The winner of five 2015 Tony awards, including Best Musical, is in Providence through Sunday, and it’s difficult but deeply moving story is one you want to make time for.
Based on the graphic novel-style memoir by Alison Bechdel, “Fun Home” is ultimately about an adult Alison attempting to understand her father, Bruce, and the actions that led up to his suicide during her freshman year of college. (No spoilers here, the second number ends with Alison’s line, “And he was gay, and I was gay, and he killed himself…and I became a lesbian cartoonist.”) The term “Fun Home” refers not to the general atmosphere of the painstakingly restored Victorian home that was Bruce’s real pride and joy, but instead to the family-owned funeral home where Bruce worked, in addition to being a high school teacher. As she tries to understand her father, she also works to figure out how she and her father’s vast similarities and differences led them down such different life paths. Her father married her mother Helen in the 1960s, had three children, and conducted multiple affairs with men. Alison lived in denial about her orientation until “leap(ing) out of the closet” during her freshman year. Her attempts to sort out reality from her father’s fiction are the source of many highly emotional musical numbers. Bring Kleenex.
The story itself is powerful and brought to life by an incredible cast. The role of Alison is actually played by three people, with Carly Gold playing her as a child, Abby Corrigan representing the adorably socially awkward college Alison, and Actors Equity Association president Kate Shindle playing adult Alison, who serves as main narrator and sometimes one-woman Greek chorus throughout the one-act show. All three are incredible in their roles, with Gold having a particularly unique number “Ring of Keys,” which highlights the moment Alison realizes she may be different from most of her peers. Corrigan gets the sweet and funny “Changing My Major” number following the character’s first lesbian experience, and Shindle gets about 50 amazing songs. “Maps” and “Telephone Wire” are probably the two that will move you the most.
Rounding out the cast and also lending amazing nuance are Robert Petkoff and Susan Moniz as Bruce and Helen, respectively. Petkoff is the perfect Bruce. There are moments when your heart will break for this individual so struggling with his demons (and others where you will want to strangle the man for being so hard with his children). “Edges of the World” is a frenetic, manic end-of-show number that Petkoff handles beautifully. Rhode Island native Moniz gives us a stoic but hardly unware Helen, who does attempt to challenge her husband, at least, as much as a wife would be able to at the time. Her breakdown in “Days and Days” will give you chills.
The other two children in the cast, Luke Barbato Smith and Henry Boshart, play Alison’s siblings. They don’t have much to do on stage but they make the most of their time, and the early number “Come to the Fun Home” may be the show’s only extended moment of pure hilarity. Victoria Janicki plays Joan, Alison’s first paramour, with a dry, sarcastic wit, and Robert Hagar plays every young man Bruce encounters. Smaller roles, yes, but well deserving of mention.
PPAC’s advertising suggests the show is not suitable for children under 13, indeed, the topics of suicide, affairs and sex are all discussed but there is nothing graphic on stage. I would say children under 10 will most likely miss the point of the show, but anyone older than that should be fine. “Fun Home” is one of the most important musicals of this decade and is not to be missed.
“Fun Home” runs through Nov. 12 at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Tickets may be obtained online at ppacri.org, at the box office, or by calling 401-421-2787.
