Falsettos

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 6:31pm

Are March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland worth purchasing? Which is better?

[Mother's Younger Brother]

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. :)

[sipos]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 6:41pm

I second that.

[Jon]

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.

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 7:12pm

Thanks for the input. Should I buy them seperately, or get the album that puts them together?

[sipos]

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. Updated On: 1/20/05 at 07:16 PM

[staticradar]

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...

[spiderdj82]

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.

[magic8ball]

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!"

Updated On: 1/20/05 at 08:38 PM

[eslgr8]

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.

[magic8ball]

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.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 1/21/05 at 2:36am

yes, elegies is sheer brilliance... but a new brain is even more so i think

[VeuveClicquot]

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.)

[magic8ball]

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.

[apdarcey]

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

[scotty]

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

[Loppy]

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.

[MrBungee7]

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.

[Mister Matt]

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.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

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.

[Gothampc]

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).

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

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...

[Gothampc]

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.