Interview: John Fagan, Director of FALSETTOS at Proud Mary Theatre Company

Families come in infinite varieties, and love can tell a million stories.

Those are the underlying themes of FALSETTOS, the hilarious and heartbreaking musical opening this week from Proud Mary Theatre Company.

"With all of the theatres beginning to reopen, FALSETTOS is wonderfully entertaining way to wade back into the Arts of the Upstate," says director John Fagan. "FALSETTOS is one big, warm hug of a musical."

With music and lyrics by William Finn and a book by William Finn and James Lapine, FALSETTOS is completely sung-through with almost no dialogue. The show began as individual one-acts exploring the lives of a dysfunctional New York family in the late 1970s. The two acts were combined into one musical, which premiered on Broadway in 1992, ultimately winning two Tony Awards (Best Book and Best Original Score). Proud Mary Theatre Company's new production marks the Upstate premiere of the 2016 Broadway revival version of the show.

FALSETTOS will run for six performances only October 29-30 and November 5-6 in Spartanburg and Greer. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm with Saturday matinees at 2 pm.

We asked director John Fagan to tell us more.

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BWW: What is your own history with FALSETTOS? Did you see any of the Broadway runs?

JOHN FAGAN: I do have a history with FALSETTOS. We saw the Off-Broadway Production of FALSETTOLAND (which is the second act of FALSETTOS) way back in the day and it was an incredibly moving experience. At the time, I didn't have any real working knowledge of MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS, which is Act One of our show. I dove in, bought the CD to it and became obsessed with it, too. When the two plays were put together as Falsettos for the Broadway production, we made sure to get up to NY to see it. We got to see Mandy Patinkin do his subtle stuff as Marvin in that production and we became even more enamored of the show. From that point on, this show became one of those bucket list shows for me to work on.

What exactly made it a bucket list show?

First of all, the script is fantastic and so very well put together. It is hard to believe each act was once a stand alone show of its own. The music is equal parts witty and smart. The characters are so very real and flawed that you can't help but fall in love with each of them. Plus, it is sung-through with very little dialogue. That has been an interesting challenge for me. It has really put my storytelling talents to the test, but I have been enjoying the challenge. I think we've been up to it.

Also, the subject matter is so incredible. The play touches on what defines families? It asks what does a loving relationship require. And the fact that the play takes place in 1979 and 1981, puts in a spot in time that I recall very vividly. (Yes, I'm old now.) In fact, when MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS came out in 1981, it was a bit controversial due to the fact that the character of Marvin leaves his wife and son to enter into a homosexual relationship, yet still wants to remain a "tight-knit" family with all parties very involved in the others' lives. Today, I know of many such family relationships. Back then, it was a bit unique.

Act Two jumps ahead to the beginning of the AIDS crisis and how it touches this family. I recall those years with a great deal of sadness and anger because I lost a number of friends to the disease. However, I do recall the laughter through tears and the fun we had in spite of this threat that hung over our heads. I think this play tells a very specific, yet universal story of how people coped.

How do you think the show will resonate with today's audiences? Are things "better" today than they were when the show was originally produced?

Remember a little sit-com called Modern Family? FALSETTOS is the original Modern Family. I think audiences of all types will enjoy our play.

As I said earlier, I know of several people who had been married in a heterosexual union that produced children, yet one member came out - in spite of the separation of spouses, there are wonderfully functioning "families." Some things have changed, but we still have some work to do. There are still many forces working against honoring Same-Sex unions. People are still ostracized by their families and communities because they are living their honest lives.

When FALSETTOS premiered on Broadway in 1992 the AIDS crisis was still running rampant through the world. It was a scourge of death at the time for those who contracted the disease. Now we have people living long lives who are HIV positive. In fact, Act Two takes place so early in the crisis, that there is no name for the disease mentioned.

So, you ask "better," I would say a "mixed bag better."

Tell us about the cast and what it's been like working with them.

I am so lucky to have assembled a group of people who feel as passionate about this play as I do. Plus, they are very smart and talented people. We've been working hard. In so many ways, this is such a tough piece to stage. Every night at rehearsal, we run the gamut of emotions: one minute we are in tears over a character's reaction to something and the next minute we are laughing so hard the tears are coming for a different reason. I challenge them to make discoveries and come up with their own choices. For the most part, they do and the results are really thrilling. I have challenged them to "tell our version of this story." I think we are doing just that.

You're performing in two different spaces. Tell me about the challenges that presents and what it means for the set, etc. Who are the other key production members?

"Challenge" is the nice way of putting this unique staging opportunity. Having gone through much of the same thing when we did BOYS IN THE BAND, I've been kind of prepared for it. So it hasn't really been a surprise for me. I'm designing the set as well as directing this show. I will say there are times that the Set Designer really hates the Director and vice versa. Both spaces are so very different from the other. I've been directing it so it can be adapted for both. It will take some doing and patience, but we'll figure it out.

Samantha Jemmott is doing the costumes and she has some terrific ideas that somehow match my crazier inspirations. I can't wait to see what she comes up with!

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Proud Mary Theatre Company presents FALSETTOS.

SEATING IS VERY LIMITED DUE TO COVID.

MASKS ARE REQUIRED by Proud Mary Theatre Company.

All tickets are $25. To reserve seats visit proudmarytheatre.com

SPARTANBURG
UnitarIan Universalist Church of Spartanburg
210 Henry Place, Spartanburg, SC 29306
Friday & Saturday, October 29-30 @ 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 30 @ 2 pm

GREER
City of Greer Center for the Arts,
804 Trade Street, Greer, SC 29651
Friday & Saturday, November 5-6 @ 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 6 @ 2 pm