Porchlight Music Theatre presents FUN HOME.
‘Fun home’ may conjure up carnival-like expectations. Although it is definitely fun and is about home, this show has more depth and breadth than a typical musical. It’s based on Alison Bechdel’s critically-acclaimed graphic novel about growing up in a funeral home, ‘coming out’ and her father’s suicide. The creative team of Jeanine Tesori (music) and Lisa Kron (book and lyrics) reimagine Bechdel’s life on stage put to music. Their groundbreaking results garnered 7 Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a poignantly captivating show!
Under the adept direction of Stephen Schellhardt, the audience experiences Alison at different ages. An ever-present adult Alison (played by Alanna Chavez) grapples to capture childhood moments onto paper. Her memories are reenacted by small Alison (played by Meena Sood*) and middle Alison (played by Z Mowry). A cynical Chavez watches Sood and Mowry’s playful interactions from her drafting desk. Sood and her brothers (Charlie Long* and Hayes McCracken*) produce a hilariously adorable commercial in the “Come to the Fun Home” number. An amusingly starry-eyed Mowry sings an effervescent “Changing My Major.” These pivotal memories connect the present to the past. The Alisons, individually and collectively -especially in the “Flying Away” finale, represent a person curious to understand their identity and roots.
Patrick Byrnes and Neala Barron layer in the parental complexity. Byrnes is the tightly-wound father wanting things to look ‘right.’ Barron is the resigned wife fading into the wallpaper. He’s repressed. She’s oppressed. Chavez wants to figure out what made her dad take his own life. The communication that did or did not happen is pondered in Chavez and Byrnes’ duet “Telephone Wire.” And Barron reveals regrets and secrets to Mowry and then delivers the heartbreaking showstopper, “Days and Days.” Barron’s beautiful rendition is a tearjerker!
Along with Dakota Hughes(Joan) and Lincoln J. Skoien (multiple roles), the talented cast breath tragicomic into this family’s life. The storytelling is personal. The connection feels organic. Schellhardt navigates the action on the multi-level set by Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (scenic designer). The framework of a house provides nooks and crannies to showcase distinct items or ensemble members. Denise Karczewski (lighting designer) then brightens up or darkens down the home to match the mood.
FUN HOME is THE show to see this winter. The storytelling is riveting. The cast is fantastic. And the score is unforgettable… the lyrics and the music continue to drift through my mind as both catchy tunes and evocative phrases.
Welcome to our house on Maple Avenue!
See how we polish and we shine
We rearrange and realign
Everything is balanced and serene
Like chaos never happens if it’s never seen
*Youth cast alternates: Tessa Mae Pundsack, Eli Vander Griend and Austin Hartung
Content advisory: Verbal abuse, depictions of homophobia and a death by suicide as well as allusions to sexual contact between an adult and teenagers.
Running Time: One hundred minutes with no intermission
At Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn
Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Book and lyrics by Lisa Kron
Directed by Stephen Schellhardt
Music directed by Heidi Joosten
Performances are:
Thursdays, Fridays at 7:30pm
Saturdays at 3pm and 7:30pm
Sundays at 2pm
Additional performances:
January 23 and 30 at 2pm
February 5, 12, 19 and 26 at 7:30pm
Thru March 2
For more information or tickets
Production photos by Liz Lauren
For more Chicago theatre information and reviews, please visit Theatre in Chicago