Based on Alison Bechdel's best-selling graphic memoir of the same name, Fun Home, the 2015 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, features music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, and direction by Sam Gold, all of whom won 2015 Tony Awards for their work on this production. Fun Home began previews March 27, 2015 and opened to rave reviews at the Circle in the Square Theatre (235 West 50th Street) on Sunday, April 19, 2015.
Featuring a cast led by 2015 Tony Award-winner Michael Cerveris, as well as 2015 Tony Award nominees Judy Kuhn, Beth Malone, Sydney Lucas and Emily Skeggs, Fun Home also features Roberta Colindrez, Zell Steele Morrow, Joel Perez, Oscar Williams, Lauren Patten, Gabriella Pizzolo, Marrick Smith, Jim Stanek, and Nicole Van Giesen.
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. Hailed as "the best musical of the season" by both The New York Times and New York Magazine, Fun Home "demonstrates how much our world has changed and reflects just how far we've come" (The Wall Street Journal). Fun Home is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.
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).
As in the plays's 2013 run at the Public Theater, the cast is excellent. The Alisons all shine in solo moments. Sydney Lucas, the youngest, unlocks what she's feeling when she sings 'Keys.' Emily Skeggs, the coed, embraces her sexuality with the delightful 'Changing My Major.' Beth Malone surveys the dimension of her dad's life in the wistful 'Maps.' As the bedeviled Bruce, Michael Cerveris delivers an even greater emotional payoff than before. As his long-suffering wife, Helen, the exquisite Judy Kuhn is indelible as she sings of her life with conditioned dry-eyed composure.
Perhaps the most over-trafficked subject matter among contemporary American dramatists is the dysfunctional family. So one of the many wonders of the haunting musical Fun Home is the unique perspective it brings to that theme, in a deeply personal story that marries the specificity of individual experience with an emotional universality that will find echoes in many of our lives.
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