An Inside Look: Falsettos at London’s The Other Palace
Last week, Theatre Trip had the chance to see Falsettos at The Other Palace in the heart of London! Falsettos is personally one of my favorite musicals, so I went into the theatre with high expectations (which were absolutely met). The show was sprinkled with raw emotions, touching moments, and pure theatrical magic.
Location: London, England
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Our Experience Seeing Falsettos at The Other Palace
This was our first time seeing a show at The Other Palace, and I loved the cozy atmosphere! They were even serving special Falsettos-themed cocktails➝ to choose from at their full bar (The Other Gin Palace). When entering the actual theatre, we got our first glance of the set, which was at first in black and white.
But the moment the show started, color spilled into the picture frames (see below). And throughout the show, video was also used to impose images into the frames that were hanging all around the set. And in a slight resemblance to the 2016 Broadway production, simple boxes were used throughout the night to create the furniture and props.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the plot of Falsettos, it’s basically the story of a small family who goes through a string of breakups, changes, clashes, and power shifts as they struggle to create happy lives for themselves. I won’t say much more, as it’s a wonderful musical to allow yourself to be surprised by. But it is a brilliant story that’s definitely worth experiencing!
The cast as a whole was strong and worked seamlessly together. Daniel Boys was a perfectly vulnerable and believable Marvin, and Joel Montague a hilarious yet slightly smarmy Mendel. We also had the pleasure of seeing a show featuring James Williams as Jason – who was charming, loveable, and on point throughout.
But one of the standout moments of the musical was Laura Pitt-Pulford’s rendition of “I’m Breaking Down”. Every moment was filled with honesty and beautifully suppressed rage. Give this girl her crown!
Photo by The Standout Company
Fun Fact: Joel Montague actually stepped in as Mendel relatively late in the game! But it doesn’t show. I would have guessed he was Mendel all along!
Another fun surprise was the stunning performance by Natasha J Barnes and Gemma Knight Jones in Act II. Natasha is as cute as it gets in her portrayal of Cordelia. And Gemma’s professionalism as Charlotte was the perfect contrast for their relatable relationship. And a special little shoutout to PJ McEvoy for their ADORABLE costumes.
But the highlight of the entire night came right after the bows, when we found out that it was not only Matthew McKenna’s first time playing Whizzer as the standby, but that he basically learned the entire part that morning. The audience was on their feet and in tears, which was just the cherry on top of an already wonderful show.
Quick Tip: The Other Palace is an intimate and well-designed venue, so almost all of the seats are going to give you a great experience!
Have you ever seen Falsettos live?
Or do you plan on seeing this production of Falsettos at The Other Palace? Let us know in the comments! And in the meantime, you can always check out our blog post archive of past theatre visits for even more insight on what’s going on in theaters around the world!
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* The featured image is by The Standout Company➝.
* A special thanks to The Other Palace for inviting us to the show!
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Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She holds a BA in theatre, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.