Stage Production Notes
Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic novel of the same name, Fun Home is an intimate musical in which we are introduced to Alison at three different ages as her adult self sets out to unravel the many mysteries of her childhood.
Bechdel’s graphic novel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, was published in 2006. New York Times reviewer Sean Wilsey described it as “the most ingeniously compact, hyper-verbose example of autobiography to have been produced,” and “A comic book for lovers of words.” Wilsey also noted that the novel succeeded in pushing the boundaries of two genres, comics and memoirs.
The graphic novel/memoir was adapted into a musical by composer Jeanine Tesori and writer Lisa Kron over a 5 year period. Alison Bechdel has been quoted as stating that Tesori and Kron “understood the emotional backbone of the story better than I did.”
Some sources claim Fun Home was the first mainstream musical to have a lesbian as a main character. Although earlier musicals, such as Falsettos, RENT, and The Color Purple, feature lesbian protagonists, Fun Home was groundbreaking for its frank explorations of the life of a gay woman.
In other firsts, Fun Home later became the first to win a Tony Award for Best Original Score by an all-female writing team.
The musical was workshopped at the Sundance Institute’s Theater Lab in the summer of 2013 before performing its world premier at New York’s Public Theater on October 22, 2013. The production was directed by Sam Gold, with scenic and costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Ben Stanton, and projection design by Jim Findlay and Jeff Snugg. The production featured Beth Malone (Alison), Alexandra Socha (Medium Alison), an eight-year old Sydney Lucas (Young Alison), Judy Kuhn (Helen), Michael Cerveris (Bruce), Roberta Colindrez (Joan), Griffin Birney and Noah Hinsdale (Alison’s brothers), and Joel Perez (Roy/Others).
The Public Theater production received glowing reviews. Writing for The New York Times, Ben Brantley praised Jeanine Tesori’s complex and moving score, and the excellent performances of the cast.
The off-Broadway production was nominated for 8 Drama Desk Awards and 7 Outer Critics Awards. It won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical.
With new in-the-round staging, Fun Home transferred to Broadway where it began previews at the Circle in the Square Theatre on March 27, 2015, and officially opened on April 19, 2015.
Once again directed by Sam Gold, the production was choreographed by Danny Mefford, with scenic and costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by Kai Harada, and hair and wig design by Paul Huntley. Most of the off-Broadway cast reprised their roles, joined by Emily Skeggs (Medium Alison), Oscar Williams (Christian) and Zell Steele Morrow (John).
Ben Brantley described Fun Home as an “extraordinary musical,” and noted that the theatre in the round space served the musical by making the audience literally a a part of the “Bechdel family circle”.
The Broadway production was nominated for a slew of awards. It won the Theatre World Award for (Emily Skeggs and Sydney Lucas), and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical. Out of 12 Tony Award nominations, Fun Home won 5, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Sam Gold), Best Book of a Musical (Lisa Kron), Best Original Score (Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron), and Best Leading Actor (Michael Cerveris).
After 583 performances, Fun Home closed on September 10, 2016.
Under Sam Gold’s direction, the national tour was re-staged for proscenium arch theatres. The set was scaled down, and the orchestra was made more visible on a raised platform at the rear of the stage. The touring production featured Kate Shindle (Alison), Abby Corrigan (Medium Alison), Alessandra Baldacchino and Carly Gold (Small Alison), Robert Petkoff (Bruce), Susan Moniz (Helen), Karen Eilbacher (Joan), Pierson Salvador (Christian), and Lennon Nate Hammond (John).
The touring production also received rave reviews. During the show’s run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, theatre critic Charles McNaulty exalted that Fun Home “balances music and drama so perfectly that at times they are as indistinguishable as the sea and sky of a distant horizon,” and “not since Sondheim have tragedy and comedy been so illuminatingly entwined.”
The first national tour concluded on December 3, 2017.
Fun Home received its UK premier at the Young Vic in London where it had a limited sold out run from June 18 - September 1, 2018. Overseen by the Broadway creative team, the production featured Kaisa Hammarlund (Alison), Eleanor Kane (Medium Alison), Brooke Haynes and Harriet Turnbull (Small Alison), Zubin Varla (Bruce), and Jenna Russell (Helen).
The musical was once again re-staged for the the Young Vic production, which featured a more elaborate set that had a startling reveal toward the end of the show.
