A man leaves his wife to start a relationship with another man. Together, the two men—Marvin and his new partner, Whizzer—try to co-parent Marvin’s twelve-year-old son, Jason, alongside Marvin’s ex-wife, Trina. Over time, Whizzer becomes a close friend to Jason, while Trina begins a relationship with Marvin’s psychiatrist, Mendel, whom she eventually marries. They are all Jewish. And they’re planning a Bar Mitzvah. And someone dies.

It may sound like the setup for a soap opera or a Hallmark melodrama, but this tangled web is the basis for Falsettos, the musical currently knocking it out of the park at Palm Canyon Theatre.

The journey of Falsettos begins in 1979 when composer William Finn premiered a one-act musical called In Trousers, in which a Jewish man named Marvin explores his sexuality. Though the show was panned, Finn didn’t retreat to medical school as he’d considered—instead, he wrote March of the Falsettos (1981), another one-act musical that found more success. While the show, about the effect Marvin’s relationship with Whizzer has on the family, is sung-through, director James Lapine co-wrote the book, meaning he structured the narrative and added minimal dialogue.

Nearly a decade later, amidst the AIDS crisis, Finn and Lapine added a third installment: Falsettoland (1990), which centers on planning Jason’s Bar Mitzvah and the disease. All of the characters from the first act remain, but now we have a lesbian couple; we get glimpses of their relationship at first, and I decided that they were there to show that Marvin had moved on, now that he has lost both Trina and Whizzer. As the plot takes a darker turn, Dr. Charlotte becomes involved in her capacity as a doctor, and her gentile lover Cordelia as a Kosher caterer.

The two one-acts were later combined to form the full-length Falsettos, which debuted on Broadway in 1992 and ran for 487 performances, winning Tonys for Best Book and Best Original Score. A successful 2016 Broadway revival featured Christian Borle as Marvin, Andrew Rannells as Whizzer, and Stephanie J. Block as Trina.

At Palm Canyon Theatre, this revival is nothing short of excellent.

Luke Rainey as neurotic Marvin, Anthony Nannini as Whizzer, and Georgia Smith as Trina do the “heavy lifting,” They rarely leave the stage and each sings what must come close to to a hundred pages of music (the first act alone lists 21 musical numbers). The entire cast rose to the challenge of Finn’s quirky, funny, and heart-wrenching songs, which are sometimes solos and sometimes sung contrapuntally—perhaps an added challenge to the performers but definitely a treat to the audience.

Rainey and Smith are both strong and multi-dimensional as adults who both love and want the best for their son and each other now that Marvin has left her to be with Whizzer. Both powerfully deliver a series of knock-out, demanding numbers. Towards the end of act two, Rainey has the strength of a locomotive as he delivers “What Would I Do?”, an incredibly powerful duet between him and Whizzer which comes after two+ hours on stage.

Both Jonathan Brett as Mendel, the psychiatrist, and Desmond McLeod as Justin, the son, are outstanding. I have seen Mr. Brett in a number of PCT productions and here, outfitted with a beard and a full head of curly hair, he demonstrates that old adage that people who go into psychiatry are usually the ones who need a psychiatrist the most. He brings great physicality to his role, frequently jumping up on the various boxes that comprise the set and cutting loose with eccentric choreography. McLeod is every bit as strong as the rest of the very experienced cast, holding his own with musical theatre veterans. I remember him from last year’s Bye, Bye Birdie, where he stole scenes as Randolph MacAfee, Kim’s younger brother. The program mentions that he’s studying voice and dance, but his his greatest strength is the actor’s greatest tool – his brain.

And now about Anthony Nannini’s Whizzer. When I moved to Palm Springs some 14 years ago, one of the first shows I saw featured young Nannini as Pippin. I thought, “Boy, I have moved to the right city.” Year after year I have delighted in him playing a string of juveniles: Jack of the Beanstalk, Gilligan of the Island, Seymore of the Little Shop. In Falsettos, he has become a man—and a force to be reckoned with! His skills span acting, singing and even dancing. He probably has the best singing voice of all the men (by a smidge), but what most amazed me was the effectiveness of his subtle acting. While looking full front, he would move his eyeballs towards another character or give a slight bump of his eyebrows and it conveyed chapters.

Both Jana Giboney and Nicole Kennedy shine as Dr. Charlotte and Cordelia, her girlfriend. Both of these ladies are exceptional performers and it’s a shame that they’re only in the second act. Giboney, as the physician frustrated with her inability to halt the horror of AIDS, adds gravitas. Kennedy has a lighter, more comedic role—though her fixed, pleasant expression could benefit from greater variety.

The production is confidently directed by PCT mainstay David Brooks, with choreography by Se Layne. As is often the case in musicals, the line between direction and choreography blurs, but it’s fair to say that Brooks was responsible for the majority of what we see; he clearly understands the emotional threads and guides his cast with care and precision.

Musical director Chuck Peery tackles Finn’s hellishly complex hodge-podge score with aplomb from his electric keyboard, joined by Larry Holloway on bass and Jim Watson on drums. The score ranges from counterpoint-heavy vocal lines to novelty numbers like “Four Jews in a Room Bitching” and “The Baseball Game.” While not all songs advance the plot, they each offer moments of tonal or emotional contrast. Plus, there are a couple of powerful ballads strong enough to stand on their own outside of the show.

The set design is minimal—just a dozen boxes in various sizes, rearranged swiftly by stage manager Bryan Kreisinger Denk and assistant Sanai Wright, sometimes aided by the cast in blackouts. Derik Shopinski’s costume design and Nick Edwards’ projections are, as always, top-tier, with Edwards offering some especially poignant visual touches.

J.W. Layne‘s lighting, though occasionally late on opening night, achieved effective moods when cues landed. Nick Campbell, a PCT regular, delivers excellent sound design—balancing singers and musicians and adding delightful effects (the racquetball scenes, in particular, are a sonic highlight).

Falsettos is a complicated, heartfelt, and often hilarious exploration of identity, family, and love in the face of loss. With this production, Palm Canyon Theatre ends its 2024–25 season on a high note.

photos by Maile Klein Photography

Falsettos
Palm Canyon Theater,  538 North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs
Thurs at 7; Fri and Sat at 8; Sun at 2
ends on July 20, 2025
for tickets ($17-$38), call 760.323.5123 or visit PCT
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory kicks off the next season in October