The show Falsettos by James Lapine and William Finn may just be one of the most beautiful musicals ever written. Set from 1979 to 1981, Falsettos is a comedic musical that follows an estranged family trying to make it through their emotional struggles. Marvin (no last name given) is a Jewish man who got married and had a family with a woman named Trina and their son Jason. Marvin, however, has hidden the fact that he is gay for years. Trina finds Marvin cheating on her with Whizzer and she discovers his secret. They get divorced, Marvin stays together with Whizzer, and now the not so tight-knit family has to sort through their familial dynamic problems. The latter half of the show deals with Jason growing up and the ongoing and often ignored AIDs epidemic. The whole story is tragic, but is a beautiful representation of the nature of humanity. Marvin as a character deeply intrigues me, specifically, in how he goes from a cruel man seeking for everyone to praise and love him, to a kind, gentle, and loving father and partner. That is why I would like to talk about Marvin’s character in Act One of the musical and the depth of his character.
Falsettos starts with Marvin talking about his family. He married Trina, has a son named Jason, divorced Trina, and got together with Whizzer. They eat dinner together every night and Marvin wants a tight-knit family. Marvin’s problem is that this idyllic picture he paints is nothing near reality, and he just wants everyone to bow down to and love him instead of making it work.
Marvin is selfish beyond belief. He is also repressed. He wants Whizzer to be his perfect little housewife just like on TV. It’s what he grew up seeing as the epitome of love, after all. Marvin wants Whizzer to cook him dinner. He wants Whizzer to have sex with him. He wants Whizzer to LOVE him. He wants his son to talk to Whizzer, to be social, and to be a kid. He wants Jason to LOVE him. He wants to still be civil and maybe even close with Trina. He does not want her to move on from him, wants her to still be his wife just without romance and sex. He wants her to LOVE him.
Marvin desperately wants to be loved for who he is without changing, much like the families he sees on TV. The thing is, though, people have no reason to love Marvin. He does not show that he loves them and he tries to make them things they are not which they all hate him for. Everyone hates Marvin and Marvin thinks he does not have to change to get their love, that he’s fine how he is and they need to get over themselves.
Marvin wants to be the epitome of masculinity, the man of the house, demanding, rich, and tough.
He is none of those things.
One thing I love in the first act is how Marvin always calls Trina his wife, despite their divorce. They are separated but he thinks she is still his, which perfectly represents who he is.
And then there is Whizzer. Whizzer is your stereotypical gay man. He is lustful, obsessed with fashion, eccentric, and demanding. However,
Whizzer is not truly those things. It is a part of him, but he over-exaggerates it for Marvin.
Marvin wants Whizzer to be his housewife, his sexual lover who shaves his legs, folds his clothes, makes him dinner, and sits around looking pretty.
Whizzer stays with him anyway. Whizzer lives a life oriented on pleasure, doing what makes him happy. Marvin does not make him happy. Whizzer hates Marvin. They live together, and Whizzer cleans Marvin’s clothes, makes him dinner, shaves his legs, and sits still looking pretty for inevitable sex. He stays for sex but also because, somewhere inside of him, he loves Marvin, and he stays because he has seen who Marvin is at his core. Marvin can be nice, loving, heartfelt, and genuine, but he usually is not. So Whizzer sits and waits for something to change. It never does (at least not in this act) but he waits for it.
Marvin and Whizzer have a song together that is about how much they love each other and how much they hate each other under the name, “The Thrill of First Love.” The two are together because of the moment that they fell in love. They yearn for that spark to come back, the one where they loved each other and wanted to be together. They are waiting for that to return, but it just will not.
Now, Whizzer is toxic, do not get me wrong. He is definitely mean and bitey. Whizzer is just as desperate as Marvin and a lot of his actions are a result of Marvin’s behavior. Here is an exchange where Marvin is demeaning Whizzer:
Whizzer: Leave me.
Marvin: Love me.
Whizzer: Don’t be a fool.
Marvin: Want me.
Whizzer: Feed me.
Whizzer, again, stays with Marvin because he wants pleasure. He knows that Marvin is desperate, that Marvin will not leave him, and that he can do whatever he wants.
Here is an exchange between Marvin and his therapist, Mendel, that describes them perfectly:
Mendel: Do you love him?
Marvin: Sorta kinda.
Mendel: Do you need him?
Marvin: Sorta kinda… He makes me smile a lot. Especially at mealtime it makes me feel I’m sort of smart.
Mendel: Hm, is he special?
Marvin: He’s delightful.
Mendel: And romantic?
Marvin: Yes, and spiteful. But yet it seems that so am I.
[…]
Mendel: Sorta stylish?
Marvin: Kinda very. Mmm, very very sorta.
Mendel: And kind of hard to describe…?
Marvin: Yes, yes, I think that’s very true.
[…]
Mendel: Does he thrill you?
Marvin: Yes!
Mendel: Is he vicious?
Marvin: Yes!
Mendel: Would he kill you?
Marvin: Yes… I think he’s sorta kinda mean. But I love him, and I need it. If he loved me, I’d concede it.
Mendel: He’s sometimes worthless.
Marvin: Sometimes evil.
All of this tension builds up. Marvin does not understand why his son hates him. His “wife” is starting to see a new man and it is truly the end of the life that he once knew.
Trina moves on. She is incredibly happy with her new partner, Mendel (yes, Marvin’s therapist), who adores and loves her. Marvin hates that. He wants that.
He keeps fighting with Whizzer, insulting and controlling him. Even in playing chess, their worldviews shine through:
Marvin: Winning is everything.
Whizzer: Nothing is everything.
Marvin is greedy. He wants everything in the world for himself. Whizzer is simpler. He would rather enjoy simple pleasures than hit it big.
But then, Marvin moves from bossing Whizzer around about chess to their actual lives:
Whizzer: What should I do now?
Marvin: Move.
Whizzer: Where?
Marvin: There.
Whizzer: How should I behave myself!
Then, Whizzer decides to have fun and playfully makes himself win. In this scene, Whizzer gives Marvin a taste of his own medicine and Marvin hates it.
Marvin storms out.
He returns with Whizzer’s things in a suitcase. He is kicking Whizzer out, and their relationship is done. Marvin does not like being treated the way that he treats others, a realization he is soon to come to following the breakup.
Falsettos is absolutely worth the watch, even if it is heart-wrenching. Every character, not just Marvin, is very well written with thoroughly portrayed emotions. Christian Borel (who plays Martin in the 2016 revival) is an incredible actor who absolutely nails the spirit of Marvin down to his intricate emotions and facial expressions. If you have not seen Falsettos, it is easy to watch online and worth the two-and-a-half-hour run time.
