#falsettos act one

[phierecycled]

no i won’t stop talking about how good andrew as whizzer looked in the green act one shirt

#green is really andrew’s colour in general though #like his 2019(?) tonys tux that was green was incredible #maybe that was 2018?? #and that one suit he wore in the new normal that one time #falsettos #andrew rannells #falsettoland #march of the falsettos #whizzer brown #falsettos revival #falsettos 2016 #falsettos act one

[dyke-ulaura]

Thinking about the change from “can you please make my friend get better” in Falsettoland to “can you please make my friend stop dying” in Falsettos. Because it’s such a childish and abrupt way of talking about it, but also because ‘stop dying’ does not mean ‘get better’. He’s not praying for Whizzer’s health, he’s praying for him to stop dying. because the physical state of dying is horrifying to watch, because he can’t bear to see Whizzer so weak and dejected, because he doesn’t want to remember him this way.

And this way adds more weight to the fact that it happens at the Bar Mitzvah. Because God did answer his prayer. He got Bar Mitzvah-ed, his friend stopped dying.

#also the emphasis on the difference between death and the act of dying mirrors Whizzer’s own thoughts #‘At least death means I’ll never be scared about dying again’ #whizzer and Jason are the only ones who actually verbally acknowledge that Whizzer is dying #nobody else uses that word #falsettos

[takemebacktowheniwassane]

I would kill to have you overanalyze everything about Falsettos. Hope that didn't sound too threatening, I was joking, I'm just really into your analysis of the chess game :3

omg! I would love to analyze anything for you, man! 💗 I've pretty much picked everything out of a lot of the songs─ lil surprised I don't have my own corkboard with red twine commemorating my insanity on this musical lol

Looking through the album, the first option that came to mind might've been The Thrill of First Love but I think I'll take a break from toxic gays for just one moment and give you a strangely written analysis on Marvin at the Psychiatrist: A Three-Part Mini Opera, because of the different character pov's (i.e., Mendel, Jason, somewhat Whizzer, and of course, Marvin─ and I know Whizzer only announces each section of the song but hear me out, the theories are crazy and I'm obsessed with them and this song definitely factors into them aswell).

Basically, we'll start off with a quick look over Jason's lines, as he is the first character to speak/sing in the song. Right off the bat, we have him showing a HUGE disdain for love because of his father pretty much ruining his home life with the illusion of it. Well, maybe disdain is strong, but you get what I mean─ he's very reluctant to accept romance as an option for himself at all at this point because the wound is still very fresh from Marvin blowing up their family life, but yeah, also, he's a little preteen boy so it also makes sense for him to object to liking anyone just because of immaturity.

As we progress, Jason does a joint-therapy session with Marvin and they talk about outings and father/son bonding time gone badly wrong. He lets us in on his hyper-observance with his reaction to Marvin saying the pitcher they saw at a baseball game was handsome, and makes sure the audience is well aware he has some pretty conflicting emotions about his dad and his dad's sexuality. Especially given My Father's a Homo comes directly after this song, and in turn, also directly after this moment, so we know his feelings over Marvin and Whizzer (being that he enjoys Whizzer's company, seeing as Whizzer is the only adult who actually treats him like a kid and not like a victim or a baby or an average adult, like- but still) and their messy relationship.

It really makes me wonder on how it is when he's meant to go over to their apartment, since it's canonical that they live together and that Jason sees him regularly. And if they act terribly in front of him still. I assume Whizzer wouldn't allow that, another trait that gives Jason reason to side with him, because he seems like he really just doesn't want to completely, for lack of better words, fuck up Jason's whole childhood experience by being a part of it.

Now! Mendel isn't a complicated perspective, per say, just very eccentric. Especially assuming he asks MANY intrusive questions to a man who just openly came out as gay about his ex-wife and her sexual habits and such. This is where we tell him to go to horny jail.

(That's not the whole analysation, I swear─)

Mendel to me seems like he probably takes the initiative to not relay any of his clients actual info to other family members, but this song pretty much just proves he's incapable of brain-thought when he's horny. Which, yeah, that's hilarious that the only straight man is just thirsting over a woman to this gay guy. William Finn, you've done it again.

