated On: 1/20/05 at 07:16 PM
#7
Posted: 1/20/05 at 7:26pm
Both are amazing...and why not round out the trilogy and get In Trousers too! Anything William Finn is amazing! His music is what gets played most in my house...
You're always sorry,
You're always grateful,
You hold her, thinking:
"I'm not alone."
You're still alone.
-"Sorry-Grateful" Company
-"Sorry-Grateful" Company
#8
Posted: 1/20/05 at 7:43pm
I love Willian Finn's music. My two favorites are A NEW BRAIN and FALSETTOLAND. The person that plays Jason (or whatever the kid's name is) in MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS is really annoying though.
"They're eating her and then they're going to eat me. OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!" -Troll 2
#9
Posted: 1/20/05 at 8:38pm
Yes. That kid's got to go.
When I first heard the new voice in "Falsettoland", I was like, "Thank you, Jesus!"
When I first heard the new voice in "Falsettoland", I was like, "Thank you, Jesus!"
"Goodness is rewarded. Hope is guaranteed. Laughter builds strong bones. Right will intercede. Things you've said I often find I need, indeed. I see the world through your eyes. What's black and white is colorized. The knowledge you most dearly prized I'm eager to employ. You said that life has infinite joys."
Updated On: 1/20/05 at 08:38 PM
#10
Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:13am
Seeing Falsettos in L.A. in 1992 was one of the most powerful and life altering experiences I've ever had in the theater. The two one-acts each have such memorable moments. Falsettoland moves me more than March because it deals with the devastation of AIDS and therefore features several of the most moving and beautiful songs in musical theater. Marvin and Whizzer's love songs are about as powerful as it gets. I so wish I could see this show again. One complaint about the two CDs. They should have re-recorded the entire show when it went to Broadway, as there were enough changes to merit a new recording, plus the advantage of having a single cast for both acts.
#11
Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:22am
Okay, so I'm listening (for the third time in a row) to my recent purchase, "Elegies", and it conceivably might be one of the best things I've EVER heard. Just thought that I'd throw that in there while this thread is still on the main page.
"Goodness is rewarded. Hope is guaranteed. Laughter builds strong bones. Right will intercede. Things you've said I often find I need, indeed. I see the world through your eyes. What's black and white is colorized. The knowledge you most dearly prized I'm eager to employ. You said that life has infinite joys."
#12
Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:36am
yes, elegies is sheer brilliance... but a new brain is even more so i think
#13
Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:40am
WORD to both elsgr8 and magic8ball.
FALSETTOS totally merited a new recording when it went to Broadway. Not only because of the cast, but because MARCH was rather significantly rewritten, and the new version is much better than the currently recorded one.
And ELEGIES is a moving, masterful musical. I'm very happy that it opened at exactly the right moment, and Fynsworth Alley was able to preserve it. (A couple of months later, it would have probably gone unrecorded.)
FALSETTOS totally merited a new recording when it went to Broadway. Not only because of the cast, but because MARCH was rather significantly rewritten, and the new version is much better than the currently recorded one.
And ELEGIES is a moving, masterful musical. I'm very happy that it opened at exactly the right moment, and Fynsworth Alley was able to preserve it. (A couple of months later, it would have probably gone unrecorded.)
#14
Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:51am
apdarcey, I shared your opinion through the first two listens. 
But now I've reconsidered. "Elegies" is flawless, lyrically and melodically, whereas there are a few things that I would tweak in "A New Brain".
Plus, the quality of the songs "Anytime", "14 Dwight Ave., Natick, Massachusetts", and "Good-bye/Boom Boom" might be enough to elevate this to the status of my favorite Finn musical in itself.
But now I've reconsidered. "Elegies" is flawless, lyrically and melodically, whereas there are a few things that I would tweak in "A New Brain".
Plus, the quality of the songs "Anytime", "14 Dwight Ave., Natick, Massachusetts", and "Good-bye/Boom Boom" might be enough to elevate this to the status of my favorite Finn musical in itself.
"Goodness is rewarded. Hope is guaranteed. Laughter builds strong bones. Right will intercede. Things you've said I often find I need, indeed. I see the world through your eyes. What's black and white is colorized. The knowledge you most dearly prized I'm eager to employ. You said that life has infinite joys."
#15
Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:58am
yes, i don't know... i have some qualms with like peggy hewitt, ricky ian gordon... and you haven't lived until you've heard norm lewis' anytime on the infinite joy cd... carolee has nothing on him
#16
Posted: 1/21/05 at 9:47am
ooo. Love the thread
I find 'Infinite Joy' to be a great supliment to 'Elegies'. Even though Joy came before Elegies. Both brilliant work by Finn.
you must NOT go past Falsetto's. It is essential listening for many reasons. He is such a passionate composer and it is obvious in his work (especially in this).
enjoy
I find 'Infinite Joy' to be a great supliment to 'Elegies'. Even though Joy came before Elegies. Both brilliant work by Finn.
you must NOT go past Falsetto's. It is essential listening for many reasons. He is such a passionate composer and it is obvious in his work (especially in this).
enjoy
#17
Posted: 1/21/05 at 11:21am
It's a crime for a theatre enthusiast to NOT own both "March of the Falsettos" and "Falsettoland" (the latter being slightly more essential).
It's even more criminal for a theatre enthusiast to OWN both of these CDs and to not finish them.
And, for the record, "Elegies" beats out "A New Brain". Easily.
It's even more criminal for a theatre enthusiast to OWN both of these CDs and to not finish them.
And, for the record, "Elegies" beats out "A New Brain". Easily.
#18
Posted: 1/21/05 at 11:45am
I'd say get both. It is completely worth it. As far as the Elegies vs. A New Brain issue, I don't know that you can compare the two. They are different kinds of writing, but both brilliant.
What's pink and green and flies all over?
#19
Posted: 1/21/05 at 12:39pm
I say you shouldn't have one without the other. They are absolutely brilliant. My father's favorite show has always been Les Mis (he's seen it 12 times), but when I took him to see Falsettos on Broadway, he said it was the only show as good as Les Mis (which, for a Texas Good Ol' Boy redneck, which QUITE a statement to make in 1992). We took my mom to see the national tour in Houston and we were the ONLY audience members to give the show a standing ovation. Big surpise. At that time, any theatre in Houston that did La Cage still got hate mail.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#20
Posted: 1/22/05 at 2:07am
William Finn is a GOD... let's all pray for more recordings/ productions!
I would give anything to hear/ see Romance in Hard Times, America Kicks Up Its Heels, The Royal Family of Broadway, and Muscle.
I would give anything to hear ANYTHING written by Finn.
I would give anything to hear/ see Romance in Hard Times, America Kicks Up Its Heels, The Royal Family of Broadway, and Muscle.
I would give anything to hear ANYTHING written by Finn.
[title of show] on Broadway. it's time. believe.
#21
Posted: 1/22/05 at 2:24am
On Alison Fraser's cd "Men in my Life" she has recorded Finn's "The Pill Song" from America Kicks Up Its Heels and "The Passion of Rhoda" from In Trousers (Finn sings the duet with her).
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
#22
Posted: 1/22/05 at 2:49am
The Passion of Rhoda is one of the Top 5 Most Played Songs on my computer... I love it SO MUCH. The Pill Song is good too...
[title of show] on Broadway. it's time. believe.
#23
Posted: 1/22/05 at 2:56am
The Passion of Rhoda, I love how they do the "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" riff. Very clever.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
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