Fun Home

I went in with little awareness of what the play was actually about. I knew it was a Tony winner. I knew there were dancing and singing children in it. I knew that it was based off of some novel that got fairly popularized. That was enough to sell me. Fun Home instantly sucks you in. It’s not so much about singing and dancing children and ironically a fun home, but much more about the labors of growing up and figuring yourself out in life.
The main character’s life is looked upon by her older and modern day representation. She flashes back to her younger child self as well as her early college age self and her relationship with her father for the most part but her mother as well. It was fairly emotional and intense as the main character struggles with figuring out her sexuality while realizing her family and her father aren’t completely perfect people. At points I was angry and sad. Mostly with deadbeat Dad that we can pull up a million excuses for his behavior but not many to justify his actions. At moments I was touched by the amount of love poured into each character.
The songs were witty and well done but some of them seemed superfluous and just made up to gather together a scene. I especially loved the small live orchestra pit set to the side. Such a rare thing to hear in a musical or even get to see from the audience’s point of view. Definitely worth seeing and superb acting. I would recommend only mature teenagers and older to see it.

Things I’m not normally a huge fan of — musicals with songs I don’t know, singing children (although I love children — go fig… I blame Kidz Bop). Things I loved about Fun House? Songs that were fun, emotional and really had interesting lyrics that not only helped move the story along, but also really made you think.
Fun House is not a show that should be taken lightly. The name is also misleading but also makes a whole lot of sense once you see it. The winner of five 2015 Tony Awards (which also included ‘Best Musical’), «Fun Home» is based on Alison Bechdel’s best-​selling graphic memoir. It deals with coming of age, coming into her sexuality as a lesbian and explored her relationship with her dysfunctional family.
While those of us who are straight would never really be able to truly understand what it is like to come out of the closet, I feel like this play did a really great job of demonstrating not only Alison’s courage, but also her complicated relationship with her gay father and how it affected her.
It was tough for me to feel empathy for him because of the issues with his kids, his students and his wife but I think perhaps that was one of the points of this play. No one is perfect and all we can do is strive towards being the best version of us that we can.
The actors were all truly fantastic, especially the kids who lit up the stage whenever they were on it, College Alison was also amazing and one of my favorite parts of this play was her «I want to major in Joan» scene. Wanting to «major» in someone sounds like something I would totally come up with so I really related to this song, lol.
I wholeheartedly recommend «Fun House». This is definitely one of the best live productions I’ve ever seen and it will stay with me forever.

I knew none of the details going in to see this play, with the exception of the small clip advertised on television of the little girl singing one of her Fun Home songs, ‘Ring of Keys’. So, I went in blindly and came out of the theatre wanting to read the book. The nine performers Michael Cerveris, Judy Kuhn, Joel Perez and Emily Skeggs, to name a few, all sung and acted beautifully. Not knowing what to expect, I was truly impressed with the actors performance, the story line and the musical accompaniment. The way this play is advertised you might assume that it is child-​friendly, but there are a few mature moments within the play, so I would suggest parents researching prior to bringing their children.
Music by Jeanine Tesori with Chris Fenwick’s direction of the six piece orchestra of strings — cello, bass, violin, plus various flutes, a guitar and piano were seated directly on the stage in full view accompanied and shadowed each storyline beautifully. The most memorable songs to me were, ‘Days and Days’ — an emotionally moving song; I actually saw an audience member crying. ‘Changing my Major’ another favorite, showcasing one’s feelings of a first love and ‘Telephone Wire’ — showing those moments of fear in discussing a very important conversation between parent and child. The other musical performances were also entertaining and poignant to the story but these three mentioned were riveting.
I’ve always liked The Circle in the Square Theatre and watching Fun Home made me enjoy it even more. Front row seating are intimately close to the stage and I saw moments within the play where you could practically stretch your arms out and touch one of the performers, a very intimate setting.
All and all, it was an enjoyable no intermission, 100 minute play. Thank you Ruggy and thank you Unilocal and for providing yet another great experience.