As in previous productions, the British premier of Fun Home received rave reviews, with critics praising Jeanine Tesori’s intricate score, and the emotional honesty of the show as a whole. Some critics called for the Young Vic production to be transferred to the West End.
A “site-appropriate” benefit reading of Fun Home was held at the Plaza Jewish Community Chapel in December 2019. The reading featured Jenn Colella (Alison), Caitlin Kinnunen (Medium Alison), Will Swenson (Bruce), Kate Baldwin (Helen), Pierson Salvador (Christian), Isabelle McCalla (Joan), Jelani Alladin (Roy and others), and real-life siblings Noelle Hammond (Small Alison) and Lennon Nate Hammond (John) The reading was directed by Daniella Caggiano, with musical direction by Julianne B. Merill.
The original Broadway cast were “reunited” on March 29, 2020, when they appeared on Stars in the House, a daily program benefitting The Actor’s Fund hosted Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley during the Broadway shutdown as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
Fun Home has been widely performed across the United States, and is available for licensing though Concord Theatricals.
Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic novel of the same name, Fun Home is an intimate musical in which we are introduced to Alison at three different ages as her adult self sets out to unravel the many mysteries of her childhood.
Bechdel’s graphic novel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, was published in 2006. New York Times reviewer Sean Wilsey described it as “the most ingeniously compact, hyper-verbose example of autobiography to have been produced,” and “A comic book for lovers of words.” Wilsey also noted that the novel succeeded in pushing the boundaries of two genres, comics and memoirs.
The graphic novel/memoir was adapted into a musical by composer Jeanine Tesori and writer Lisa Kron over a 5 year period. Alison Bechdel has been quoted as stating that Tesori and Kron “understood the emotional backbone of the story better than I did.”
Some sources claim Fun Home was the first mainstream musical to have a lesbian as a main character. Although earlier musicals, such as Falsettos, RENT, and The Color Purple, feature lesbian protagonists, Fun Home was groundbreaking for its frank explorations of the life of a gay woman.
In other firsts, Fun Home later became the first to win a Tony Award for Best Original Score by an all-female writing team.
The musical was workshopped at the Sundance Institute’s Theater Lab in the summer of 2013 before performing its world premier at New York’s Public Theater on October 22, 2013. The production was directed by Sam Gold, with scenic and costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Ben Stanton, and projection design by Jim Findlay and Jeff Snugg. The production featured Beth Malone (Alison), Alexandra Socha (Medium Alison), an eight-year old Sydney Lucas (Young Alison), Judy Kuhn (Helen), Michael Cerveris (Bruce), Roberta Colindrez (Joan), Griffin Birney and Noah Hinsdale (Alison’s brothers), and Joel Perez (Roy/Others).
The Public Theater production received glowing reviews. Writing for The New York Times, Ben Brantley praised Jeanine Tesori’s complex and moving score, and the excellent performances of the cast.
The off-Broadway production was nominated for 8 Drama Desk Awards and 7 Outer Critics Awards. It won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical.
With new in-the-round staging, Fun Home transferred to Broadway where it began previews at the Circle in the Square Theatre on March 27, 2015, and officially opened on April 19, 2015.
Once again directed by Sam Gold, the production was choreographed by Danny Mefford, with scenic and costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by Kai Harada, and hair and wig design by Paul Huntley. Most of the off-Broadway cast reprised their roles, joined by Emily Skeggs (Medium Alison), Oscar Williams (Christian) and Zell Steele Morrow (John).
Ben Brantley described Fun Home as an “extraordinary musical,” and noted that the theatre in the round space served the musical by making the audience literally a a part of the “Bechdel family circle”.
The Broadway production was nominated for a slew of awards. It won the Theatre World Award for (Emily Skeggs and Sydney Lucas), and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical. Out of 12 Tony Award nominations, Fun Home won 5, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Sam Gold), Best Book of a Musical (Lisa Kron), Best Original Score (Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron), and Best Leading Actor (Michael Cerveris).
After 583 performances, Fun Home closed on September 10, 2016.
Under Sam Gold’s direction, the national tour was re-staged for proscenium arch theatres. The set was scaled down, and the orchestra was made more visible on a raised platform at the rear of the stage. The touring production featured Kate Shindle (Alison), Abby Corrigan (Medium Alison), Alessandra Baldacchino and Carly Gold (Small Alison), Robert Petkoff (Bruce), Susan Moniz (Helen), Karen Eilbacher (Joan), Pierson Salvador (Christian), and Lennon Nate Hammond (John).
