William Finn, who shared his influence through his sensational compositions and musicals, passed away at 73 years old on April 7th of this year.
William Finn wrote what he knew, and his work was always loosely auto-biographical and based on his experience. Being Jewish and openly gay, he depicted both the trials and rejoicings in these marginalized communities in America during the time.
Finn wrote his most significant plays throughout the 70s-90s, during a time in which there was an undeniable shared anxiety surrounding the topic of queerness in America. As the AIDS epidemic spiked in the mid-80s, the bravest voices became stifled mid-sentence, and there was a period of uncomfortable silence. It simply seemed like an unspeakable topic.
William Finn was one of those valiant voices that shattered the prolonged silence into a kaleidoscope of fervorous art. Conveying his emotions by method of performance, Finn found he could hit every point he needed to through his characters and plotlines.
Among his musicals, of which there are approximately a dozen (both on and off-broadway), Falsettos (1992) would be one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed. It was first performed at the John Golden Theatre exactly thirty-two years ago today, yet the story is as powerful as ever.
It comes from the “Marvin Trilogy” – an originally Off-Broadway series of plays that consists of the three initially separate musicals: In Trousers (1979), March of the Falsettos (1981), and Falsettoland (1990). While they used to be individual plays, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland were merged to create Falsettos, which proved to flow extremely well that way. It ended up being Finn’s first musical that was performed on Broadway.
The trilogy’s narrative follows Marvin through his adolescence and adulthood, spectating his disorderly life as he discovers pieces of himself through other people. In the process, he goes through immense emotional development, ultimately putting down his fantasies and recognizing reality.
Marvin’s internal conflict comes from being closeted and gay, which he represses into adulthood. After being married to a woman and having a son for a decent amount of time, he has an affair with Whizzer, a male fling. From there, Marvin yearns for an unconventional and unrealistic life in which he can have it all. A “tight-knit family” (standard American nuclear family), but also able to keep seeing Whizzer without repercussions.
When Whizzer gets hospitalized with AIDS, and everyone realizes he will never get out, Marvin’s ideal reality comes crashing down. William Finn was officially the first playwright to show a man dying of AIDS on stage, something that may be, for lack of a better term, overshadowed by Jonathan Larson’s Rent (1994). It was exceedingly remarkable for its time.
I recently met with and held an interview with Jamie Harris in New York City — my uncle-in-law, who has years of Broadway experience, and a history of performances. He is married to my uncle, Mark Isom, who is Vice President and Publisher to both Out and The Advocate magazines, both being news resources that cover LGBTQ+ stories.
Harris told me of his William Finn encounter, starting when he came to the city and worked a summer job at a theatre called Gateway Playhouse with actor David Gunderman – a friend of many young producers.
When they came back to the city that fall, it was decided that they were going to put together a production of In Trousers as a tribute to William Finn at The Public Theater. They ended up getting the original cast back together for the show, with Harris volunteering to help them with side tasks.
“But the musical had a big tambourine number, and nobody could find a tambourine. I went all over the East Village around The Public Theater trying to find one…” Harris said.
He ended up finding one miraculously in a music store, and the production was a massive success. The night of the performance, Harris bumped into William Finn after the show.
“Oh my gosh, it took me forever to find the tambourine! I got the tambourine!” he said, and Finn casually responded with “You could’ve just called me and borrowed mine, I’ve got the one from the original show.”
As he recalled this moment, I gained a new perspective on William Finn’s magic — how humble he truly was.
Harris also brought The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005) to my attention, another one of Finn’s greatest shows. The story surrounds 6 spelling bee contestants, all of which are misfit toys. It was a massive Broadway hit, and ended up running a very long time with many productions of it.
“It isn’t as hard-hitting as Falsettos, but still an incredible performance worth a watch.” he said. With his artistic visions and thorough execution, Finn’s capabilities are endless.
The Falsettos 2016 revival has attracted a lot of attention from Gen Z fans. I remember first being introduced to it in sixth grade, not long before my doors were opened to In Trousers and the earlier renditions of Falsettos. With the 2016 revival, it’s difficult to capture the same emotions the original had the ability to.
“People were weeping on the sidewalk … because so many people in our community had died… In America, but especially in the theatre community. For me to revisit it now … that’s tough.” Harris said.
When a major icon in the industry passes away, Broadway is known to honor them by dimming the lights on the marquees. While I don’t think they have had the opportunity to yet, hopefully they can honor this tradition and furthermore commemorate William Finn and his contributions to the world of theatre by finally dimming the lights.
Love is blind, love can tell a million stories …
