‘Fun Home’ looks for connection, answers
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of talk about isolation. As people have stayed home more and more, missing much of the human contact that had been the norm, concern has grown about the mental and emotional effects of so much social isolation.
But the worst kind of isolation, and one laid bare in the Tony-winning musical “Fun Home,” is isolation from your true self. Without being authentic, how can you forge any real connection with others?
“Fun Home” is onstage at Theater West End in Sanford, and this is the first time I’ve noticed that particular motif so strongly at the forefront of the musical’s various themes. The story, based on graphic novelist Alison Bechdel’s life, depicts her journey as she comes to terms with her sexuality and struggles to understand her father.
Bechdel tells the audience at the top of the show that her father, Bruce, was gay and killed himself. Then in a series of scenes, as she works on an autobiographical novel, we see key memories from her past.
Director Tara Kromer has cast her production exceedingly well, from the naturalistic work by the child performers to the seductive energy of Jose Rivera as various men who catch Bruce’s eye.
Quinn Roberts plays Bruce with an air of strained detachment
from the other performers — emphasizing the isolation he feels.
That makes the audience sit up and take notice on the rare occasions he connects with daughter Alison, and it also makes her emotional struggle more heart-wrenching.
The three women playing Alison at various stages of her life convey a natural progression of the same character. Brighteyed Victoria Salisbury, as the youngest incarnation, radiates inquisitiveness. Faith Janicki, as college-age Alison, offers a beautiful look at the angst and joy of self-discovery; her “Changing My Major” is a showstopper.
As contemporary Alison, Jennica McCleary spends much of the show reacting to her own memories. She plays those scenes perfectly — her expressive face reflecting the emotion of the moment without overreacting. And McCleary delivers an emotional wallop at play’s end.
Playing Alison’s first girlfriend, Lena Feliciano brings a delightful grounded quality to counter
this unusual family.
Danielle Lang nicely preserves the enigmatic quality of Alison’s mother for much of the show, though her climactic number could use more drama to emphasize the strain under which she has lived.
Music director Jason M. Bailey’s musicians were a bit overpowering at the start of opening night but quickly found their balance. Indigo Leigh’s
costumes have a fun and appropriately nostalgic feel — ah, the horizontal stripes of the 1970s — with attention to detail down to how belts were worn.
And special mention must be made of Cliff Price’s graphic scenic design, the slickest set I’ve seen at Theater West End. Paired with Samuel Finken’s lighting, its imagery puts you right in Alison’s head, in the middle of her black-and-white world that
is far grayer than she would like. In this handsome production, that’s a compelling place to be.