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(Craig Schwartz/All Uses © 2023 Craig Schwartz)Ī book in the JCC library, “Berlin’s Third Sex” by Magnus Hirschfeld, unlocks the subculture that Ali’s uncle was presumably part of. A gay relative is hardly a shocker, but Ali is drowning in family secrets and wonders what other vital information has been withheld. The main one involves Ali (Adina Verson, delivering a strong and sensitive performance), the youngest of the Pfefferman siblings, who is flabbergasted to learn about a hitherto unmentioned gay uncle who was living in Berlin in 1933.

There simply isn’t enough room to develop all the plot strands.

With its quick-sketch setups, artificial contrivances and punchline resolutions, “A Transparent Musical” may in fact have more in common with 1980s sitcoms. But the result lacks the psychological subtlety of the Tony-winning musical “Fun Home,” adapted from Alison Bechdel’s stellar graphic memoir.

The writing, for both the book and the songs, boldly outlines the story. ‘A Transparent Musical,’ playing at the Mark Taper Forum through June 25, fulfills a lifelong dream for siblings and co-creators Joey and Faith Soloway.Ĭharacters are introduced and set in motion in the manner of a graphic novel. Everyone is welcome, regardless of how well they can carry a tune.Įntertainment & Arts How the ‘Transparent’ stage musical aims to continue the hit Amazon show’s legacy (Mirror-imaging of an imperfect order seems to be a dramaturgical strategy here.) The setting determines not just the physical environment but the performance style of the show. The book by playwright MJ Kaufman and Joey Soloway involves a multitude of storylines revolving around a Jewish community center known as the CJJ JCC. If someone had blindfolded me and brought me to this production, I would have assumed that I was watching a performance by a talented and extremely well-funded amateur troupe in residence at an LGBTQ+ community center that was inspired by the series. But a naivety lurks behind the adventurousness. The upside of inexperience is fearlessness. Much as I’m sympathetic to the inclusive, compassionate vision of “A Transparent Musical,” I had difficulty seeing beyond the shortcomings in musical theater craft. The songs often seem closer to recitative, burdened as they are with busy lyrics that seem to be riding generic background music.

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The score by Faith Soloway is full of such numbers, which are tasked with either taking care of major plot points or spelling out themes in direct language.

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The series may have been conceived around Tambor’s Maura, but I found myself increasingly more interested in the shifting identities of the three mixed-up adult children (played by Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass and Gaby Hoffmann), who were profoundly damaged by all the secrets their family harbored. I really didn’t want “Transparent” to end and didn’t understand why the complex world that was built over four seasons was being abruptly ended. It took me several years to watch this culminating episode and several attempts to get through it. “Transparent,” the groundbreaking Prime Video series about a Los Angeles Jewish family after its patriarch comes out as transgender, came to an unexpected and, for fans like myself, disappointing ending.Īfter Jeffrey Tambor, the series’ star who played Maura Pfefferman, the parent who makes the late-in-life gender revelation, was fired from the show after allegations of sexual harassment, creator Joey Soloway decided to bring the series to a close with a grand musical finale.

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