‘Falsettos’ Deepens Its Voice : Musical Loses Glibness With Entrance of AIDS

“Falsettos” has grown up. What a difference a dozen years make.

William Finn and James Lapine might consider changing the title of their musical. “Falsettos”--voices above the normal range--no longer seems apropos. Most of the characters mature into adulthood in the second half of the musical, which had never been seen in Los Angeles until now.

In 1982, the first half--then called “March of the Falsettos”--played what was then the Huntington Hartford Theatre. Now the Broadway version of the complete musical--with six of the actors who created the Broadway roles--is at the same place, known now as the Doolittle.

Way back when, the stand-alone “March” struck some of us as whiny and glib. By itself, it might still seem that way. But part two, originally known as “Falsettoland,” salvages the show. Our initial annoyance with the pivotal character, Marvin, makes us appreciate his growth all the more.

Of course, crisis can bring out the best in human beings. The AIDS epidemic is the catalyst for the maturation of Marvin, as well as the show itself.

The first half, set in 1979, still has a juvenile streak. The opening, “Four Jews in a Room Bitching,” sounds like a gratuitous way to shock the audience into paying attention by focusing on Jewish stereotypes. It’s almost like a Jackie Mason routine set to music.

The four Jews are Marvin (Michael Rupert) and his half-Jewish lover Whizzer (Stephen Bogardus), Marvin’s psychiatrist Mendel (Chip Zien) and young son Jason (Sivan Cotel, alternating with Brett Tabisel). Cleaning up after the men are Marvin’s ex-wife and Jason’s mom, Trina (Barbara Walsh).

Before the show begins, Marvin has divorced Trina and run off with Whizzer, alienating Jason, and the two men already have passed the stage of blissful first love. Some of this was covered in Finn’s prequel, “In Trousers,” which played Los Angeles in 1984. But the “Falsettos” narrative would be stronger if these major earlier events--perhaps the most dramatic in the whole Marvin saga--were incorporated into Act I (or maybe there should be three acts). As it is, Act I mainly examines repercussions.

The most solid of these is the courtship and marriage of Trina and Marvin’s shrink Mendel. As for Marvin and Whizzer, they’re sniping before we can even see them wooing. They break up, and Marvin ends the first act with only a tentative handshake with his son as consolation. It’s almost as if Act I intentionally depicts heterosexual love as richer and more stabilizing than homosexual love.

Two years pass, and Marvin opens Act II by declaring “it’s time to grow up.” During the rest of the show, there are no significant conflicts between characters. Although Jason is undecided whether he wants a bar mitzvah, the family has adjusted to their unusual circumstances with grace--and a neighboring lesbian couple (Heather MacRae as Dr. Charlotte and Carolee Carmello as Cordelia the caterer) has almost become a part of the family. During a memorable ball game, Whizzer re-enters the scene, and he and Marvin fall back in love.

But then AIDS makes an entrance, akin to the second-act arrival of the giant in Lapine’s “Into the Woods.” Without giving away what happens, let’s just say it’s handled magnificently, with a recognition of people’s authentic feelings yet also with a warmth of spirit that redeems the characters as well as the show they’re in.

Throughout, even at its thinnest, “Falsettos” remains compulsively entertaining. The base of Douglas Stein’s set is a red and black grid--much like the chess board that at least three of the characters use. People dash in and out, and so does the furniture--all of it on wheels. Lapine’s staging exercises both cast and audience.

Finn’s lyrics are among the wittiest, and these actors sing it to perfection, though occasional lines are lost because of audience laughter or the complex arrangements.

Rupert is an expert at projecting his softest moments, while Bogardus has more opportunity to let his beautiful tenor soar. But Rupert is no soft touch during the storm inside Marvin at the end of Act I.

All three of the adult men, including the wonderfully bouncy Zien as Mendel the mensch, have played these roles for years, but there’s no sign they’ve outgrown them. Could they really have been that young when they started?

Barbara Walsh’s Trina pulls off her showstopper, “I’m Breaking Down,” with finesse, and Cotel sends Jason’s crystalline candor into the back of the balcony.

* “Falsettos,” Doolittle Theatre, 1615 N. Vine St., Hollywood. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. (through May 22); Thursday matinees, 2 p.m., May 26-June 30; Saturday-Sunday matinees, 2 p.m. Ends July 3. $15-$49. (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-2000. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes. Chip Zien Mendel

Sivan Cotel/Brett Tabisel: Jason

Michael Rupert: Marvin

Stephen Bogardus: Whizzer

Barbara Walsh: Trina

Heather MacRae: Dr. Charlotte

Carolee Carmello: Cordelia

A Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson production in association with Barry and Fran Weissler. Music and lyrics by William Finn. Book by Finn and James Lapine. Directed by Lapine. Musical director Ben Whiteley. Arrangements by Michael Starobin. Set by Douglas Stein. Costumes by Ann Hould-Ward. Lighting by Frances Aronson. Sound by Peter Fitzgerald. Hair design by Phyllis Della. Production supervisor Maureen F. Gibson. Production stage manager James T. McDermott.