Today In 1992, Tony-Winning Musical 'Falsettos' Opens On Broadway

Falsettos opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre today, April 29, in 1992. It is a musical with a book by James Lapine and William Finn, and music and lyrics by Finn. The musical consists of March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, the last two installments in one trio of one-act Off-Broadway musicals (the first was In Trousers). 

The story involves Marvin, his ex-wife Trina, his psychiatrist Mendel, his son Jason, his gay lover Whizzer Brown, and his neighbors Cordelia and Dr. Charlotte. When the musical premiered on Broadway in 1992, it was nominated for seven Tony Awards, of which it won Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. It was revived on Broadway in 2016, and the revival performance was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical.

Directed by James Lapine, the cast included Michael Rupert as Marvin, Stephen Bogardus as Whizzer, Barbara Walsh as Trina, Chip Zien as Mendel (who played Marvin in the previous installment, In Trousers), Jonathan Kaplan as Jason, Heather MacRae as Charlotte, and Carolee Carmello as Cordelia. Rupert, Bogardus, and Zien reprised their roles from the original Off-Broadway productions of March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, MacRae reprised her role from Falsettoland, and Walsh reprised her role from the Hartford Stage regional production.

The 2016 revival opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on September 29, 2016, in previews and officially on October 27, directed by Lapine. Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells (both at right), Stephanie J. Block and Brandon Uranowitz play Marvin, Whizzer, Trina, and Mendel respectively. Two performances were filmed on January 3 and 4, 2017, to be repackaged into a presentation for the PBS television program Live from Lincoln Center series, which originally aired on October 27, 2017.

A National Tour of the 2016 Lincoln Center Theatre Revival will launch in Winter of 2019. Casting has not yet been announced. The tour will stop in Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Dallas and other cities that have not yet been announced yet.