Maryland Theater Collective Debuts With a Jewish, LGBTQ Musical

When the subject of Jewish musicals and plays comes up, most might think of “Fiddler on the Roof” or “Parade” and their focus on hardships faced by Jewish people, or “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” with its biblically inspired plot. While all of these are classics, another musical focusing on a Jewish family has regained prominence after a Broadway revival in 2016 and is now coming to Brooklyn Park in Anne Arundel County through the Maryland Theater Collective.

“Falsettos” first premiered on Broadway in 1992 and was groundbreaking for the story it told of Jewish LGBTQ life. Written by “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” writer and composer William Finn, the show centers on Marvin, a Jewish man who has divorced his wife for his lover, a man named Whizzer. Over two hours and 40 minutes, the musical chronicles Marvin’s attempts to reconcile with his wife after she finds a new partner, integrate Whizzer into the family and connect with his son, all culminating in a very unconventional bar mitzvah.

“It’s an interesting dynamic between the family and the new version of the family they are going to become,” said Rachel Sandler, executive director of MTC as well as the director of the collective’s production of “Falsettos.”

This is actually Sandler’s first time serving as the director of a full production under MTC. In the past, she primarily served as its resident music director.

For MTC, this musical has been a long time coming. Originally, it was fully cast and planned for 2019, at the same time the Broadway cast was touring the show throughout the U.S. At the time, MTC was still going under its old name, the Baltimore Theater Collective. But the COVID pandemic shut production down, and even when COVID-related health and safety restrictions were lifted, the Baltimore Theater Collective was busy with other productions.

Baltimore Theater Collective recently merged with the Heritage Players, a local theater troupe with a 30-year history, to become MTC. “Falsettos” will be its first official production under the new branding.

Not all of the actors in MTC’s production of “Falsettos” are Jewish, but those who are noted that they found a lot of parallels between their own Jewish upbringings and those of the characters in the show.

“I feel like there’s a lot of facets to it that I understand and kind of connect to, more so maybe than someone who didn’t grow up in that community,” explained Emily MacKay, who plays Marvin’s estranged wife, Trina. MacKay attended Krieger Schechter Day School growing up and is still a member of Chizuk Amuno Congregation. “I’ve been in other Jewish-focused productions like ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and ‘Ragtime,’ which focus on Jewish immigrants and Jewish history. This show is more of a modern take on Jewish family and how it intersects with things happening in the 1970s and 1980s.”

MTC prides itself on diversity. Sandler, who was a member of Temple Isaiah growing up, noted that they have a diverse cast, and that diversity gives them the opportunity to explore stories from different cultures.

“We really pride ourselves on being a group open to all, so it’s exciting to be able to tell these Jewish stories,” she said. “As a person who grew up Jewish and had a bat mitzvah, being able to direct a story in part about a Jewish child growing up and having his bar mitzvah is very exciting.”

“Falsettos” had its opening night on Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park. It will continue to run on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and one Thursday until its final performance on Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m.

After “Falsettos,” MTC plans to go in a much different direction and put on a production of “Spring Awakening” for the summer.

MacKay said she hopes that not only Jewish audiences, but other audiences, will be able to see themselves in the story of Marvin and his family.

“I think that the love that people have for one another and our understanding of families is always changing and dynamic,” she said. “This family just specifically happens to be Jewish, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not translatable to other cultures and other religions. There’s something for everyone in this show, so I think it speaks to a lot of different experiences.”