‘Fun Home’ on the road latest musical to push the envelope
NEW YORK >> There is a coffin sitting onstage. A lesbian is the narrator. There are no movie stars in it. And we are promised a suicide by Page 9 of the script.
“Fun Home,” which goes into Sunday’s Tony Awards tied for the most nominations, doesn’t sound like it has the makings of a hit in New York, much less on the road. Think again. While in the past most shows waited until Tonys were handed out before planning a tour, “Fun Home” announced a national tour during the 201617 season weeks before the ceremony, a sign that appetites for challenging fare is on the rise.
“We are living in an exciting time,” said Kristin Caskey, a “Fun Home” producer. “I don’t know if this would have existed 10 years ago.”
The poignant show, based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir about growing up as a lesbian with a closeted dad, coincides with the Supreme Court preparing to rule on whether to allow same-sex marriage nationwide.
“The show is capturing something about the cultural consciousness that is about this present moment,” said Sam Gold, its director. “This is the moment for a show like ‘Fun Home.’”
Broadway bookers and producers have had nervous moments before such recent edgy shows as “The Book of Mormon” and “Kinky Boots” hit the road, but they went on to considerable success.
“We all, as an industry, have underestimated or been condescending maybe about what the American public has an appetite for,” said Meredith Blair, president of The Booking Group, one of the top agencies.
Blair, whose 12-member team is planning the tours of “Fun Home,” “Something Rotten!” “An American in Paris” and “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” among many others, learned plenty when she booked the tour for “Rent.”