William Finn, the two-time Tony Award music composer and writer, passed away at the age of 73 in hospital, due to pulmonary fibrosis. Finn was widely known for his complex, evocative lyrics and psychological perspective in the theatrical note.
The Musical Legacy
The prestigious Tony awards – Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical were bestowed for his 1992 AIDS- themed musical, ‘Falsettos.’ Renowned for incorporating autobiographical elements, Finn wrote the one-act Broadway musical in the late 1970s, ‘In Trousers,’ about the homosexual man Marvin accepting his sexuality.
It was followed by a sequel in 1981, ‘March of the Falsettos,’ where Marvin is in the process of accepting but now extended with his ex-wife Trina, son Jason, lover Whizzer Brown and a psychiatrist Mendel who falls in love with Trina. The last sequel, ‘Falsettoland,’ focused on Whizzer’s demise through AIDS and Jason’s bar mitzvah. Both the sequels were combined in one, ‘Falsettos,’ in 1992 – earning Finn the awards for groundbreaking, never-seen-before artistic mastery on stage.
Furthermore, the composer became incredibly famous for his 2005 musical ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ which was nominated for Tony as well.
The History of William Finn
Born in 1952 in Natick, Massachusetts, he attended Natick High School and Williams College, where he wrote three musicals and was awarded the Hutchinson Fellowship. He graduated from Williams with majors in English and American civilization in 1974, according to The New York Times.
The first play he wrote was for Hebrew School Project – which Finn claims was ‘horrible.’ “I have no idea what it was about. But it was horrible, I guarantee it. I couldn’t write plays, and I couldn’t really speak Hebrew, so how good could it be?” he expressed to The Tablet.
Finn is survived by his long-time partner, Arthur Salvatore, who confirmed the reason for his death.
