FUN HOME- previews- Page 2

[dreaming]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 11:20am

trent-I found it to be very faithful to the original source material. They do a lot of showing and telling (don't want to give away too much). Tesori does very well indeed. (And I don't always like her stuff, so that says a lot.)

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 4:45pm

The term "graphic" keeps getting thrown around. Being unfamiliar with the story- what is so graphic about this show.

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 4:56pm

It's based on a graphic memoir. "Graphic," as in drawn.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_novel

Updated On: 10/2/13 at 04:56 PM

[cardamon]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 7:07pm

I noticed on the Public's website that they're selling $20 obstructed view seats in the last row. Does anyone have any idea how bad the obstruction is?

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 1:36am

What's the running time so far?

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 7:05am

About 100 minutes, no intermission.

I hope this gets a cast album!

Whizzer, I will be interested to hear how you like Cerveris as the father. I think that's the only major casting change from the lab production. I personally thought he was excellent in a very complex role, but I didn't see the lab.

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 12:34pm

Wow this was an enjoyable night of interesting, complex musical theater.

Have to agree with the accolades for the younger actors. The subject matter of some of these songs is so unique that when the character starts singing it thrills you in the most unusual way. Teenage Alison was especially incredible - she felt so authentic to her age and situation. Cerveris and Kuhn were both strong - Cerveris navigating some particularly tricky character nuances.

My one constructive criticism would be to give adult Alison a few more interesting bits of dialogue - since she is the focal point of the story. She's mostly just making embarrassed remarks about what's happening.

The score is powerful and pretty, even if not entirely memorable. And the sets are really smart, and at one point even breathtaking.

Overall - go go go! The best musical dealing with "serious/heavy/adult" subject matter since Next to Normal.



Updated On: 10/3/13 at 12:34 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 3:17pm

I know A8 hates "elitist" shows, but if it's anything like the graphic novel, then I wouldn't call it remotely elitist (unless references to famous novels throws you.) The book was a surprise best seller and has fairly mass appeal, all things considered.

Tesori is one current composer I have such a hard time pinning down. I love Violet, I LOVE Caroline, Hell, I enjoy her Millie tunes. But Shrek does nothing for me, nor the songs she has seemed to crank out for various direct to DVD Disney projects (masterpieces like Little Mermaid 2.)

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 3:52pm

I agree that Tesori is certainly an interesting one, having written one of the most complex, out-of-the-world brilliant musicals ever written (CAROLINE, OR CHANGE). The songs that I like from MILLIE I love, but then there's a bunch that are pretty forgettable...and there's the SHREK, but then I guess everyone has one of those. Really curious about this one, I feel her work should be more visible than it is, of the major composers working today, she's the most consistent one--how Jason Robert Brown has a Tony and she doesn't is beyond me.

Updated On: 10/3/13 at 03:52 PM

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 4:41pm

Possible SPOILERS below! ***********SPOILERS*******************





SayitSomehow, I enjoyed your comments and I see your point about the adult Alison not having much to do. But to my mind, the whole show is adult Alison's: all the dialogue we're hearing, all the scenes we're watching, all of it is from her mind and her pen. So even when young Alison or college freshman Alison is in the forefront, I felt we were really watching adult Alison. So I was fine with having her just popping in to comment once in a while when she was taking a break from her drawing board. And then at the end, when adult Alison sings "Say Something" when sitting with her dad in the car, it really threw me for an emotional loop and to me, made for a very satisfying scene. Just my opinion!



Updated On: 10/20/13 at 04:41 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 7:01pm

I love Tesori. I know SHREK is SHREK, but I think some of the melodies are really beautiful. "When Words Fail" and "Build A Wall" and the hero song at the end of Act 1 are some really beautiful tunes for such a dumpy kids show. I think she really elevates the subject matter. I'm seeing FUN HOME tonight. Can't wait.

[lida rose]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 7:13pm

i think the thing about tesori is that she's only as good as her collaborators, which is why caroline is transcendent and shrek is such a snooze. edit: probably also has something to do with passion projects vs. more commercial endeavors, and fun home is definitely the former. she's also (in my opinion) at her best when she draws from southern gospel/r&b/blues styles, which was perfect for violet and caroline but obviously less of an influence on this show. she does dip into it occasionally here though, like with the jackson 5-esque number for the kids. this isn't my favorite score of hers on first listen, but caroline is a tough act to follow. i do hope they release a recording though because i'd love to delve deeper into it.

one of the highlights for me was (spoilers?) the song young alison sings about seeing the butch deliverywoman at the diner, that's such a great moment in the book and they completely did it justice. totally riveting. the actress playing young alison blew me away.



Updated On: 10/3/13 at 07:13 PM

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 7:35pm

^^^ You said it. A great song, very touching, handled amazingly well by the young actress.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 10:44pm

I'll write more later, but after seeing the full production I loved it even more the second time around. Tesori and Kron have grown and shaped the piece into something wonderful and Sam Gold has brought an exquisite touch to the whole thing.

Unlike the stale use of the turntable in A Time To Kill, Gold cleverly puts all of Alison's memories together on the exposed spinning circle to create a swirl of memory and illusion. Like the table in Arcadia, Gold's turntable fills up as each story is recounted until it contains the whole relationship she shared with her father.

The cast is just perfect. Each member deserves a paragraph rave. I was worried about Cerveris because I enjoyed Martin Moran so much (plus I always am scared that Michael is going to pull a straight razor out of his pocket and start slaughtering his castmates), but he is doing EXCELLENT work here. I love this cast so much.

