Theatrius
  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us
  • Search Icon

Theatrius

Theater Reviews—San Francisco and Beyond

“Fun Home” Bursts with Love & Feeling—at Berkeley Playhouse

“Fun Home” Bursts with Love & Feeling—at Berkeley Playhouse

March 3, 2023 Philippa Kelly

Bechdel, Kron, Tesori Chart Musical Trail to Queer Identity

by Bailey Huston, Umut Yalcinkaya, and Philippa Kelly

Under William Thomas Hodgson’s subtle and beautiful direction, “Fun Home” shines with fresh feeling. The acting, singing and music captivate us, as father and daughter unfold their adventures of sexual self-discovery.

Spinning through Alison’s coming out as a lesbian, “Fun Home,” was first staged in 2015 by writer Lisa Kron and composer Jeanine Tesori, winning Best Musical Tony Award. The musical is gorgeously realized now at Berkeley Playhouse, leaving us thinking, laughing, and yes, singing, long after its close.

Diego Osorio (John), Ayla Klasen (Small Alison}, Sawyer Ciruli (Christian). Photos: Ben Krantz Studio

Based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel where she tells her own life story, “Fun Home” introduces us to Bechdel’s father Bruce (the wonderful Mark P. Robinson), clean-cut and bright-as-a-button, a teacher at the local school. And here’s the “fun home” part—Bruce also runs a funeral home out of the family’s antique Victorian house. The idea of last-stops and renovations reverberate as we watch Bruce struggle to control the pieces of his broken self, locked in anguish and confusion amidst the merriment.

The main character of Alison is split between three actors from three generations: Small Alison (Ayla Klasen), Medium Alison (Maia Campbell), and Adult Alison (Lucca Troutman). Campbell’s playful and delicious portrayal of “Medium Alison” connects beautifully with her younger and older selves.

Through the triple Alisons’ shifting historical lens, we see the damage Bruce causes to wife Helen (pitch-perfect Alison Ewing) and Alison’s two little brothers (irrepressible Sawyer Ciruli and Diego Ororio).

Sawyer Ciruli, Mark P. Robinson (Bruce), Ayla Klasen (Small Alison), Alison Ewing* (Helen), and Diego Osorio.

Dad is strict with his three children: “You are NOT allowed to hide in the coffins—get out of there!” But the children know their way around him. The Bechdel kids are funny and charismatic as they sing and dance their way into our souls.

Alison lets us know early on that the only way for Bruce’s family to escape is for him to escape them. Perhaps we can’t help gritting our teeth through the laughter as we await the father’s liberating moment.

But there’s darkness on the horizon, in the figure of a delightful William Thompson, playing several young guys who tempt Bruce to transgress his tightly-wound identity. In his deepest self, Bruce struggles to cope with the sexual embargoes of his time. His longing casts a poignant backdrop for his daughter’s journey toward love and self-acceptance.

Lindsay Kathyrn Ford (Joan) & Maia Campbell (Medium Alison). Photos: Ben Krantz Studio

The spectacular set, designed by Angrette McCloskey and Sarah Phykitt, is fabulously built out by Cal Shakes’ Scene Shop. The set plays with fascinating shapes that loosely represent a house, with strips of LED lighting that flexibly change the scene.

Watching Lindsay Kathryn Ford’s portrayal of Joan, Alison’s girlfriend at college, is a treat. While the connection with Joan nurtures Alison’s discovery of a tender, loving, and supportive side of queerness, Alison’s new-found freedom brings the family’s dark secrets into the light.

“Fun Home” shows two generational paths to queer identity—both under intense social scrutiny—and Alison’s path to joy triggers her father’s sad demise. Director Hodgson’s emotion-packed production is a beauty.

 

“Fun Home” –book & lyrics by Lisa Kron, music by Jeanine Tesori, based on the graphic novel Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, directed by William Thomas Hodgson, at Berkeley Playhouse, Berkeley, California. Info: BerkeleyPlayhouse.org – to April 2, 2023.

Cast: Maia Campbell, Sawyer Ciruli, Alison Ewing, Lindsay Kathryn Ford, Ayla Klasen, Diego Osorio, Mark P. Robinson, Danielle Sutro, Will Thompson, Lucca Troutman, Kyle Walsh, and Rowen Weeramantry.

Banner photo: Ayla Klasen (Small Alison). Photos: Ben Krantz Studio


#Comedy, #Gay, #Lesbian, Kids, Musical, songs

Post navigation

NEXT
“SIX, The Musical” Celebrates Women’s Freedom & Individuality—at BroadwaySF
PREVIOUS
“Dear San Francisco” Wows with Kaleidoscopic Acrobatics—at Club Fugazi
Comments are closed.

Menu

  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us

BLM

Black Lives Matter

Subscribe for upcoming reviews!
Loading

Current Shows

  • “Private” Tears A Marriage Wide Open—at SFBATCO
  • “Dry Powder” Spotlights Wall Street Power-Brokers—at Left Edge
  • “Pride and Prejudice, The Musical” Enchants with Sass & Satire—at Ross Valley
  • “Clue” Melds Mystery & Comedy into Entertaining Adventure—at SF Playhouse
  • “Donna”: Intimate Interviews Celebrate Trans Triumphs—On Screen
  • “Fannie”: Sixties Spirituals Pave Path to Freedom—at TheatreWorks
  • “’Tasha” Tackles Raw Racism—at 3Girls
  • “Tea Party” Brews Up a Cup of America—at The Strand
  • “A Raisin in the Sun” Explodes with Drama and Power—at 6th Street
  • “Cambodian Rock Band” Deserves Its Standing Ovation—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Cambodian Rock Band” Mixes Nostalgic Hits with Terror—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Fun Home” Seduces with Strong Songs & Sultry Sass—at Berkeley Playhouse
  • “Anything Goes”: It’s Delightful, It’s Delicious, It’s De-lovely—at 42nd Street Moon
  • “SIX, The Musical” Celebrates Women’s Freedom & Individuality—at BroadwaySF
  • “Fun Home” Bursts with Love & Feeling—at Berkeley Playhouse

About us:

If you want to see the best plays & performances around the San Francisco Bay or beyond, read our reviews. We promise to give you a true report on the best shows.
Bay Area Critics Circle

Barry David Horwitz, Editor of Theatrius, is a Voting Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle, SFBATCC. Follow us on: facebook.com

© 2023   All Rights Reserved.