Anyhow, Mendel is pretty vital in this song. We get to see his psychiatry techniques, and with that, understand exactly what kind of situation Marvin's been, in taking therapy from him this whole time. The first part of the song is probably the best way of analyzing, since he's actually intelligible and giving Marvin advice. Well, that advice consists of telling him to ignore Whizzer's flaws and love him regardless, you can actually sorta see that at work in some aspects of the musical, even if he's constantly condescending to Whizzer throughout act one.

But generally, Marvin tends to take the exact opposite path that Mendel gives him, and basically just uses him as a venting device. Then again, Mendel is not to great at giving advice, as a neurotic little man who has like four mental breakdowns in the course of act one and two.

Next, Whizzer, of course. Short but sweet, or.. angsty? I've heard a few people theorize that Whizzer narrates the story ("Marvin at the psychiatrist, a three part mini opera, part one." "Part two." "Part three." "Psychiatrist, returning, returning! Five sessions later..." "A day in Falsettoland─ Doctor Mendel at work.") because after he dies, it sort of becomes his story of finding a true family and lover and son and being actually happy and knowing he lived well before he died really, tragically young, at least.

I'd like to take it a different direction, because I hate angst, and only sometimes tolerate it.

I've realized that Whizzer only actually narrates Mendel's shenanigans, which makes me think, especially with how he still does in act two, he gets to HEAR about the sessions. Whether it be from Marvin, or Jason, or Trina. Or even Mendel himself (this one's more act two based). It may introduce a new side because Whizzer doesn't go to therapy (shocker), but the people he's around all see this one guy so maybe he hears about the sessions and can relay them because he knows this one person's aspect of the story each time.

It wouldn't make a lot of sense for him to hear anything from Mendel in act one assuming they weren't close (at least not in the revival), and he doesn't marry Trina until Marvin and Whizzer are broken up, basically. But it would make more sense for him to get it from his boyfriend who absolutely loves to complain about any minor inconvenience in his life. I just think this could be an interesting perspective, because I've only ever seen that first theory and although somewhat fitting, I need less angst and more cool little headcanons in this fanbase please and thank you.

Finally, we go to Marvin. The star of the show, our princess with several disorders (we all know who our real queens are *stares directly at Trina and Whizzer*).

Throughout the entirety of this song, we see him barely entertaining Mendel with information. He's very vague, which probably stems from a life of secrecy and sneaking around. Although I presume he told Mendel about the affair while it was happening, or a few months in? Or Mendel just knew? Just by the general air of it, and how it seemed well-known by that point even though him and Trina only just divorced.

Marvin definitely keeps to himself, and waits for Mendel to butt in with something. Not so he can take his advice, but moreso so that he can kinda just. Have it, on hand? Or maybe so he can prove to himself that therapy is a hoax, because that certainly sounds like a Marvin thing to do.

Even while going through events with his son, he only states that eventually their interactions just go back to being stale and that they SHOULD be closer, without ever trying to actually make an effort (he assumes making an effort is taking Jason on outings even though they both prefer to stay inside, on their own. This definitely comes from his parents not doing anything with him as a kid, it's internalized so he pushes going out in public and doing what would be father/son outings onto Jason. It's something he never got to have, so he thinks that means he's fathering Jason better than average).

Not much to be said about that middle factor, besides the point of Marvin not knowing Trina was withholding love from him, which is interesting. Her character and lines definitely prevail that she was fed up with Marvin, but it could have just come out as indifference during their marriage. In I'm Breaking Down, she does make a point to state that she only wants a man to love her, so that could've been an overwhelming point in their marriage that Marvin remembers more vividly then her drifting away.

He did seem genuinely surprised when Mendel brought it up, so there is something there for sure.

But now, my dear silly, it's time for me to say adieu, because it's semi-late and I gotta update a fic draft :) but thank you sm for asking! made my day, it was so sweet. my inbox is always open for any suggestions, I'm really glad you like these little rants lol.

I'll try to post more soon 🫶

Goodnight!

