CityBeat, Vol. 4, Issue 14; February 26-March 4, 1998

Not-So-Typical Soap Opera

'Falsettoland' deals with AIDS and family relationships

BY CHRISTA JANKOSKI

Homosexuals. Women with children. Lesbian internists. Kosher caterers -- welcome to Falsettoland.

That's the scene of the William Finn/James Lapine musical Falsettoland. Set in 1981 in New York City, the show completes a trilogy by Finn that also includes In Trousers and March of the Falsettos. The latter was combined with Falsettoland in 1992 as the Tony Award-winning Falsettos.

The talented cast tackles this material with maturity, an effective and fully-developed ensemble.  Bill Ernst as Marvin and Zach Fishman as Mendel stand out for their memorable and complex performances, skillfully juggling the sensitivity-without-sentimentality of the show's heavier issues and its abundant humor.

The strength of Miami's production is how quickly we do grow attached to these characters and that, despite its distinction as the first Broadway musical to address AIDS, Falsettoland is more accurately termed an examination of relationships, our evolving definition of family and the growing need to reconcile faith in an often enigmatic modern world.