AUDIO: FUN HOME's Alison Bechdel: 'My Father Would Be Ecstatic'

By: Jun. 28, 2016
Get Show Info Info
Cast
Photos
Videos
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

When Alison Bechdel allowed composer Jeanine Tesori and bookwriter/lyricist Lisa Kron to adapt her graphic memoir "Fun Home" for the musical stage, she wanted no further involvement with the musical's creation, allowing the theatre artists space to create their own work.

So when it came time for her to see what they had done, it was naturally, to say the least, an emotional experience, as she explains to StoryCorps Founder Dave Isay in their audio interview.

StoryCorps, as explained on its website, seeks to create an archive of the wisdom of humanity, by allowing users to record and share their own personal interviews.

As she wrote in "Fun Home," Bechdel grew up with a father who was a married, closeted gay man, a situation she shares with Isay.

"My father would be ecstatic to know that he had become a character in a Broadway play," she says.

Click the photo of Bechdel and Isay below to hear the interview.

Based on Alison Bechdel's best-selling graphic memoir, Fun Home features music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and direction by Sam Gold, whose work on this production earned them Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Book and Best Direction.

Fun Home introduces us to Alison at three different ages, revealing memories of her uniquely dysfunctional family - her mother, brothers and volatile, brilliant, enigmatic father - that connect with her in surprising new ways. This intimate and emotional theatrical experience is performed entirely in the round, bringing audiences closer to Alison's story than ever before. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Fun Home is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.

The current cast of Fun Home includes two-time Tony Award-winner Michael Cerveris, four-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn, 2015 Tony Award nominees Beth Malone, and Emily Skeggs, Gabriella Pizzolo, Roberta Colindrez, Cole Grey, Zell Steele Morrow, and Joel Perez, along with Alessandra Baldacchino, Kally Duling, Maya Grace Fischbein, Perry Sherman, Jim Stanek, and Nicole Van Giesen.

Fun Home was also nominated for 2015 Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design of Musical (David Zinn), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Ben Stanton) and Best Orchestrations (John Clancy). The creative team also includes Danny Mefford (Choreography), Kai Harada (Sound Design), and Chris Fenwick (Music Direction).

Fun Home will play its final performance on Broadway on Saturday, September 10 at 8 PM, after 582 regular performances on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre (235 West 50th St) and 114 performances Off Broadway at The Public Theater.



Videos