This was my Broadway «debut», which was why it was so nice to see another in her Broadway «debut» (Kally Duling, the brilliant understudy as Medium Alison, although she apparently has appeared as Joan previously). The cast all embraced her at the end of the show, which was lovely to see!
The Circle in the Square is far more intimate than I had expected for a Broadway theatre, but this is a quirky, unconventional show, so you could say that the venue fits that description too! Stellar performances all round (particularly from Beth Malone as the fully-​grown Alison, looking back on her past — a difficult but essential role to the piece). Lisa Kron’s script is both compassionate and funny, and the music by Jeanine Tesori is wonderful throughout: «Telephone Wire» was a personal highlight.
I felt privileged to spend some time on Maple Avenue. You’ll emerge from this show with a little more empathy and hopefully with more consideration for the struggles of others, and if every show could give us that, we’d be in a much better place.

I loved the play but I am expecting for more being named 2015 winner of 5 Tony Awards. Is it because it was last year’s Best Musical and I find it more of a play with musicals and not the other way around? Broadway goers will find it more appealing if they present it as straight play instead but I understand the point of the producers and play writers to present it with some music and comedic scenes because of the complexity of the subject.
Don’t get me wrong but…
1. I did have a wonderful evening with its fluid story line.
2. The magnificent performances of the actors were mesmerizing! The three Alison’s portrayals were superb and impeccable.
3. The theater (Circle in the Square) where it was held gives a good view of the stage wherever you are seated. Luckily, we were seated mid section of Row D, the center stage, …thanks to our dearest Ruggy and team! Its 360 degree seating gives the actors the chance to move around and show to the audience their different angles.
4.The revolving platform used during older Alison and her father duet scene amplified the breathless meaning of the conversation.
5. The title of the show is catchy and will realize how it end up to be until you fully understand the play writer’s intention for us to see in the FUNeral HOME scene of these amazing children performance which by the way has the cutest voices.
6.The songs are not memorable except for few. The college-​Alison song dedicated for Joan was hilarious and you’ll end up singing along besides for her charming rendition. The Mother’s confession’s song was moving and heartfelt performed The duet of cartoonist Alison and her father was touching, that you’ll imagine what you will do being in the situation.
7. The ending put me in tears.
Be reminded that it is an hour and half no intermission play.

Wow — what a show! It really evoked a lot of emotion and empathy. This play was well acted and I found myself signing the songs a day later.
Don’t be fooled by the name. This play is NOT a comedy. It is an emotional show that makes you feel like your family isn’t as f%cked up as others. I was excited to see the play — Broadway’s first with a lesbian protagonist. It can be appreciated by all, but LGBT folks might especially identify with parts of the story. Take a lesbian you love to see this.
Some of the song lyrics were a little odd. I laughed but I didn’t know if it was meant to be funny. The theatre is a round 360 theatre, so you might see a lot of the actors’ backs.
I was thoroughly impressed, though, and can see why this show won its well deserved Tony awards. The child actors really stole the show.

Nicely done musical with great performances by the cast. A good mix of quirkiness, fun and very thought provoking.
The story is told through flashbacks — memories that when reviewed by the narrator she finds secondary meanings, things that she missed. Like many who wish to have a second chance to redo a confusing and painful time in their life.
The songs aren’t memorable, and at times seemed a little forced. Dialogue might have moved the story forward better then a snippet of lyrics. Personally I can see Fun House performed as a play or a comic book style movie.
Loved the commercial scene performed by the children. It just brings back the nostalgia of childhood, that anything is possible and nothing is embarrassing. The children were able to turn a morbid funeral home into their quirky fun home.
Alison’s epiphany with Joan was very cute and funny. The actress who portrayed Joan did a great job with her scenes.
The orchestra did a great job. The songs didn’t do justice to the score. The minimal prop and open floor plan of the stage worked well with this musical.
The ending was very moving and extremely sad. The mother and father’s performance was very strong.
In the end, one would have to think: Was this musical about Alison, or was it really about her father told through Alison’s memories.
Thank you Unilocal and Ruggy for a chance to experience this complex and moving musical.

