"Fun Home" at The Curran Theatre

Curran photo by Joan Marcus

I had the chance to see "Fun Home" last year on Broadway, and enjoyed it very much. So I was delighted to see that it was going to be the show that reopened the Curran this year. The Curran and I go way back: my parents used to subscribe to the Civic Light Opera there, so I would sometimes get to go, and when it was one of the three theaters rotating shows for the Best of Broadway and SHN, I saw quite a few shows there as well. I did get to go to a couple of the shows on the stage while the Curran was under renovation recently, but I was eager to see the old theater in its new incarnation.

It doesn't disappoint: the old building looks nice and fresh, the seats are comfy and clean, and the bathrooms are larger and easier to access. This is all good.

The Play

"Fun Home" is based on the autobiographical graphic novel of the same name by Alison Bechdel, with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron. It won the Tony Awards for best musical, best book, and best score in 2015. Allison grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania where her family had lived for generations. Her father not only taught high school English and restored old homes, but also ran the family business, a funeral home (which the kids called the "fun home"). He was also a closeted gay man, which caused all sorts of issues in the family and in town.

Alison and her siblings grow up amidst all the turmoil caused by her dad, as well as being in a funeral home and (in her case) coming to grips with being a lesbian. It's really a very charming coming-of-age story with good music, but with some dark and difficult bits, too. One clever aspect of the play is that there are three Alisons: one small, one medium, and one adult. The small one sings and plays, but also has some good, revelatory scenes. Medium Alison goes off to college and has some truly hilarious scenes as she discovers her sexuality. And adult Alison looks back and sees all of this, drawing and commenting. It's really quite remarkable.

The version we saw on Broadway was presented in the round, with audience on all sides of the stage, which I thought was effective. For the current tour, it has been adapted to a more traditional staging. Our seats weren't ideal to evaluate this (off to one side, and pretty close), but it seems to work quite well in its new configuration.

The Production

All of the performers are very strong: good singers as well as good actors. The musicians were unobtrusive, at least from my angle. Actually, my only complaints are minor and technical, and mostly have to do with the view from our seats: some of the lights from the side were quite glaring in our eyes, and also we could see back stage into the wings, where cast and crew would move distractingly. They really ought to cover that with a curtain.

But again, those are minor complaints. The show is quite excellent, and all of us (a group of 14) enjoyed it a lot, with lots to talk about on the way home, and good tunes running through our heads. I would probably have a lot more to write if this were the first time I had seen it. Instead, it seems sort of familiar and comfortable, so it's hard to know what to say about it.

This show definitely gets a thumbs up--go see it! I can't wait to see what else will follow at the Curran. The only show I know of so far is the next one, "Eclipsed." But I'm sure there is more in the works.