Fun Home, the coming-of-age musical based on the graphic novel memoir by Alison Bechdel, has received critical acclaim for its stunning musical score and heartbreaking storytelling.
The musical features a protagonist, Alison, at three different stages in life—as a child (Jaime MacLean), a college student (Kelli Ogmundson), and an adult (Sara-Jeanne Hosie)—revealing memories of her uniquely dysfunctional family along the way.
Alison’s father, Bruce (Eric Craig), was many things: a historical preservationist, a funeral home director, a distant parent, and…a closeted gay man. In the struggle to understand her father while also dealing with her own coming out, Alison documents the story of her life in coloured panels. This musical memoir is a heartbreaking and fiercely funny journey, punctuated with a refreshing score that frames the curiosity of childhood and the complexities of a family.
Fun Home is a groundbreaking musical. It became the first show written entirely by women to win the Tony Award for Best Musical. It also won four other Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Musical Recording. It is the first Broadway musical to feature a lesbian protagonist.
Director Lois Anderson says, “I saw this play in New York and was deeply affected by it. It was an emotional experience—but there is also much humour in the piece. Fun Home is best described as a family tragicomedy: a portrait penned by a cartoonist daughter who is trying to capture her father. I’m so proud that the Arts Club has programmed this piece.”
Granville Island Stage
February 8–March 10, 2018
Mon–Thu at 7:30 PM, Fri & Sat at 8 PM, Wed at 1:30 PM, and Sat at 2 PM
Tickets from $29 at artsclub.com or the Arts Club Box Office at 604.687.1644