Buy tickets to take a journey on an emotional roller coaster ride that will leave you breathless.
To begin, you have to walk about halfway down 50^th, off Broadway-​pay attention, because I got confused (possibly a blonde moment so ignore the warning if you’re not). You walk into this theater and down an escalator. Once you walk in you feel like you’ve stumbled into someone’s living room. The play is a solid hour and 45 minutes with no intermission-​watch the liquids. There is a visible, live orchestra which seems to be a distant memory of Broadway productions.
The children in the play were phenomenal. Their ability to sing, act and memorize all their lines was incredible. At times I squirmed thinking the children were exposed to some mature elements in the play-it’s definitely a play that’s geared towards adults. One of my favorite songs/​acts in the play was when the children made believe they were creating a commercial for the family funeral home, Fun Home.
Every actor was absolutely carefully selected for their role. Their ability to display the strong emotions of their character was impeccable. When the mother sung the song about the pain she felt dealing with her husbands problems, I wanted to run on stage and hug her. I felt women could almost connect and learn from the play to leave relationships where they are neglected or brought down by a partners problems that are beyond being needed to be fixed by them.
The reality of the gay and lesbian community being focused on was interesting to watch. Granted I believe the father was crazy, I felt the pain of Allison. The struggle was real for her on so many levels. Whether it be gaining the approval of her family or accepting herself and recognizing everything will be okay for her.
Our seats were perfect if you’re looking for a suggestion. I was row E seat 228. It was dead center.
Bring an open mind and be prepared to gain some life knowledge.

Thankfully, moments of comedy punctuate and relieve the tragedy in this musical based on Alison Bechdel’s memoir of her family life, and her journey to self discovery. Alison Bechdel, with a tentativeness that quickly becomes laudable courage, throws herself headlong into admitting her sexual orientation at a young age and emerges all the more joyous and stronger for it. Without giving too much away, someone very close to her, a product of a less tolerant society and times, is unable to realize that path. For that person, living covertly while unable to suppress one’s true nature leads to rage, grief and despair for that person and all those in relationships with the person.
Alison’s memoirs are relived through Alison as a confident young girl, growing up in her funeral home house, Alison as a confused college student, and Alison as an adult, trying to understand what happened in her dysfunctional family. The three leads act and sing well, as do all the supporting cast. The song with Alison and her brothers doing an ad for their funeral home was a hoot. Sometimes I had some difficulty catching the words to all the songs, but in general they were well done and many poignant. Circle in the Square had the wraparound seating, so every view is good. I wouldn’t suggest seats right behind the orchestra.
I hadn’t heard of Alison Bechdel before and didn’t know what this musical was about. Not being gay, I can only imagine what it must be like for the many who grew up and still grow up in small towns with small town values and minds. It’s easy for those of us with more acceptable sexual mores to give the advice to be true to yourself without being subject to pressures to conform. Given the bullying of gay teens, I think it’s wonderful that this play explores the theme of coming out and hopefully can help these youngsters know they and their families aren’t alone in their confusion and fear. This play doesn’t promise a rosy reality as the outcome for all, but in its funny, sad, bittersweet way with music and dialogue, does let you know that life is indeed worth living, and living is being who you are.
Thanks Unilocal and Ruggy for an entertaining evening where heart and head were also engaged.

Made a quick and last minute decision to purchase tickets to watch the Fun Home show — so glad we did! I came in totally unaware of what the story was about but that only made the play that much more enjoyable. It was all hilarious, fun and emotional. There’s no intermission so make sure you use the restroom before it begins! I think the total show was only 1.5 hrs long!