The touring production also received rave reviews. During the show’s run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, theatre critic Charles McNaulty exalted that Fun Home “balances music and drama so perfectly that at times they are as indistinguishable as the sea and sky of a distant horizon,” and “not since Sondheim have tragedy and comedy been so illuminatingly entwined.”
The first national tour concluded on December 3, 2017.
Fun Home received its UK premier at the Young Vic in London where it had a limited sold out run from June 18 - September 1, 2018. Overseen by the Broadway creative team, the production featured Kaisa Hammarlund (Alison), Eleanor Kane (Medium Alison), Brooke Haynes and Harriet Turnbull (Small Alison), Zubin Varla (Bruce), and Jenna Russell (Helen).
The musical was once again re-staged for the the Young Vic production, which featured a more elaborate set that had a startling reveal toward the end of the show.
As in previous productions, the British premier of Fun Home received rave reviews, with critics praising Jeanine Tesori’s intricate score, and the emotional honesty of the show as a whole. Some critics called for the Young Vic production to be transferred to the West End.
A “site-appropriate” benefit reading of Fun Home was held at the Plaza Jewish Community Chapel in December 2019. The reading featured Jenn Colella (Alison), Caitlin Kinnunen (Medium Alison), Will Swenson (Bruce), Kate Baldwin (Helen), Pierson Salvador (Christian), Isabelle McCalla (Joan), Jelani Alladin (Roy and others), and real-life siblings Noelle Hammond (Small Alison) and Lennon Nate Hammond (John) The reading was directed by Daniella Caggiano, with musical direction by Julianne B. Merill.
The original Broadway cast were “reunited” on March 29, 2020, when they appeared on Stars in the House, a daily program benefitting The Actor’s Fund hosted Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley during the Broadway shutdown as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
Fun Home has been widely performed across the United States, and is available for licensing though Concord Theatricals.
Filmed Production Notes
Victory Gardens Theater, a 269-seat theatre in Chicago, produced Fun Home in the fall of 2017. Directed by Gary Griffin, the production took a minimalist approach, using sparse set pieces.
The production featured several post-show panels and events, including a book club, karaoke night, performances by local LGBTQIA+ artists and college students, and art demonstrations.
The Victory Gardens production received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Critics who had seen the production during its national tour at the 2000+ seat Oriental Theatre felt that the musical was better served in the more intimate space of the Victory Gardens Theater. Critics had high praise Gary Griffin’s direction, and Doug Peck’s musical direction. Several reviewers also noted that the production would surely be nominated for multiple Jeff Awards for Excellence in Chicago Theatre (it was nominated for 5), and extolled audiences to see the production.
The vast majority of critics gave the entire cast warm to glowing reviews, notably Danni Smith for her portrayal of Alison, Hannah Starr as newly out Medium Alison, and 5th graders Stella Rose Hoyt or Sage Elliott Harper for their surprisingly complex performances as Small Alison. The critics were more divided over the portrayals of Alison’s parents, Rob Lindley as Bruce, and McKinley Carter as Helen. While some felt Lindley and McKinkey’s performances shed light on the roles in a way previous productions had not, other critics believed they had missed the mark.
The Victory Gardens Theater production proved to be a success, and the run was extended by a week.
In response to the COVID-19 shutdown, Victory Gardens Theater made an archival recording of Fun Home available to stream from May 12-24, 2020. For $20, viewers were able to purchase a “ticket” for a particular night, however the stream was available to view at any time during the streaming period. Each ticket permitted one view, and were capped at 269 tickets each day, equivalent to the number of seats in the theater, and tickets were completely sold out.
The stream included a brief introduction by composer and writer Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron.
Fun Home was available to stream via Victory Gardens Theater between May 12-24, 2020.
Victory Gardens Theater, a 269-seat theatre in Chicago, produced Fun Home in the fall of 2017. Directed by Gary Griffin, the production took a minimalist approach, using sparse set pieces.
The production featured several post-show panels and events, including a book club, karaoke night, performances by local LGBTQIA+ artists and college students, and art demonstrations.
