RECOMMENDED

The charm of “Falsettos”—part of Porchlight Music Theatre’s ambitious festival of the works of composer and lyricist William Finn—is in how much fun it has taking that old adage, “you can pick your friends but you can’t pick your family,” and turning it on its head. Indeed, Marvin—the central character—has a quandary: how to build a family out of an unlikely cast of loved ones that includes a male lover, an ex-wife and an abandoned son. There’s a lot of fun to be had from these imbroglios but the musical’s gravitas comes from how poignantly yet unsentimentally it makes a case for family based not on biology but on love. “Falsettos” brings together the irreverent “March of the Falsettos” (Act I) with the lyrical “Falsettoland” (Act II), pieces that along with “In Trousers” (see separate listing) formed Finn’s “Marvin Trilogy.” There is little in between, but “Falsettos” is also the musical cartography of the 1980s gay urban experience (from early halcyon to AIDS-pogrom days) and the tonality of the piece reflects these extremes. This historical insight, along with Finn’s fine score, provides the dramatic payoff. (F.O. Almeida) 

This production is now closed.

RECOMMENDED

Anyone looking for an explanation as to last weekend’s unexpected burst of balmy weather is hereby instructed to check out the cast of Porchlight Music Theatre’s “Closer than Ever”: This musical quintet radiates enough warmth and musical bonhomie to melt a glacier the size of Rhode Island. No, make that a sextet given musical director and honorary sixth cast member Eugene Dizon’s flawless work at the piano. Your ears couldn’t ask for a sweeter sound than when these six strike their musical rapport. But this show emotionally soars only when its musical numbers—exploring the vagaries of life and of love—are smartly executed by a director who understands the key to pulling them off. Commendably, director Nick Bowling has largely succeeded in steering his actors clear of the common performing pitfall to over-think Maltby’s sophisticated lyrics at the expense of the songs’—and ultimately the show’s—beautiful simplicity. Bowling’s clever—though not thoroughly consistent—musical pairings and ménage à trois have delineated some rich characterizations and provided what is essentially a plot-less evening with some satisfying emotional arcs. With few exceptions the staging—complemented by choreographer Kevin Bellie’s febrile footwork—is fluid and informs the semi-narrative. Finally, Kevin Hagan’s set design, a back-wall patch of overlapping doorframes reminiscent of a Mondrian abstraction, visually reinforces the show’s consideration of multilayered human connections. (F.O. Almeida)

This production is now closed.