A review of the Apr 14 2016 show.
Total:
I’m actually surprised this won 5 Tony Awards. The venue was only 70% full. Perhaps the quality has gone down after much of the original cast has left?
Stadium viewing means that there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The actors face different directions, so you won’t miss anything big by sitting in the cheap seats.
The good:
Lauren Patten as Medium Alison was hilarious, and conveyed that awkwardness that all of us have probably gone through.
Jim Stanek as Bruce was fantastic — and to think, he’s the understudy!
The not-​so-​good:
Small Alison’s wardrobe. Gabriella Pizzolo was cute and great, but her jeans do not fit properly. The wrinkles in the waist and crotch area show this. Her bra also shows through her clothes, which is weird since Alison is a butch character. The two other actors who play Alison are wearing loose fitting shirts, but not Small Alison.
The best part: «Come to the Fun Home» by the three kids. Easily the best song!

This show exceeded my expectations. The format with the round theater and stage in the center works well for this production and every seat is good. The story is very modern and relatable (and liberal — maybe don’t take someone super conservative). You can get lottery tickets on today tix for $ 35!

Fun-​eral Home is staged in a small 360 arena offering audience an intimate view of the scene from various angles. Different from larger popular Broadway shows, this plays to under 800 audience by a small cast of 10 people with minimal costumes and basic house furniture sets. Voices often not strong enough to rise above the orchestra, character portrayal could run deeper to take advantage of close audience proximity. Interesting theme on LGBT issues. Songs original, though not catchy. Watch other big shows first, then explore this as new perspective to intimate 360 stage play.

Fun Home is exactly why I need to visit Broadway more often. I was a bit skeptical going into it, even with all the awards and accolades it’s received, but I can say now with conviction that this musical with absolutely worth your while.
Everything about Fun Home is original — the story, the characters, the songs. Fun Home, as a production, truly is an example where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. As I watched it, I was taken through the full gambit of emotions. It’s smart, funny, witty, catchy, cute, thought-​provoking, tragic and emotional. And the feels… OH THE FEELS!
Without giving too much away, the story is set in three ages of one woman’s (Alison’s) life. And it tries to solve the sort of classic mystery that keeps most all of us wondering about our own lives: Who are the people that made me into who I am today?
The entire cast — both adults and kids — is a complete wonder to watch. Those kids are too damn cute and too damn talented. It’s bonkers. And not to be forgotten, the amazing orchestra ensemble. Really can’t say enough good things about everyone involved in the production.
The venue is The Circle in the Square, which has stadium style seating around the stage. The dimensions are fairly comparable to small tennis stadium, where the stage is the court. The upsides are that the acoustics are great and that there are really no bad seats in the house.
So please do yourself a favor come for the show. I promise you, Fun Home will deliver.

300^th review! Hehe.
After many many sad and heartbroken attempts of entering the online lottery with a friend, we finally won tickets today for the matinée show. For $ 35, we each got fantastic seats (although there isn’t a single bad seat because of how the theater is set up). The Circle in the Square is an intimate theater, and offers a 360 degree view of the stage, which is very interesting. It definitely lent to the theme of creating a more intimate, dramatic effect. Note that it is short at 100 minutes and there is no intermission (go to the restroom before. Please.). If you leave your seats, they WILL reseat you towards the back.
No, this is not your next-​door super-​fantastical Wicked. It’s not «magical» and perhaps you don’t leave the theater buzzing with starry eyes.
But this drama musical focuses more on the internal conflicts and emotions of a dysfunctional family — a family that tries to portray themselves to the outside world as perfection, as demonstrated from their museum of a house. It touches upon many raw subjects, such as homosexuality, adultery, childhood stress to gain parental approval and their possible backlashes. I definitely felt my heart strings tugged at various scenes.
It was neither overly dramatic (as The Curious Incident felt for me) nor overly in-​your-​face about homosexuality.
The songs aren’t addictive, but they are touching. I also really enjoyed the pacing of the musical; the director’s choice of transition is amazing.
Some argue that it’s not «worth their money». Once again, your money doesn’t go into cool snazzy lights (although I quite liked the lighting), lightning-​quick costume changes or elaborate sets. But come for a moving performance, and Fun Home’ll deliver.
I’ve watched 30+ Broadways and this could easily make my Top 5.

