‘Falsettos’ Sings the Praises of ‘90s Families : Theater: The Tony-winning play, which opens at UCI tonight, deals with gayness in an unconventional household. But it’s mostly about tolerance, the director says.

“Family values.”

It’s become the war whoop for activists left, right and center. Everybody, it seems, is for family values, but not everybody defines “family” the same way. Stage director Myrona DeLaney sees family values at the heart of “Falsettos,” a musical probably best known for reaching Broadway with its gay side intact.

“This is a family musical about families in the ‘90s,” said DeLaney, the director of the Orange County premiere of James Lapine and William Finn’s Tony Award-winning show, which opens at UC Irvine tonight.

“Some people may consider this is a gay play, but that’s not our take on it. It’s really about people, how they deal with their situation. . . . It’s not Jesse Helms’ (idea of) family values. (It’s more about) tolerance and acceptance.”

The family in “Falsettos” may not be usual, but it’s a family nonetheless, DeLaney said. There’s Marvin and his ex-wife Trina. There’s also Marvin’s homosexual lover, Whizzer, Marvin’s young son, Jason, a shrink named Mendel, and a pair of lesbian neighbors, Cordelia and Charlotte.

The first act focuses on how Marvin and Whizzer deal with their relationships and each other, in and out of the bedroom, Marvin’s marriage and through psychoanalysis. Humor colors the introduction to their travails, but everything turns more poignant once Act II starts, when AIDS enters their lives.

It’s this poignancy (and a smart, sensitive score) that prompted critics to smile. In reviewing the 1992 Broadway production at the John Golden Theater, the New York Times’ Frank Rich described the show as “beautiful (and) seamless, a (musical) that tempers its feelings of joy with those of deep loss.”

Finn (who composed the score and co-wrote the book) and Lapine (who directed and co-wrote the book) had time to hone “Falsettos.” The musical is the merging of two of Finn’s earlier one-act shows, “March of the Falsettos” and “Falsettoland,” which were both well-received when they premiered in 1981 and 1990, respectively.

DeLaney, who lectures in UCI’s drama department and starred in the campus’ production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” in 1990, said she’s been eager to stage “Falsettos” ever since seeing it in New York in 1993. She remains impressed by the musical’s grace in showing how everybody in the ‘90s must respond to changing times, especially when it comes to notions about family.

“Finn and Lapine use ‘Falsettos’ to redefine both what a family is and how it’s supposed to act,” DeLaney said. “All families have to confront crises and death, and the best way to face these situations is to pull together. Our extended family are the people who care about us, and who are there when we need them.”

Although Marvin and Whizzer tend to take center stage, DeLaney said she was particularly intrigued by Trina. Faced with Marvin’s lifestyle, DeLaney explained that the confused and angry Trina is forced to make some wrenching decisions, especially concerning their son.

“She can pull her boy away or embrace it,” she said. “What we as viewers can learn from that is that we can be enriched by components that we don’t always expect or accept right off. Trina works through this crisis (and the result is) that Jason turns out to be one of the smartest people” in the show.

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DeLaney also believes that “Falsettos,” because of its honest approach, is good for conservative Orange County. She added that it’s not an R-rated musical and that parents should feel comfortable about bringing their kids.

In addition to the contemporary issue it addresses, DeLaney is quick to point out that “Falsettos” has an inventive and entertaining score with an array of “tap your foot” tunes, ranging from the zesty “Four Jews in a Room Bitching” and dramatic “Trina’s Song” to the more serious but not mawkish “You Gotta Die Sometime.”

“There’s no sexual innuendo,” DeLaney said, “and children shouldn’t be excluded. Anyway, they already deal with this stuff on TV.

“It’s not like 20 years ago when people hid in their own enclaves. This stuff is out there now. AIDS can be discussed through this play, but that said, you can take the discussion further.”

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* UC Irvine’s production of William Finn and James Lapine’s “Falsettos” opens tonight at 8 at the Fine Arts Village Theatre, Mesa Drive and Bridge Road, Irvine. 8 p.m. Performances continue Saturday and Thursday-Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 11 and 12 at 2 p.m. $6 to $16. (714) 824-2787 and (714) 824-5000.