INTERPRETATION
interpretation of SET
interpretation of CHARACTERS
The youngest of the three Alisons featured in the musical adaptation of this text is played by Sydney Lucas
The college-aged Alison is played by Emily Skeggs
The oldest of the three Alisons is played by Beth Malone
Helen Bechdel, Alison's mother, is played by Judy Kuhn
This picture is of the youngest Alison and her two brothers, John and Christian, who are played by Zell Morrow and Oscar Williams
Bruce Bechdel, Alison's father, is played by Michael Cerveris
interpretation of SCENES
In the musical adaptation of Bechdel's graphic novel Fun Home, the story is performed in the round. The set has no walls or confining mechanisms, which mimics the vulnerability with which Bechdel wrote the original piece. The completely open set also allows for more of an interaction with the story, which is one of the things Bechdel desired in publishing her autobiography: to communicate openly about her struggle with her father and coming-of-age journey, as well as to provide an opportunity for that open communication for others that she was not granted in her journey of self-discovery.
In this video, Director Sam Gold partnered with Lighting Designer Ben Stanton and Scenic/Costume Designer David Zinn to give a behind-the-scenes view of their vision for the set of Fun Home and how they accomplished it.
Although there are no profesionally published recordings of whole scenes from the musical, there are clips from various programs on TV or short compilations of scenes that act as strong indicators of what the actual musical looks like. They also show how the creative team behind the musical adaptation envisioned these moments to have taken place in Alison's story.
The first video was filmed at the 2015 Tony Awards and showed the scene when young Alison interacted with a "butch" woman for the first time. To view it, simply press the play button in the center of the image.
The second video is a compilation of many short clips of scenes and songs from the musical. To view it, click on the photo, which will open a new window with the original website for viewing.
Only nine individuals make up the cast for the musical interpretation of Fun Home. The cast is comprised of Alison in three stages of life (each played by a different actress), Helen and Bruce (Alison's parents), John and Christian (Alison's brothers), Roy (Alison's babysitter and Bruce's lover), and Joan (Alison's girlfriend).
Throughout the musical, Bechdel's story is chronicled in interactions between these characters as well as her interaction with them during the three phases of her character.
Refer to the gallery to the left to see how the creators of the musical adaptation interpreted Bechdel's characters.