The Victory Gardens production received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Critics who had seen the production during its national tour at the 2000+ seat Oriental Theatre felt that the musical was better served in the more intimate space of the Victory Gardens Theater. Critics had high praise Gary Griffin’s direction, and Doug Peck’s musical direction. Several reviewers also noted that the production would surely be nominated for multiple Jeff Awards for Excellence in Chicago Theatre (it was nominated for 5), and extolled audiences to see the production.
The vast majority of critics gave the entire cast warm to glowing reviews, notably Danni Smith for her portrayal of Alison, Hannah Starr as newly out Medium Alison, and 5th graders Stella Rose Hoyt or Sage Elliott Harper for their surprisingly complex performances as Small Alison. The critics were more divided over the portrayals of Alison’s parents, Rob Lindley as Bruce, and McKinley Carter as Helen. While some felt Lindley and McKinkey’s performances shed light on the roles in a way previous productions had not, other critics believed they had missed the mark.
The Victory Gardens Theater production proved to be a success, and the run was extended by a week.
In response to the COVID-19 shutdown, Victory Gardens Theater made an archival recording of Fun Home available to stream from May 12-24, 2020. For $20, viewers were able to purchase a “ticket” for a particular night, however the stream was available to view at any time during the streaming period. Each ticket permitted one view, and were capped at 269 tickets each day, equivalent to the number of seats in the theater, and tickets were completely sold out.
The stream included a brief introduction by composer and writer Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron.
Fun Home was available to stream via Victory Gardens Theater between May 12-24, 2020.
Fun Home PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago
Producer: Victory Gardens Theater
Book & Lyrics: Lisa Kron
Music: Jeanine Tesori
Director: Gary Griffin
Musical Director: Doug Peck
Scenic Design: Yu Shibagaki
Costume Design: Melissa Ng
Lighting Design: Paul Whitaker
Sound Design: Ray Nardelli
Conductor: Charlotte Rivard-Hoster
Stage Manager: Jessica Forella
Cast:
Danni Smith (Alison), Hannah Starr (Medium Alison), Sage Elliott Harper (Small Alison), Stella Rose Hoyt (Small Alison), Rob Lindley (Bruce Bechdel), McKinley Carter (Helen Bechdel), Danielle Davis (Joan), Joe Lino (Roy), Preetish Chakraborty (John Bechdel), Leo Gonzalez (Christian Bechdel)
Musicians: Charlotte Rivard-Hoster (Conductor/Keyboard), Justin LaForte (Guitar), Mike Matlock (Woodwinds), Lewis Rawlinson (Cello), Brent Roman (Percussion)
Theatre: Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago
Producer: Victory Gardens Theater
Book & Lyrics: Lisa Kron
Music: Jeanine Tesori
Director: Gary Griffin
Musical Director: Doug Peck
Scenic Design: Yu Shibagaki
Costume Design: Melissa Ng
Lighting Design: Paul Whitaker
Sound Design: Ray Nardelli
Conductor: Charlotte Rivard-Hoster
Stage Manager: Jessica Forella
Cast:
Danni Smith (Alison), Hannah Starr (Medium Alison), Sage Elliott Harper (Small Alison), Stella Rose Hoyt (Small Alison), Rob Lindley (Bruce Bechdel), McKinley Carter (Helen Bechdel), Danielle Davis (Joan), Joe Lino (Roy), Preetish Chakraborty (John Bechdel), Leo Gonzalez (Christian Bechdel)
Musicians: Charlotte Rivard-Hoster (Conductor/Keyboard), Justin LaForte (Guitar), Mike Matlock (Woodwinds), Lewis Rawlinson (Cello), Brent Roman (Percussion)
Sources
Articles
- Tony Adler, “Fun Home,” Chicago Reader (undated)
- Janet Arvia, “'Fun Home' Improvement: Broadway Hit Could Fix Some Misses” Rebellious Magazine (undated)
- Michael Billington, “Fun Home review – Bechdel memoir takes stage musical in new directions,” The Guardian (June 28, 2018)
- Ben Brantley, “Family as a Hall of Mirrors,” New York Times (Oct 22, 2013)