I can't stop humming "Changing My Major To Joan." I need to have this song on my iPod. Now. There isn't a clunker in the entire score. Judy Kuhn has a "Dividing Day" type song near the end that is stunning. The youngest Alison, who is giving a knockout performance, nails her two big numbers. The two fantasy numbers are a blast; the Fun Home commercial stopped the show tonight.

I find it very difficult to go to theater, shut my brain off and let myself become completely immersed in what's happened on stage. Fun Home was such a joy because I was able to lose myself entirely in the piece, which is especially not an easy task when I knew I had the premiere of Scandal to come home to!

This joins The Glass Menagerie as the must-see production of the fall. Congrats to all involved.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 11:35pm

Whizzer I was there tonight too!

i have to say: GET THEE TO THE PUBLIC NOW. It's very rarely that I see a piece of theater that so overwhelms me that it just eclipses everything I've seen before it. But Fun Home is one of those pieces. It's just stunning. I found the story so interesting and strange and honest. I could go on and on about how brilliant the whole thing is, but it just is. I was laughing, I was scared, I was sad, I was happy.

The staging is brilliant. I loved how messy it all became with the set pieces and stage hands all visible, and loved the reveal of the home at the end.

To say the score isn't memorable is just wrong. I remember it vividly. Maybe I can't hum a song, but I remember the feeling and emotions each song gave me, and how much I enjoyed it all when it all came together at the end. I think that makes for a powerful score, not a bunch of pop tunes. "Say Something" is such a beautiful song, as is the one about Joan. The whole show I was wondering "Why did Judy Kuhn stick with this show?" because she doesn't do a ton, until her big moments at the end, and her song is gorgeous. It builds and builds and it's a beautiful simply scene.

EVERYONE in the show is great. They sound good, they act even better. I loved all the Allison's. I thought the older one had such a pretty voice, as did they all.

Go see it. I can keep talking about it, but it's just that good.

*As for the partial view that someone asked about: I'm not sure why they'd be partial view? The whole theater is a rectangle, so the seats don't fan out like they do at most Broadway theaters. So the angle you have in Row A is the same angle you have in Row Z. I was in Row Q, right in front of the lighting board, and I had a perfect seat.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 11:50pm

And I agree, I thought Adult Allison had plenty to do. Love the way they incorporated each other and how the scenes would overlap, etc. And of course her scene at the end is incredible.

[April Saul]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 12:12am

So I had a ticket to the lab production back in November and missed that one because my car broke down, which made me especially determined to see this, had an opening in my schedule for Sunday night and was planning to rush it...then saw it for the exact performance I wanted on TDF!! Tickets were gone...the old double-asterisk...no! no!...and I had to obsessively click for over an hour before I scored one. Really want to see it early in the run in case I want to return dragging assorted family members...do you all think it will extend? It's got such a short run right now.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 1:02am

I would think so. The lab run didn't get reviewed, right? I think this will become a hot ticket. It has 3 well-known people involved plus Judy Kuhn. I think it will extend until the end of the year. And I'd be surprised if it didn't make a lot of year in best lists.

[dreaming]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 8:23am

I'm SO EXCITED at the reception this is getting. I really cannot say how much I'm looking forward to catching it in previews (then again after it opens hopefully). I adored this last year and thought it was one of the very best musicals I saw. The story touches me very deeply and I really loved how they translated the novel, so I'm glad I'm not alone there.

Did anyone do rush yesterday? (And is it cash only or can we use a card? I haven't done the rush there in quite awhile.)

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 9:02am

Too bad I didn't know you were there last night, RippedMan. I would have said hello! Glad you loved the show as much as I did. I can't stop thinking about it.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 9:37am

Thanks, everyone, for the reviews. Looks like I made the right choice when I decided to take a weekend trip to NYC at the end of the month to see this and a few others.

Whizzer, I know you get compliments on your reviews all the time, but I just have to add to the praises and say that the way in which you write about shows you love makes me, as a reader, feel the excitement (and makes me even more excited to see the show).

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 10:28am

From the Public's Twitter feed:

The Public Theater ?@PublicTheaterNY 30 Sep
With our busy fall season underway, don't forget we still offer rush tix. $20, cash only starting at 6p! #moonshow #funhome

[Kad]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 10:43am

I was there last night, too. And I thought this was an amazing piece of musical theatre- and the creative team seems to have adjusted a lot of things I had problems with in the Lab production (gone is that terrible number for Bruce where he's alternating between explaining The Great Gatsby and confessing his inner turmoil to Roy). I still think that having Bruce unambiguously commit suicide (an open-ended question in the novel) is a mistake, but the musical really follows the book amazingly well. This is a very thoughtful, mature piece of musical theatre- and it's really good to see themes like what it means to grow up homosexual being explored (as well as having complex characters- and particularly lesbians, whose appearance in musicals is shockingly rare).

My boyfriend was much less enthused- he found it a bit cold and distancing and questioned whether or not the material needed to be a musical.

I have been told that they will be implementing changes and rewrites early next week.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 10:51am

I just want to go on record and say I enjoy quite a few songs from Shrek in addition to Caroline. And I'm looking forward to hearing the score from this!

[Kad]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 10:59am

I think "Who I'll Be" is a tremendous song, actually. It's too good for the show.