I decided to watch a production of Falsettos on Broadway HD. Unfortunately, this production was not one of my favourites, just due to personal preference, however, I think that it was still done very well. It is set in 1979 in New York, which is well reflected in the style choices for the characters. The colours of the garments are also the key element to showing the relationships between the characters in a fairly subtle way. The production starts with the 4 men in traditional Biblical Jewish wear, to show their heritage. Their long coats are then removed very cleverly onstage to transition to their modern wear, which is very clearly of it’s time due to the shapes of the ties, styles of jackets etc. Marvin and Trina, the husband and wife of the piece, are set apart in cool vs warm colours, to show the breakdown in their marriage due to Marvin’s affair with Whizzer. However, his orange tie still shows fragments of his relationship with Trina, albeit minimal. The blue shirt worn by Marvin also links him more to Whizzer, also in blue, showing their relationship with one another. Jason, Marvin and Trina’s son, is also linked to his parents by the use of patterns on all 3 costumes, however, none of the patterns match one another, showing the dysfunctionality of their family structure. Jason also wears green, which matches neither of his parents, showing his lack of closeness with either one of them at this time. Mendel, Trina’s therapist, is also introduced in brown, to show he is another separate entity. However, his sympathy with Trina, and his immediate attraction to her, is shown through his use of warm tones also, and in his cardigan that he wears.
Next, Whizzer and Marvin appear together, both in cool toned jackets which compliment one another. Whizzer is dressed smartly, to show his well put together appearance, and his solid personality in contrast to Marvin, who is experiencing some mental turmoil due to the breakdown of his marriage. Trina is experiencing an even more extreme breakdown, as shown through her tired, old apron, with a chicken detail, suggesting her ‘headless chicken’ state of mind. Her shirt also has a crazy pattern suggesting her wild mix of emotions. Trina’s frustrations at the men in her life, and their immaturity, is matched in The March of the Falsettos, when all 4 men appear in glow in the dark, childlike outfits, suggesting their playfulness and immaturity in Trina’s eyes.
When Trina next appears, she is wearing a much more neutral outfit that appears much cleaner, to show she has become more mentally stable, and has begun to accept what has happened. Whizzer also appears in a black leather jacket, making him appear as ‘the bad boy’, presumably for destroying Marvin and Trina’s marriage, and also being responsible for his and Marvin’s breakdown in their relationship. Marvin also appears in a red jumper, which shows his anger at Whizzer and at Trina, as she and Mendel are now engaged. His appearance is also more casual than previously, showing his more confused mental state, and making him stand out onstage. Act 2 begins 2 years later. Mendel is wearing a blue jumper with white stripes, which contrasts with Trina in pink and a floral skirt, showing the two are perhaps not the best suited to one another. Whizzer is in a pink top with a blue jumper tied around his neck, linking him to Trina as one of Marvin’s exes. Marvin is also in a blue jumper, which helps to show his previous relationship with Whizzer, and to Trina, as he matches Mendel, her new husband, in some ways. Jason again stands out, as he is removed from the adult drama, in a blue and tan baseball jacket with a red and blue striped top underneath. He odes to each of the people in his life through his costumes- his friendship with Whizzer in the blue jacket and overall modernity of the outfit, his relationship to Mendel and his mother in the striped t-shirt and his relationship to his father in the tan sleeves of the jacket, which match Marvin’s tan trousers. We are also introduced to two new characters, Dr Charlotte and Cordelia, who are lovers. Their blue, green and white colour scheme as a couple shows their close relationship, unlike the rest of the relationships at this time. Both also have stripes in their outfits to further show the depth of their relationship.
Jason then appears in an all blue baseball set, showing his sadness and confusion at the world around him. Mendel also appears in a baseball cap, showing his want to be a father figure to Jason, however he doesn’t quite fit in with him. Marvin and Whizzer also reappear, with Marvin in a red jumper, showing he hasn’t forgotten about Whizzer, and the two appear to compliment each other slightly more, showing there are still feelings between them.
As Mendel and Trina exercise, it remains clear that there is still something that doesn’t quite work between the two, as Trina is in black and white compared to Mendel in stripes, showing they do not quite compliment one another. This is only made more apparent through Charlotte and Cordelia, whose outfits continue to compliment one another as Charlotte's pink shirt matches the pink text on Cordelia’s t-shirt. Marvin and Whizzer also don’t quite match as they play tennis, with Whizzer in all white vs Marvin in red and orange, showing they are still very different people. However, they both wear wristbands in the other ones colours, showing they are beginning to reaccept one another and rekindle their relationship.
Marvin and Trina fight about Jason’s bar mitzvah, and the two of them completely contrast to show their disagreement. Jason is also caught in the middle of the argument shown in his orange and blue attire, which is a mix of both of his parents. Furthermore, the strain in Cordelia and Charlotte’s relationship due to the stress at Charlotte’s work is seen in their contrasting colours. Whizzer is in hospital with AIDS. His weakness is shown through his light blue pyjamas and grey hat, which really show how pale he is, and Marvin’s sympathy and sadness for him is also shown in his grey jumper. Jason is also in a blue t-shirt, to show his sadness at Whizzer’s illness, and the relationship between the two.
Jason next appears in a red jumper, showing his sadness at Whizzer’s decline has turned to anger. However, at the bar mitzvah, he is dressed smartly, to show the importance of the occasion. Here, there are also a mix of warm and cool tones to show the different relationships and moods felt by the different people. Trina is back in a crazy pattern, to show her stress that the event goes to plan, and her slight lack of control. Cordelia and Charlotte match again in brown tones, showing their relationship is still strong. Marvin, Mendel and Jason are all in suits, however, the ties for Marvin and Jason are very similar, to show their father-son bond, which Mendel doesn’t have, as his tie is very different. Finally, Whizzer appears in a white shirt, to symbolise his death in the end.
Overall, I think this production was very cleverly done costume wise, as the costumes were subtle enough to not reveal too much about the story, but when analysed, it is clear how much they really show, despite being fairly basic at face value. I think this is really clever, as it cements the characters as normal people in the time frame, but also helps the audience to dig a little deeper into their characters and pick out certain parts that really reveal something.
There's also the fact that Trina was first wearing square pants early into the story. When she was "at peace" and married Mendel, she went into a more feminine attire and started wearing skirts. This is until the Bar Mitzvah where she is wearing a dress. She is still wearing those crazy patterns to signify her distress but the dress (rather than a top and skirt/pants) shows that she is more grounded and has grown. She can face her problems head-on. Perhaps also the fact that she doesn't need the men in the story to dictate her choices anymore/to complete her life.