Search - Make Me A Song-The Music of William Finn :: Make Me A Song-The Music of William Finn

Even though he's been successfully produced on Broadway and won a Tony for 1992's Falsettos (2005's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was nominated), William Finn may well be the most underrated contemporary American musical-theater composer. It's hard to fathom why. His work is, in turn, clever, touching, funny, poignant and witty, with a marvelous conversational flow to the lyrics. Evidence of Finn's talent is everywhere in this two-disc set documenting a 2007 Off-Broadway revue that surveyed his entire career, from 1979's In Trousers to the reportedly-shelved The Royal Family of Broadway. (Note, however, that Spelling Bee is not represented.) The four-person cast adeptly performs the material, backed by pianist/musical director Darren R. Cohen. The minimalist setting only emphasizes Finn's skill: There's no smoke and mirrors here. A hefty part of the first disc is taken up by the "Falsettos Suite," which includes several relatively well-known numbers pulled from Finn's groundbreaking "Marvin trilogy" (the latter two parts, making up Falsettos). But some of the best tunes are also the most obscure, like "You're Even Better Than You Think You Are," written for the dedication of an arts center at Williams College. Finn himself belts out the reprise of "Make Me a Song" that closes disc 2. -- Elisabeth Vincentelli