An absurdist musical, Falsettos tells an unapologetically queer, Jewish story

What defines family when the world suddenly changes?

Lucas Crelinstein (Jason), Daniel Wilkenfeld (Marvin), Amanda Caron (Trina)

Falsettos is a contemporary musical set in late-1970s New York that explores love, family, identity, and the quiet arrival of the AIDS crisis with sharp humour and deep humanity. Both absurd and deeply moving, the piece follows a Jewish family as it fractures and reshapes itself.

Contact Theatre’s upcoming production of Falsettos, opens March 7 at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts. Founded by Ally Brumer and Debora Friedmann, Contact Theatre is a non-profit musical theatre company known for its fearless storytelling and bold, contemporary approach to classic works. Most recently, the company’s immersive production of Cabaret invited audiences directly into the world of the Kit Kat Klub, blurring the line between performer and spectator while drawing unsettling parallels between 1930s Berlin and the political climate of today. The production followed Contact Theatre’s award-winning Spring Awakening (2024), which became the first musical to receive the Montreal English Theatre Award for Outstanding Independent Production.

Amanda Caron (Trina)

Falsettos follows a Jewish family in late-1970s New York as it fractures, reshapes, and learns to exist in a world that no longer fits neatly together. When Marvin leaves his wife and son for another man, chaos and comedy unfold—new relationships form, old ones strain, and a child is left trying to understand a suddenly unfamiliar world. What begins as an absurd, playful exploration of love and family is gradually overtaken by the quiet emergence of the AIDS crisis, asking how we grow up when the safety of pretending begins to fall away.

Daniel Wilkenfeld (Marvin) & Jonathan Vanderzon (Whizzer)

With an intimate seven-person cast, the production allows the story’s humour and heartbreak to unfold with striking immediacy. Daniel Wilkenfeld leads the cast as Marvin. “I am so thrilled to help tell a story strongly centered around the Jewish and Queer communities, both of which are a huge part of my personal identity. I have the great privilege of working with an incredible cast, and the powerhouse production team that is Contact Theatre. This one is not to be missed!” says Wilkenfeld.

Emma Yee (Cordelia) & Lily Lachapelle (Dr. Charlotte)

The production is supported by the Segal Centre’s Stage Forward Fund, with Contact Theatre’s co-founders named as the fund’s first-ever recipients. The Stage Forward Fund champions innovative theatre-making and emerging artistic leadership, investing in work that reflects the urgency and complexity of our moment. “This deeply human musical about love, family, and chosen community has found the perfect home here at the Segal. I cannot wait for new audiences to discover the piece and for fans to fall in love anew with Contact’s production. We are thrilled to support the Jewish Creative Leadership of Ally Brumer and Debora Friedmann,” says Segal Centre’s Artistic and Executive Director, Lisa Rubin.

An unapologetically queer, Jewish story, Falsettos grew out of a series of shows written by William Finn and later collaborator James Lapine between 1979 and 1992. Combining March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, the musical debuted on Broadway in 1992 and has been tugging at audiences’ heartstrings ever since.

With Falsettos, Contact Theatre invites audiences to laugh, connect, and confront what it means to grow up.

*Content Warning – This show includes depictions of homophobia, antisemitism, illness and death from AIDS, family dynamics, and discussions of therapy, divorce, alcohol, mental health, suicide, self-harm, sex and sexuality and the usage of curse words.

March 7-15, 2026
Segal Centre for the Performing Arts

To purchase your tickets, visit: www.segalcentre.org