Composer/lyricist: William Finn
At: Porchlight Theatre at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Halsted
Phone: ( 773 ) 327-5252; www.porchlighttheatre.com ; $27-$30
Runs through: Falsettos through April 16; In Trousers through April 16
By Catey Sullivan
'How the body falls apart/first the groin and then the heart,' laments one character late in composer/lyricist William Finn's In Trousers.
Such piercing, acute observations mark of the characters of the musical and its companion piece, Falsettos.
With the brash, sweeping ambition that has defined Porchlight Music Theatre since its inception a decade ago, the troupe is staging both as part of its 'Finn Festival.'
Together, both shows detail a tapestry woven by a group of close friends, family, and lovers. Gays, lesbians and straights, wise-beyond-their-years children and slowly maturing adults connect to form a community in Trousers and Falsettos.
Although Falsettos is more satisfying dramatically, each show can stand alone.
Something of a Sondheim-lite, Finn's lyrics are winding and conversational; his melodies lacking in hummable hooks. It's challenging stuff, and minus several missteps ( There's some significant miscasting in Falsettos, and a disappointing delivery of what should be a bring-the-house-down 11th hour number in Trousers ) , Porchlight's ensembles deliver both with winning spirit.
In Trousers introduces us to Marvin, played by the warmly sympathetic Joe Schenck, an actor of boundless vivacity who delivers poignant heartbreak and hilarious comedy with equal skill.
Marvin is an insomniac who knows deep down he's gay, knowledge he tries to stifle since he's a married ( to a woman ) man with a young son. But the doubts and fantasies won't desist. In the form of a singing trio ( Erin Myover, Coryell Barlow and Bethany Thomas, a woman with a magnificent statuesque stage presence and a voice to match ) , Marvin is besieged through the night by his innermost longings.
In flashback, we see Marvin's half-hearted attempts to feel up his sweetheart in high school and equally uncertain trek down the aisle to marry Trina. ( Myover, who sadly fails to make a showstopper out of the show's best number, 'I'm Breaking Down.' )
The high point of In Trousers is the explosive, exuberant and wildly funny 'Whizzer Going Down,' a soft-shoe ode to oral sex that stands as one of the best production numbers around.
In Falsettos, a divorced Marvin ( Nate Johnson ) is navigating a relationship with Whizzer ( the sinewy, clarion-voiced Jon Runnfeldt ) ; trying to connect with his 11-year-old son ( Mitchell Hollis, utterly convincing and un-selfconscious as a wary, wise adolescent trying to make sense of the grownups in his life ) ; and bonding with the lesbians next door ( Charissa Armon and Christa Buck Van Ermen ) .
Meanwhile, Marvin's ex-wife ( Holly Stauder ) is dealing with her own demons and disappointments, helped along by the psychiatrist Mendel ( Aaron Graham, livening up every scene he's in with his limber comic timing ) .
Set on the cusp of the AIDS pandemic, Falsettos moves into dark territory after Whizzer is hospitalized with a disease no one can diagnose. The superb 'Something Bad Is Happening,' performed with depth and magnitude by Armon and Van Ermen, depicts the bottomless abyss of fear that the community is just beginning to sense.
Directed by Steve Scott, the primary flaw with Falsettos is the lack of chemistry between Runnfeldt's Whizzer and Johnson's Marvin. The two don't make an unbelievable couple.
If you overlook that significant piece of miscasting ( and it is possible to do so ) , Falsettos is a moving, marvelous part of the Finn Festival.