Of the four musicals I caught recently on Broadway during a whirlwind weekend of my own doing, this was the one with which I was the least familiar having based my ticket purchase purely on its 2015 Tony win as Best Musical. It’s playing at the Circle in the Square which is an intimate venue for Broadway, especially compared to the bombastic, long-​running «Wicked» next door. There was the feel of a neighborhood playhouse about it, especially when the musical’s star performer, Michael Cerveris, walked out of the lobby almost unrecognized with his little dog in tow (photo:
).
As it turned out, it’s a small subterranean theater with not a bad seat in the house given that the center stage extends out to the audience on three sides. In fact, we were all forewarned to go to the restroom before the show began since we couldn’t leave our seats during the 100-​minute running time. The lack of an intermission and relatively sparse staging worked out fine as this turned out to be a mesmerizing, introspective memory play adapted from Alison Bechdel’s 2006 autobiographical graphic novel. The central character is Alison, who is presented at three different ages often concurrently onstage.
Small Alison is a fearless child, teenaged Alison is a college student struggling with her sexual identity, and adult Alison is a 43-​year-​old lesbian cartoonist who looks back on the key episodes of her life that defined her. As expected, her dysfunctional family is at the core of the story presented in a cyclone of various emotions and moods that seem random at first but gradually turn into a coherent storyline that connects her intractably with her parents. Barely recognizable in his period-​authentic hairpiece, Cerveris plays Alison’s father Bruce, an erudite man who lives a double life maintaining appearances at home as a demanding figure.
At the same time, Bruce is a closet case smitten with the young men he picks up in clandestine places with increasing frequency. It’s a tough, opaque role, but Cerveris (whom I last saw on Broadway as Juan Peron in the «Evita» reboot) keeps a precarious balance between sympathetic and manipulative in his incisive portrayal. Judy Kuhn is equally fine as Alison’s mother Helen fully aware of Bruce’s proclivities and concealing her resentment in a palpably halting manner. The three Alisons get their moments to shine. Gabriella Pizzolo as small Alison and Beth Malone as adult Alison are affecting.
The standout, however, is Emily Skeggs as teenaged Alison who makes a most empathetic impression, especially in her scenes with Roberta Colindrez as the liberated Joan. Jeanine Tsori’s music and Lisa Kron’s book and lyrics come together seamlessly into a tapestry of thoughtful, often heartbreaking moments. Penetrating songs such as Kuhn’s haunting «Days and Days», Cerveris’ desperate «Edges of the World», and especially Malone and Cerveris’ yearning duet, «Telephone Wire», reflect an acute intelligence all too rare on Broadway these days. If you’ve seen «Wicked» a half-​dozen times already, it’s time to consider walking next door.

I will do my best to describe this brilliant and highly original musical, but you truly have to see it for yourself. All of its Tony awards are well-​deserved. The acting, music, dialogue and set were all incredibly memorable.
Fun Home is based on Alison Bechdel’s autobiography of the same name. I recommend reading the book before you see the show, although I can also see merit to walking in with no idea what to expect. It is a very dark comedy with adult themes. The story is unlike anything I have ever seen or read before. I laughed and I cried.
I strongly recommend that everyone try to see it with the original cast while they are still there! I was in awe of their talent. Although I loved every single cast member, Sydney Lucas stole the show as «Young Alison.» Her voice gave me chills. In close second, Michael Cerveris did an amazing job playing Alison’s father. It’s even more impressive when you see him out of character, because he is nothing like the role he plays! Beth Malone did an amazing job playing adult Alison. She looks just like her!
The music in this show is beautiful. Sydney Lucas singing «Ring of Keys» was an incredible experience. It’s so impressive to see someone own the stage at such a young age. I also love the scene when the three children dance in the funeral home. Beth Malone and Michael Cerveris singing «Telephone Wire» was extremely moving.
Fun Home is shown in a small, intimate theater that holds a little less than 800 people: «Circle In the Square Theatre.» There is no bad seat in the house. The audience completely surrounds the set, which was really cool to be a part of!
To make the show even more lovable, the entire cast is down to earth and kind to their fans. We stood outside after the show and they all hung out and talked to me and my mom for almost an hour! The children were so cute and polite. I just loved them. I was also very impressed with how gracious and modest Michael Cerveris is. He was so kind to every single person, especially my mom (which will always earn you bonus points with me!)
Truly a must-​see for any Broadway fan!

