Review: FALSETTOS at Keegan Theatre

“Falsettos” at Keegan Theatre bursts with humor and heart as the musical’s talented cast explores the hope and chaos, and frustrations and forgiveness that are woven through the bonds of family and friendship.

Kurt Boehm directs and choreographs the Tony Award-winning musical.  "Falsettos" by the esteemed duo William Finn (book, music and lyrics) and James Lapine (book) weaves a poignant tale of connections among family – both chosen and biological – against the backdrop of post-Stonewall gay liberation of the late 70s abruptly meeting the AIDS crisis in the early 80s, mixed with high drama bar mitzvah plans, family neurosis, sharp humor and heartbreaking tenderness.

“Falsettos” has nearly no dialogue – it is a sung-through musical centered on Marvin, who leaves his wife Trina for his lover Whizzer while trying to keep family bonds strong with son Jason. (Yes, life’s complicated.) Act 1 shows the messy, tense attempts to blend this unconventional family as Trina and Marvin’s psychiatrist Mendel grow closer and become a couple. Marvin wants it all and sings “I want a tight-knit family/I want a group that harmonizes/I want my wife and kid and friend/to pretend time will mend our pain.”

Act 2, set two years later, merges Jason’s bar mitzvah planning and the perils of baseball with Whizzer’s mysterious decline and AIDS diagnosis. The close group grows to include Charlotte, a doctor who is beginning to puzzle out the mysterious virus, and her partner Cordelia, a caterer trying her hand at “nouvelle bar mitzvah cuisine.” This extended community – imperfect and human, bonded in love and concern – unite amid hardship.

John Loughney as Marvin is the center of the story. Loughney is a solid anchor and gives a nuanced performance of this flawed man with heart and compassion. Marvin “wants it all” but hurts the people around him as he tries to figure it out. From the opening “Tight-Knit Family” to “What More Can I Say?” to “Unlikely Lovers,” Loughney brings to life Marvin’s complicated, earnest, selfish, loving heart.

Katie McManus (Trina) has a powerfully soaring voice, great comedic timing, and masterful acting chops. McManus’s first act solo “I’m Breaking Down” is a hilarious literal showstopper that was marked by great guffaws and prolonged applause on opening night, while in the second act her “Holding to the Ground” is a deep and guttural gasp to try to make sense of all the confusion whirling around her.

We shouldn’t like or trust a psychiatrist who woos and marries his patient’s ex-wife. But with Ryan Burke inhabiting the role that Finn and Lapine penned, Mendel is a mensch. He’s a shoulder to cry on and he offers wise perspective … and yet he is so distracted by family issues that he tunes out and calls a patient by the wrong name. Burke’s dry and earnest rendition of “Everyone Hates His Parents” is a high point of the show.

Nico Cabrera, the cast’s youngest member, portrays Jason as a 10-year-old in Act 1 and ages two years for Act 2 when Jason approaches his bar mitzvah. Cabrera’s acting is stronger than his singing – he has a solid stage presence and excellent timing. Young as Cabrera is, he shows maturity with the challenging emotional material, ably moving between the comedic moments to great sadness and confusion.  Cabrera’s portrayal of the goofy, stubborn, chess-loving ‘tween Jason is central to two of the funniest songs, “The Baseball Game” and “Everyone Hates His Parents.”

Kaylen Morgan’s Whizzer is attractive, intense and passionate – and at first that is all we see of him in the first scenes of the tumultuous initial relationship with Marvin. Yet as we move through the years, Morgan peels away Whizzer’s layers. It is kind and patient Whizzer who coaches Jason in baseball and eases Jason through so much confusion. Whizzer and Marvin grow to be more at ease. Morgan evolves from a character of great vitality to a man who is scared and drained and vulnerable.

In Act 2 the circle expands to include “the lesbians next door.” Shayla Lowe as internist Dr. Charlotte shares both the intensity of a committed physician and the buoyancy of a partner in love. Her “Something Bad is Happening” is especially powerful and haunting. Kylie Clare Truby (Cordelia) brings light but not lightness – Truby has great complexity as the caterer who sees her beloved partner save lives while she works on the best gefilte fish recipes. Lowe and Truby bring great energy and heart to “A Day in Falsettoland” as they ask “do you know how great my life is? Saving lives and loving you.”

“Falsettos” is presented in Keegan’s 120-seat theatre. The intimacy of the space is a great advantage in pulling the audience to a spare, character-driven musical. But it also poses some challenges to the production.

Scenic Designer Matthew J. Keenan keeps things relatively simple and effectively works with the stage’s dictated lofts and stairs. Set pieces are minimal and multipurpose – the focus is on the people and their connection and storytelling. Although there are few frills, there is a memorable beautiful central city skyline. However, the central platform – frequently Mendel’s office – feels claustrophobic and seems to run the risk a chair will fall off the platform mid-scene.

Lighting Designer Lynn Joslin brings warmth to the home, light to the ballfield and a stark wash to the hospital. Most memorable are the washes to the skyline that Joslin introduces.

Sound Designer Brandon Cook struggled with balance, a significant issue in the intimate Keegan Theatre. The on-stage band is at high volume for the small space and though the actors are mic’d it still seemed some actors had to strain to push notes above the band. Some of Finn and Lapine’s sophisticated lyrics were lost – this is a significant issue when the entire story is sung so plot is embedded in song lyrics. Hopefully the issue with an audible metronome/click track on opening night was a one-time mishap that’s been corrected.

Paris Francesca’s costumes featured mostly classic casual wear, but the designer has fun with the electric-toned 80s era workout gear complete with Jane Fonda legwarmers and with the glow-in-the-dark stripes on suits in the quirky “March of the Falsettos.”

Keegan Theatre timed the production to run during the 2025 World Pride festival in Washington, DC. Falsettos marks an important historical era, yet it is timeless in celebrating the myriad bonds we forge. Keegan brings us a show of great humor and depth by a talented cast that wins our hearts.

Runtime: 2 hours, 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.

FALSETTOS by William Finn and James Lapine is directed and choreographed by Kurt Boehm. It is produced by Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church Street NW, Washington, DC 20036,  and runs through June 15, 2025 with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3:00 pm, and select Mondays and Wednesdays at 8:00 pm. For tickets, special programming, attendance policies, and further information visit the company's website.

Photos: Cameron Whitman

Cast: John Loughney (Marvin), Katie McManus (Trina), Kaylen Morgan (Whizzer), Ryan Burke (Mendel), Shayla Lowe (Dr. Charlotte), Kylie Clare Truby (Cordelia / Trina u/s), and Nico Cabrera (Jason), Tobi Baisburd (understudy) Ben Clark (understudy), and Henry Winfield Gill (understudy).

Orchestra: Elisa Rosman (Music Director, Conductor, Keyboard 1), Scott Richards (Keyboard 2, Keyboard 1 sub), Gwyn Jones (Reeds), Kevin Uleck (Drums), Jake Gunter (Drums), Catina McLagen (Keyboard 2 Sub).