#whizzerfalsettos #my sillies #falsettos #whizzvin #marvinfalsettos #hyperfixating on falsettos #rant #analysis #mendelfalsettos #trinafalsettos #Trina came up a little bit #I can't help it #Shes my queen #jasonfalsettos #also Marvin coming home in act 2 and still ranting to Whizzer about his therapy session and how it went #Chefs kiss #I came up with some new ones for this rant #les gooooo #night everyone :)

[jojodelaguerras-wooden-stick]

Sometimes I think about how Trina is the only woman who had to deal with these men for as long as she had to

#not ignoring charlotte and cordelia but like #trina dealing with their bs for 2 acts #its in the opening song too #with what i assume trina is singing slavery because shes like their babysitter unwillingly #and then leads to im breaking down #also the fact that trina doesnt establish that shes a jew until the end despite being “in the room” for the whole number #and throughout the story you expect Trina to be the one who has to handle everything since its alr established that #these guys are idiots and messes #maybe not jason but as a mother trina has to take care of him to #she literally doesnt get a break at all not even from the audience #falsettos

[dmitryanya]

Part 5 of redoing my Falsettos Seven Deadly Sins set. if anyone is curious, you can see the originals from 2017 HERE. Assignments will be the same, but the art needed an update.

Today we have Mendel Weisenbachfeld !

GLUTTONY // "We're needy and wanting, we're greedy as swine-- I just got a family (the family was mine)-- I got it all!"

#mendel weisenbachfeld #falsettos #falsettos revival #falsettos 2016 #mendel falsettos #my art #i rly went back and forth with the quote bc this one #is more like a General Read of his character than any one single glaring moment #he Gets it All and then is still unsatisfied in act 2 sO

[falsettos-tight-knit-family]

The Lesbians

Headcanon that when Trina and Mendel first met the lesbians (assuming Year of the Child wasn't their first meeting). Of course, they're being all lovey dovey with each other but don't technically mention they're a couple, assuming it was obvious. So quite a while into their visit, Trina has a moment where she realizes this and is just like "Mendel they're lesbians" (think 'Harold they're lesbians' vibes, supportive just a bit oblivious). So Mendel, surprised it took her so long to notice is just awkwardly like "... Yes- they are"

It would be funny if this was why Cordelia and Charlotte introduce themselves as 'the lesbians next door' in the events of Act 2, as a little inside joke between them :)

I swear this sounds so much better in my head, but I can't get the vibe through correctly through text no matter how hard I try

#an ally #i mentioned mendel being bi before and i might make a post about how i think that went later #btw if anyone can fill me in on what the living situation was for the tkf especially in act 1 #that would be great #like the song says marvin left them #but also that they all eat as one and whizzer is there packing his stuff in making a home #so im confused as hell #falsettos #falsettos headcanons #trina weisenbachfeld #mendel weisenbachfeld #the lesbians next door

[b1rdeyes]

HEAR ME OUTTTT

#when I first listened to the thrill of first love instrumental #part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was because it reminded me of lovely night #( I’d only listened to the cast recording lol) #then I thought ab it MORE #I can see similarities in the early relationships with all the arguing but occasionally finding common ground and genuine connection #act 2 not really BUT ACT ONE #if I could draw them I’d be putting them on the poster RN #falsettos #lala land

[astagsart]

As much as I love the idea of Marvin just never getting a surname I also like the idea of him just insisting on calling himself Marvin Brown bc he’s that much of a simp like:

#act two Marvin is the number one simp #can’t tell me otherwise #falsettos #fanart #whizzer falsettos #original art #falsettos fanart #the marvin trilogy #andrew rannells #traditional art #whizzer brown #marvin falsettos #whizvin #christian borle #artists on tumblr

[trinalvrs]

the show is very smart in the way that marvin is denying being gay from the start, referring to whizzer as ‘a friend’ in a tight knit family implying that even though he IS a gay man, he’s kinda homophobic. i mean we know this because he’s really misogynistic when he still tries to have a ‘regular’ life with his ex wife, his son and his lover all in one household. it’s also really interesting how in act one it’s marvin whos trying to grasp onto the stereotype of a family and in act two it’s trina who thinks like this in holding to the ground, but the difference is that trina accepts that things can change, marvin completely denies it.

#falsettos #musicals #this silly musical is so interesting #marvin falsettos #trina falsettos #a tight knit family falsettos #idk wether i hate act one marvin or not #i feel bad for trina

[selfabsorbed-selfdeceived]

act one jason and his fucked up perception of love are so personal to me. like all the adults around you are shit at love in different ways and are each telling you how to love in their own screwed up way and just rejecting all of it. real

#falsettos #again #jason falsettos #i love jason (but this is not his venue) #god i love this musical #act one my beloved disaster

[hooodooo]

The growing up, the falling down

#falsettos #falsettos fanart #marvin falsettos #marvin trilogy #I relate to Marvin and it’s a problem but we’re working on it #in trousers #in trousers fanart #(?) #that’s supposed to be teen Marvin and act one so #yeah I think it’s fine #Marvin needs therapy #so do I #on that note #vent ish #my art #turn up your brightness

[phierecycled]

Just reminding everyone that ‘This Had Better Come to a Stop’ is an absolute bop and you should listen to it if they haven’t already this hour.

