ABSTRACT
In the twenty years before its premiere, there were as many as two dozen stage musicals that reflected aspects of the gay experience, ranging from tiny off-broadway shows like The Faggot by Al Carmines and Boy Meets Boy by Bill Solly and David Ward. And Finn’s shows did have the potential for broad appeal. They always included women; they always included straight characters as well as gay characters; and while his gay characters were unapologetic about their sexuality, they weren’t defined by it either. Larson’s tunes have more rhythmic muscle than Finn’s, but many of his hyper-verbal lyrics could have been plucked directly from Falsettos. Even Larson’s occasional lyrical clinkers are reminiscent of Finn’s, because they happen for the same reason: both Finn and Larson are like Looney Tunes characters who can run off a cliff out of sheer momentum.
