All of the performers are excellent: Robert Petkoff is wonderful as Bruce, the multifaceted closeted gay father. Narrator “illustrator” Alison (Amanda Naughton) is the perfect link between the audience and her memories. I love the way she throws out alternate “Captions” to her memories as she/we try to make sense of them.
Alison's awkward college-self counterpart (Abby Corrigan) adorably comes to terms with her sexuality falling in love with Joan (Kally Duling) with her alluring lace-up boots and ring of keys. Carly Gold was remarkable as the child Alison, and really brought the FUN to Fun Home when joined by her brothers Luke Barbato Smith and Henry Boshard. Susan Moniz was moving as Alison’s mother, weathering her doomed marriage. Robert Hager was appropriately hunky in the “other men” roles.
Taken from Alison Bechdel’s graphic-novel memoir (don’t miss pages 38-39 of the program, for her graphic-novel commentary.) She points out that the music by Jeanne Tesori and Lisa Kron’s book and lyrics “seemed to get to the emotional heart of things more directly than my book had, and certainly more directly than mu parents and I ever had in real life.”
Fun Home is a wonderful synergy and represents the magic and understanding that theatre can bring. It won five Tony Awards, including best musical. Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron were the first female writing team to win the Tony Award for Best Original Score. Kron won for Best Book - well deserved honors.
Note that the show is about an hour and 45 minutes with no intermission. Fun Home continues through June 11.
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