"March of the Falsettos" Question

[Jjohansan]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 6:03pm

I have seen the revival of Falsettos twice, and absolutely adore it! I just do not understand the importance of the "March of the Falsettos" number in Act 1. Would anyone care to explain its relevance?

[yellibean2]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 6:48pm

Well for one thing Finn said in his Lincoln Center interview a few weeks back that the whole number is in Trina's imagination: she's thinking about whether to marry Mendel, but also noticing that he may be just as immature as the rest of the men in her life and worrying that this marriage might end up like her last (I mean, I think she's assured that Mendel is straight, but she doesn't exactly trust him to not turn out to be an asshole like Marvin is). Arrested development is a big theme in Act I, hence the fact that Jason is the only one not singing in falsetto and the other men are meeting his range.

Also I think it's relevant to the fact that they're all trying to attain some impossible and worn out standard of masculinity (it was worn out in 1979 and it's definitely worn out now). The stage directions preceding it say "they’re very serious and very foolish and very manly" but of course falsetto voices and phosphorescent clothing isn't exactly society's ideals of manliness, in the same way that being gay and/or Jewish isn't exactly society's ideal of manliness.

[tripelite]

Posted: 11/29/16 at 2:32am

I remember telling one of Falsetto's producers in 1992 that the show would be perfect if they cut "March of the Falsettos" and was told in response that it was one of Bill Finn's favorite songs in the show (that allegation may or may not be true, but I remember my surprise at hearing it).  I feel better about the song hearing Finn's explanation, but even in the new production, it didn't work for me.