Very charming and original play. I can see why the critics were all over the show, and I was fortunate enough to be able to go during Pride weekend. If you haven’t been to Circle in the Square Theatre, you will notice that it is a much more intimate experience, and you will be much closer to your action. Be aware that there is no intermission and they will not let you in late, but this is typical of plays here.
This is a story of a girl and her self-​discovery through her childhood and teenage years to a young gay woman in college. In the meantime, she also discovers her own father’s infidelity and her mother’s misery. Very heavy subject matter but the play was written in a very relatable and honest way. We were concerned at first that Young Alison was going to be played by the understudy, but she was exceptional (best part of the show.) If you have a chance to see it, definitely go!
(For those of you who are currently students, very good seats are available from
at under $ 45.)

Let’s just say I loved every bit of Fun Home. Fun Home is a Broadway musical and drama based on Alison Bechdel’s 2006 comic book style memoir. Would that make it a dramical. dramacal?
The coming of age story unravels in a non-​linear way told through the adult eyes of Alison as she reflects back to her younger years with her family, how she came to realization of who she is and her lesbianism, with a focus on her relationship with her closeted gay father, Bruce.
There are three actors playing Alison, Sydney Lucas playing Young Alison, Emily Skeggs playing College-​Years Alison and Beth Malone as the narrator and 40-​something Alison.
I loved all three Alisons. Alison’s story of growing up and struggling really touched my heart. Young Alison is phenomenal.
The children in the play were cute and made me laugh, sigh, and cry. There were funny moments in the play as well as dramatic moments. The cutest and funniest scene for me was when the kids were pretending to make a commerical for their father’s funeral home that they nickname Fun Home.
The only part that I had trouble with is the seats we had were close to the orchestra so the music drowned out the voices. I had a hard time making out what some of the actors were saying/​singing whenever the orchestra were playing. So I would recommend getting seats far from the orchestra. As far as best seats for viewing the play, there is literally hardly any bad seats. The stage is in the center of the room and lower in the room. All the seats are stadium style and the audience looks downward onto the stage. The scenes and sets drop down into the floor. That was actually pretty cool.
I wholeheartedly recommend everyone to run to get tickets to Fun Home. Don’t miss it! I hope everyone who goes to see Fun Home enjoys it as much as I did.

I haven’t seen too many Broadway plays, but I do know that this play is very original in its storyline.
Part of it is about growing up at «Fun Home,» a cute euphemism for the family run funeral home. The other part of it is about the main protagonist’s struggle with her sexuality, as well as growing up as a lesbian.
Most of this play deals with the resulting family dynamics and the struggles between the main protagonist (Allison) and her family members. There are three different actresses, portraying three different eras in Allison’s life. This moves nonlinearly throughout the play and shows Allison, as a kid, as a college student, and as an adult.
The orchestra was amazing and the sound of the room’s acoustics were fantastic.
The assembled cast of actors/​actresses meshed well together. They seemed very much like a family on stage. I particularly enjoyed the acting and singing portions of the young children. It’s kinda fascinating to see kids so young being able to perform so well.
I saw this at circle in the square theater, which is very different in its layout. The theater has stadium style seating, around the stage. The stage is at the bottom/​floor level. The positive attributes of this kind of layout seems to be no bad seats in the house.
Thanks, Unilocal and Ruggy for the tickets! It was an awesome time.