Fun Home
Ghent Playhouse, Ghent, New York
Book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, music by Jeanine Tresori
Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel
Directed by Michael McDermott and Michael Mensching
The musical “Fun Home” is about the early, formative years of lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel, whose graphic novel of the same name spent time on the New York Times bestseller list. This show, strongly based on the book, takes a hard, but musical look at Alison and her family at three points in her life: as a child, a college freshman, and a mature adult. To do this, three actors play her simultaneously on the Ghent Playhouse stage. Small Alison and adult Alison are played by daughter and mother Rosalyn and Helen Annely. Medium Alison, the college student, is played by Noah Hamm, who identifies as “they” and does so well in the role that it is impossible to reliably place Hamm’s gender. As Hamm plays the girl discovering her true self and simultaneously her father’s true identity, this seems like perfect casting.
This is one of my favorite regional stages. They never shy away from controversy and with this show they will have more of that than they may have bargained for. Bruce Bechdel is a barely closeted gay man married to an indulgent and abused woman, father of three children, a teacher, and a funeral director whose family is forced to live in a virtual museum and endure the presence of Daddy’s male lovers. When his only daughter realizes her actual sexual preference, he is unable to accept, protect or advise her. Can a musical do justice to such trauma? It can and it does, and the idea of “musical comedy” flies out the mortuary window leaving “musical meanness” in its stead. That is not to say this is a mean show or a horror show. No, it is an adult musical on adult subject matter, and done as well as this company does it, it is truly worthwhile.
Helen Annely does well with the role of Alison. She brings a maturity to the part that enhances this memory play that unfolds at her feet. She is especially effective late in the show, singing “Telephone Wire,” replacing her younger self in a serious moment. Her daughter Rosalyn Annely also makes moments resonate as the young Alison coping with her relationships with her family, particularly in “Party Dress” and the kids’ commercial “Come to the Fun Home,” about the family funeral business, with her brothers played very well by Brayden Huneau and Ely Loskowitz.
As the parents of Alison and her brothers, we have Jeffrey Jene as Bruce and Amy Fiebke as Helen. While you may think it normal for adults to quarrel, these two characters don’t merely argue, they present their resentments as though they were hot cross buns at Easter. Fiebke is at her very best in this role, strongly dramatic and solidly musical, and when she finally fuses both aspects of her talent in the song “Days and Days,” the stage nearly burns up at her feet. It is a shocking moment for the audience and the actress’ electric vocalism is enthralling. Jene has the hard job of being chimerical — changing mood, attitude and voice from moment to moment. The daughter he adores brings out the best and worst in him and his reaction to his wife’s neediness is nothing short of nasty and violent. Jene gives a performance that will dwell in our minds for a long, long time.
This is always Alison’s story, though, and Noah Hamm is nothing short of brilliant in the role, lightly comic in the song “Changing My Major,” a romantic ballad gone haywire. And Siobhan Shea, as the new love of her life, fleshes out college girl Joan perfectly. The two are great together.
Co-directors Michael McDermott and Michael Mensching have brought this musical play together very well. They have guided their cast through the straits of injustice laid out in the script to a fare-thee-well. Every point is made and every eventuality in the story is justified except for one, and that is a flaw in the script based on a flaw in the true lives of Alison, Helen and Bruce. His final moment in the play is still hard to justify for me (and this is the third production I’ve seen of “Fun Home”). Being true to the reality that created this play causes dissatisfaction in this observer and I hate that. It used to be a trivial truth in plays and movies that homosexuals had to suffer the worst things because of their nature. What happens to Bruce follows that trend and they tell you about it almost from the start of the show. I hate that.
The show itself is terrific and you won’t regret seeing it. Even on lighting designer Bob Healey’s dark set, designed masterfully by Michael Mensching, Joanne Maurer’s excellent costumes work ideally. Musical Director Joanne Mensching handles the score beautifully and the cast respond to her like true professionals. This is exceptional theater from start to finish.
“Fun Home” plays at the Ghent Playhouse, 6 Town Hall Place, Ghent, New York through April 10.
