(This is awfully incoherent but) The Games I Play is surprisingly overlooked for such a popular song in the fandom. This is the first insistence we learn of who Whizzer really is, without the sexualised and or degrading characterisation of those surrounding him or the need to hide what he really wants/thinks – I think his bickering with Marvin in The Thrill of First Love, Trina's (understanding, the parallels exist, yet-) loathing description of him during I'm Breaking Down, and I cannot find a lyric of his that I would describe as his true nature, and rather hides behind a facade of nonchalance and sexualisation, of playing the role of The Outsider, The Homewrecker, to avoid any genuine emotional connection and therefore confrontation towards those in his life. Even if he is talked down to and possibly reduced to being a man of entirely sexual nature, this faux idea of his true identity benefits him in his eyes because it removes the possibility of emotional intimacy. Anyway, my point is, we spend all this time during March of the Falsettos/Act 1 learning about each one of these characters and what they have done and what they wish to do, and we only learn who Whizzer really is once he has already been broken down and cast aside. His prior description – prior referring not to as his role as the Narrator, but rather as how other characters refer to him – is somewhat correct, with him relying on sex and all, but from his words you learn something new; it may be a part of his routine, but he did not 'sleep around' entirely out of malice towards Marvin; he simply could not comprehend, or considered the possibility that someone could love him (too). In Making A Home, he sings aside from the family "Could he love me?", and this very well could be the first time Whizzer actually thought that Marvin loved him. Much of his actions throughout Act 1 can be explained by this way of thinking: his cheating, his defiance and subversion, his attachment towards sheer autonomy. His need to act out is because of his lack of love, much akin to Marvin's behaviour during In Trousers, and neither of them do grow out of his... mindset, really, not until Falsettoland/Act 2. And you can clearly see during The Games I Play that Whizzer is as self-aware as any of the characters if not more so:
He understands that he is stubborn, hypersexual, helpless in love/relationships, everchanging, the cause of problems, and very, very much in denial of his own romantic feelings towards his ex-lover, and he is only just realising them – it's a song that I been waiting to hear for much too long, years, years too long.
And the best part of this song is how conversational the lyrics are, and how conversational it is usually performed; William Finn is most definitely known for his simplicity, and this song is no stranger to that. Like most of the solos in The Marvin Trilogy, they follow a consistent pattern all the way through, and are almost always indirect fourth-wall breaks to the audience. Once again, think of Marvin's hurried explanation of his ideal life and I do not wish to offend during A Tight-Knit Family, Trina's direct misery in I'm Breaking Down, and Jason's very blunt summary of his... familial situation... in My Father's a Homo. Even Mendel's short introduction to himself and how he views Trina at the end of Love is Blind can be considered somewhat of an indirect fourth-wall break, since that whole verse exists to tell the audience what (or who!) he wants, and who he is. Notice how Whizzer doesn't get his little solo until the very end of Act 1, and until Act 2 he remains the role as the Narrator? Make of that what you will.
Forgive me if this doesn't make sense. I only ever write posts if I'm half asleep. 😭