- Ben Brantley, “Review: ‘Fun Home’ at the Circle in the Square Theater,” New York Times (April 19, 2015)
- Alan Bresloff, “Fun Home,” Around the Town Chicago (undated)
- BWW News Desk, “Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater Will Stream FUN HOME This Spring; Cancels Final Show Of Season,” Broadway World (April 14, 2020)
- Dominic Cavendish, “Fun Home, Young Vic, review – a quirky, haunting, heartbreaking coming-of-age tale,” The Telegraph (June 28, 2018)
- Rachel Cooke, “Fun Home creator Alison Bechdel on turning a tragic childhood into a hit musical,” The Guardian (Nov 5, 2017)
- Sarah Crompton, “Review: Fun Home (Young Vic)” Whats On Stage (June 27, 2018)
- Brent Eickhoff, “Victory Gardens Stages Stalwart Chicago Production of Fun Home” Third Coast Review (Oct 2, 2017)
- Adam Feldman, “Fun Home” Time Out (Oct 22, 2013)
- Andrew Gans, “Jenn Colella, Caitlin Kinnunen, Will Swenson, Kate Baldwin Star in Fun Home Reading in a Funeral Home December 19” Playbill (Dec 19, 2019)
- David Gordon, “Fun Home at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater to Stream for Two Weeks,” TheaterMania (April 15, 2020)
- Henry Hitchings, “Fun Home review: A generous musical in love with quietness and ambiguity” Evening Standard (June 28, 2018)
- Jodie Jacobs, “Home is more than fun,” Chicago Theater and Arts (Oct 7, 2017)
- Chris Jones, “Spare, moving Chicago 'Fun Home' is a musical about growing up,” Chicago Tribune (Sept 29, 2017)
- Andrzej Lukowski, “‘Fun Home’ review” Time Out London (July 14, 2018)
- Eleanor Margolis, “Lesbians are usually sidelined, stereotyped, or killed – but now we're taking centre stage,” The Telegraph (June 12, 2018)
- Peter Marks, “‘Fun Home’ is pure musical satisfaction,” Washington Post (April 20, 2017)
- Charles McNulty, “Review: This ‘Fun Home’ weaves tragedy and comedy into a wholly original American musical,” Los Angeles Times (Feb 24, 2017)
- Erik Piepenburg, “‘Fun Home’ Musical Comes to the Public Theater” New York Times (Sept 11, 2012)
- Peter Thomas Ricci, “Victory Gardens delivers extraordinary ‘Fun Home’” Chicago Theatre & Concert Reviews (Oct 1, 2017)
- Ben Rimalower, “From Falsettos to Fun Home: Lesbian Characters Move from Sidelines to Center Stage,” Playbill (undated)
- Emily Schmidt, “Review: FUN HOME at Victory Gardens,” The Hawk Chicago (Sept 28, 2017)
- Stephen Starr, “Victory Gardens Theater Presents FUN HOME Review – Repression Brings Uncanny Joy” Picture this Post (May 6, 2020)
- Catey Sullivan, “Fun Home,” Chicago Theater Beat (Oct 24, 2017)
- Paul Taylor, “Fun Home, Young Vic, London, review: Another groundbreaking masterpiece from Jeanine Tesori,” The Independent (June 28, 2018)
- June Thomas, “The Cast of Broadway’s Fun Home Visits the Real Fun Home,” Slate (March 30, 2015)
- June Thomas, “Fun Home Won Five Tonys. How Did a Graphic Memoir Become a Musical?” Slate (June 8, 2015)
- Karen Topham, “Review: A Brilliant “Fun Home”” Chicago On Stage (Oct 4, 2017)
- Hedy Weiss, “Victory Gardens taps into pain and acceptance in sizzling ‘Fun Home’” Chicago Sun Times (Sept 28, 2017)
- Sam Wilsey, “The Things They Buried,” New York Times (June 18, 2006)
- Concord Theatricals, “Fun Home,” Accessed via: https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/58581/fun-home
- Fun Home, Accessed via: http://funhomebroadway.com/
- Internet Broadway Database, “Fun Home,” Accessed via: https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/fun-home-497807
- Jeff Awards, “Archives,” Accessed via: http://www.jeffawards.org/archives?combine=fun+home&field_nomination_category_target_id=All&field_award_year_target_id=All&field_division_target_id=All&field_recipient_value=All
- Playbill, “Fun Home,” Accessed via: https://www.playbill.com/production/fun-home-circle-in-the-square-theatre-vault-0000014079
- Victory Gardens Theater, “Fun Home,” Accessed via: https://victorygardens.org/event/fun-home/
Written by Luisa Lyons (May, 2020)