Review: Fun Home (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester)

Review by Molly Gulvin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In 2006, Alison Bechdel released her graphic memoir Fun Home. Twenty years later, the musical adaptation of the work makes its regional premiere at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, as part of the theatre’s 50th anniversary ‘Homecoming’ programme. The programme name is ironically suitable for this work, which studies perceptions of home as you evolve personally. A show that explores queerness, family and upbringing, Fun Home aims to achieve a lot - but would this production soar, or simply be “Not Too Bad”?

This is not Fun Home’s first appearance in the UK: after receiving critical acclaim in the US - including five Tony Awards - the show opened at the Young Vic theatre in 2018, receiving three Olivier Award nominations. The show focuses on the Bechdel family, particularly on Alison’s exploration of her lesbian identity and her relationship with her father Bruce, who is a closeted gay man. The narrative is centred on Alison creating her memoir, with the scenes played out by two younger versions of herself (aptly named ‘Small Alison’ and ‘Medium Alison’). In a series of non-chronological scenes, Alison takes the audience through her life: her upbringing and the hardships that stemmed from her closeted father’s frustrations; her college life, as she comes to terms with her identity and meets her first girlfriend; and the present, as she is forced to confront her unresolved trauma from her father’s suicide. The work places a spotlight on the inherent nature of queer identities and how the manifestation of this can appear differently between people. 

There is something wonderfully natural about Lisa Kron’s book: each scene feels like an authentic glimpse into an imperfect home, with light moments throughout that add dimension to the stories and characters. However, Kron is also unafraid to tackle the harsher elements of Bechdel’s narrative, creating powerful moments filled with pure emotion. Her lyrics, alongside Jeanine Tesori’s music, accompany the narrative smoothly, creating a rich score that is full of musical highlights. The score is diverse and interesting throughout, with highlights including “Changing My Major” and “Helen’s Etude” (to name just a few). The work takes command of the complexity of its themes, creating a book and score that are filled with moments that demonstrate the nuance necessary to make a wonderful musical. 

Former Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange, Sarah Frankcom, returns to direct this production, and her guidance is clear in every beat. Her vision allows the raw nature of the work to shine, resulting in a production that has grace and elegance in even its harshest moments. Even the simplest of motions can appear highly choreographed; while this occasionally creates a slight emotional disconnect, it also yields some of the most stunning, contemplative beats in the production. The entire artistic product is clearly aligned to one creative view, allowing the production to land every beat with power and heart. 

Fun Home has an incredible team of performers behind it, each adding their own dynamic to the production that leads to a very strong ensemble performance throughout. It is difficult not to name every actor as a highlight, as each performer brings nuance and dedication to their role, leading to a myriad of wonderful individual performances. Nigel Harman shines as Bruce in a powerful and emotive turn, while Alice Audrey O’Hanlon is wonderful as Medium Alison, with a performance that can lift hearts and shatter them in equal amounts. Alex Young and Jodie McNee, playing Helen and adult Alison respectively, both shine in their roles, bringing emotional depth that feels as though it wraps around the auditorium and pulls audiences inside. Above all, though, the young company in this production absolutely shine. The nine performers, split across three teams, are asked to work with a piece that has an exceptionally wide emotional range, vocal parts that are highly technically demanding and, let’s not forget, the task of completing the above with an American accent! The young performers that I watched - Harriet O’Shea, Reuben Shepherd and Theo Wake - surpass all expectations. Harriet O’Shea, playing Small Alison, was particularly outstanding: she takes the character of Alison in her stride, providing emotional nuance well beyond her years. 

There are a variety of technical elements that are each executed to an exceptionally high standard, flowing together easily to form an overall creative vision that aids the production in a variety of ways. Peter Butler’s set and costume designs are lovely throughout. His set designs show a clear care for the performance being set in the round, including a turntable that is incredibly effective for the space and commanding chandelier-style lights that rise and fall during the performance. Butler’s costume designs are also lovely, particularly the costumes worn by Alison (or the three Alisons, to be precise): there is a clear progression in the character’s confidence and self-expression that can be seen in the outfits that are worn and the stylistic choices that are made. Bethany Gupwell’s lighting designs fulfil their purpose wonderfully, particularly in demonstrating the clash between the presentation of the Bechdel home and the reality behind it. The sound design of this production, courtesy of Tony Gayle, is brilliant, and every word can be heard with pure clarity. Matthew Malone’s musical supervision - along with the note-perfect band - ties each element together, ensuring that each creative element is given the basis upon which to flourish.

Fun Home is a wonderful and cathartic exploration of queer identities in a multitude of different ways, and this production embraces the text with open arms. With themes that will resonate with every audience member in some way, a score that has moments of genius throughout and a cast that provides remarkable performances across the board, this production delivers a deeply moving performance from start to finish. I can only hope that, beyond this run, further audiences will be allowed to experience the raw power of this production that leaves an impact long after the final bows.

Fun Home plays at the Royal Exchange Theatre until 1st August. Tickets are available from https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/event/fun-home/

Photos by Johan Persson