Extremely emotive, funny, and universally relatable
Based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir by the same name, the story explores identity, family, and home; it is well known as a piece of groundbreaking lesbian representation. You could say that a lot of pressure is put upon this production to shine, with it being a major revival of an iconic piece of queer musical theatre, and with it being a part of the Royal Exchange’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. Given all that, the play did an amazing job at feeling fresh, relevant, and ultimately relatable, not only to queer people but to everyone with a complicated relationship with family and home.
The memoir structure of ‘Fun Home’ adds a lot of interest to the piece. As Bechdel reflects back at her life, she finds it difficult to understand her memories clearly. Often she is searching for a ‘caption’ for each comic strip, a simple sentence to describe the scene that she is recalling, but again and again she struggles to choose one, often flipping between contradictory captions (for example from ‘family fun in New York’ to ‘child neglect in New York’), because everything is so complicated for her. And this is really where the show shines, in its whole-hearted acceptance of complications and contradictions. It makes you reflect on your own memories of childhood and ask yourself: how much of what I remember is true, and was there another side to the story that I didn’t see?
The staging was simple but effective: with a few pieces of furniture/brick-a-brac from the Bechdel family home telling us everything we need to know about the house and the people who live within it. Metaphorically, this mirrored that of memory, where certain images stand out and everything else blurs into the background. It also felt reminiscent of how comic books are drawn, which feels very relevant given that the story is narrated by a fictionalised adult version of Bechdel in the process of creating a comic herself.
The music in ‘Fun Home’ really aided the vulnerable, honest tone, with its narrative, conversational style. A personal highlight was the ‘Ring of Keys’ song, a song which is both comedic, wholesome and bittersweet, and which highlights the universe queer experience of seeing yourself represented for the very first time. Another stand out moment was the young actors performing the ‘Fun Home’ funeral directors advert song, which was full of so much energy and joy you could tell that the actors were actually having so much fun whilst performing it. The young actors were amazing performers; at times you forgot that you were in a play and instead felt like you were watching actual siblings playing together.
The whole cast did an amazing job at telling this story with authenticity and care. They delivered with equal talent the sincere moments as they did the lighthearted ones. They had the audience laughing, crying, and holding our breaths.
The only complaint overheard from those in attendance at the show was that ‘Fun Home’ ended too soon, with a feeling that the story wasn’t quite complete yet. However, isn’t that the point? These stories of our lives, of our families, our childhood, and our homes, can never fully be told to a point of completion because, as ‘Fun Home’ so beautifully demonstrated, there is always another side to the story and always more to the past to unravel.