#broadway #musicals #falsettos #falsettoland #march of the falsettos #marvin falsettos #whizzer brown #this had better come to a stop #falsettos act one #act one marvin #chop chop chop chop #trina weisenbachfeld #mendel weisenbachfeld #trindel #jason falsettos

[unliikelylovers]

if any of my followers don’t know what my url is from and you’re interested: it’s the title of this song from falsettos, a musical about the aids crisis from 1992 (which is why the video looks, you know, like that) i highly recommend you go listen to it because i think it is one of the most beautiful and moving songs in the broadway canon

#falsettos #but also what makes me insane is like. okay so the musical falsettos is from 1992 right? #however it's actually just two one-act musicals smashed together into a full-length two-act musical #so the first act march of the falsettos was first produced in 1981 #and it's a full story with a conclusion and you know the conflict is all about like. this fucked up family #and it's set in 1979 and it's telling a story about what being a gay man was like in 1979 new york #so the whole first act the whole thing is completely unaware of what's coming. the characters are unaware but So Is The Writer #and so march premiered in 1981 #and then #almost a full decade later #william finn wrote falsettoland. which would become the second act of falsettos #and that is set IN 1981. #premiered in 1990 but set in 1981 #and it begins as completely unaware and naive and you think the conflict is going to continue to be similar to march #you as an audience member could forget what's coming #and then the story is completely derailed in the song 'something bad is happening' #and then you as an audience member are like oh. that's right. fuck #and now all of a sudden this musical that was not in any way about aids #has to be about aids #and there's this very real sense of the suddenness of the devastation #like it just kills me #not a day goes by when i don't think about falsettos and how it was written over the course of 10 years and just. oh my god

[introusers-thedream]

We do NOT talk about Packing Up and its lyrics nearly enough

#imo its one of the only 1985 exclusive songs worth much more than plot clarification #my fav part lyrically is prob the 'whizzer will act completely parental/absolutely gentle...' #he already had the whole 'tight knit family' bs in mind :( #falsettos #in trousers

[sassmill]

Right as I’m putting on my director cap again in a big professional way, one of the directors and educators that really helped shape my career has passed. Big artist emotions right now.

#life is weird #passion is weird #careers are weird #he gave me my first professional acting gig #a paid 4 production contract working alongside equity actors #one of whom has since made his Broadway debut #and it was a wonderful experience #but my biggest takeaway was the first inkling that performance maybe wasn’t a sustainable pursuit for me #I didn’t fully realize that for another couple years #but without that series of experiences I wouldn’t have the unique position I do now #where I basically inherited the rough semblance of a niche theatre company #and am working so hard to develop and professionalize it #even with my other experience directing and teaching I don’t think I would really feel confident directing on this scale if I hadn’t had #the opportunity and experience of being a company member on the scale of the job he gave me #and he really gave me that job #I didn’t just attend an audition #I was in a production he directed at my college #and at the end of rehearsal one night #he said ‘I’m directing falsettos this summer. I want you to audition for Cordelia.’ #and I auditioned I was cast as Cordelia #but I was also cast as a principal in another show and ensemble in 2 more that season #it gave me a taste of theatre outside the fishbowl of my department #and though he is not my favorite director I’ve ever worked with #seeing him manage a company of 50 people with 4 productions In concurrent rehearsals #set an example of what directing PEOPLE means #not just the performance but the individuals the egos the strengths the weaknesses #and actually now that I think of it the last time I saw him was when I had just gotten this job #and I think he said something kind of exactly validating everything I’ve said here #I won’t speak ill of the dead so I’ll say this: I didn’t always like working with him but I have immense respect for him #and those are the people you learn the most from

[dyke-ulaura]

Why do autistic tumblr kids have a better grasp on the Falsettos musical than actual scholars lmao

#every scholarly article seems to take the lyrics so seriously #one called whizzer the “gayest and most promiscuous character” #one called it a stereotypical gay narrative and claimed that it wasn’t an activist piece #girl what? are you ignoring that the second act was added to include the aids crisis that was happening at the time? #falsettos