Representation of the Seven Deadly Sins in 'Falsettos'
Anthony Rosenthal, Betsy Wolfe, Tracie Thoms, Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, Brandon Uranowitz, and Andrew Rannells in the 2016 revival of Falsettos. Photo: Joan Marcus.
In 2016, the theatre world was re-introduced to the teeny tiny band that consists of Marvin, Whizzer, Trina, Mendel, Jason, Charlotte, and Cordelia. While watching Falsettos through a narrowly focused lens, it’s possible to believe that each character in Falsettos is representative of one of the seven deadly sins.
Marvin represents gluttony, the desire to consume more than one needs. Not even five minutes into the musical, the audience learns that Marvin “wants it all”. This is repeated several times throughout the course of the musical.
Additionally, even though Marvin is gay, he explicitly states that he still wants a wife who will cater to him. When Whizzer and Trina don’t cater to Marvin, he lashes out. This can be seen during “This Had Better Come to a Stop” and “The Chess Game”.
Whizzer represents lust, a craving for pleasures of the body. During the opening number “Four Jews In a Room Bitching”, Whizzer blatantly states that he excels in bed. Shortly after during “Thrill of First Love”, Marvin proclaims “I was rich, he was horny” followed by Whizzer remarking “We fit like a glove”. We also learn in “Thrill of First Love” that Whizzer is no stranger to one-night stands and cheating, and that he doesn’t want to be committed to one person.
In Whizzer’s final moments during “You Gotta Die Sometime”, Whizzer personifies his death as a lover. This can be seen in such lines as “He pins me up against the wall and kisses me like crazy”. As we know, it is Whizzer’s lustful desires that lead him to his demise.
Trina represents wrath, choosing fury over love. However, she does a good job of hiding it. Despite the fact that she finds love with Mendel after her divorce from Marvin, she never truly forgives Marvin and her subtle anger towards him lingers throughout the entirety of the musical.
During “Holding to the Ground”, she remarks that in the past “healthy men stayed”. The emphasis she places on the word “stayed” shows that she is angry he left. Earlier during “Marvin Hits Trina”, when Marvin learns that Trina is going to marry Mendel, he remarks “I’m sure you’ve chosen to make me look bad”, and although out of line, perhaps he is right. Seconds later, Trina goes on to say why she loves Mendel and remarks “He loves me so”. However, the tone in her voice shows that she is condescending towards Marvin and is angry at him for not loving her.
Mendel represents sloth, the avoidance of work. Mendel is incredibly lazy in his profession as a psychiatrist. He doesn’t do any real work with his patients, and can't even be bothered to remember their names sometimes. An example of his “professional” advice is “Why don’t you feel alright for the rest of your life?” That is the laziest advice a psychiatrist could give to somebody seeking help with their mental health. He also calls his patients “shallow” during “A Day in Falsettoland”, which seems to be a copout to avoid listening to them and doing any work with them.
Jason represents greed, the desire for material wealth or gain. At the beginning of “Everyone Hates His Parents”, Jason states that he views his Bar Mitzvah as “A celebration where I get presents” and “A celebration where I get richer”. Interestingly, throughout the musical Marvin debates his financial status. Perhaps this created a strong desire for wealth in Jason.
Charlotte represents pride, the excessive belief in one’s abilities. Charlotte is an accomplished doctor, and she knows it. During “A Day in Falsettoland”, she brags about the plethora of people she saved at the hospital in one day, and how “invincible” she is. In the same song, she repeatedly says to Cordelia “Do you know how great my life is?” Through this line, we see that Charlotte is a bit of a show-off to Cordelia, and that this attitude of Charlotte’s puts down Cordelia’s own sense of self-worth.
Cordelia represents envy, to desire what somebody else has. Cordelia is very envious of Charlotte, which might actually be what Charlotte wants. We see this trait in Cordelia when she compares herself to Charlotte by saying “You save lives and I save chicken fat, I can't f**king deal with that!” When Charlotte asks Cordelia “Do you know how great my life is?” and Cordelia says “Yes, I know how great your life is”, she replies in a tone that suggests that not only is she annoyed with Charlotte’s incessant bragging, but also yearns for the kind of life Charlotte has.
Do you see the seven deadly sins present in the characters from Falsettos? Let us know in the comments!