I'll start off by introducing myself. I'm Cloudguy, a user on the site since 2013. While I may not have been active in the community, I've most definitely been active on the wiki. You've probably seen my face pop-up on pages all over the site.

I’m a massive fan of musicals and comics, but the idea of both is something that never occurred to me until I came across "Fun Home". What is Fun Home? Fun Home follows the life of Alison Bechdel from childhood to adulthood. A story about acceptance, sexuality, coming of age, and what lies can do to a family.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic was released in 2006 in the form of an Original Graphic Novel by Alison Bechdel to critical acclaim, winning an Eisner award among others. Seven years later it was adapted into one of the best musicals of the year, winning three Tony Awards. So, going into this I expected a lot out of it. And boy, I didn't expect how much it would connect with me.

Comic

As far as art goes it’s relatively simple, but it’s achieved in Alison's unique style. To achieve all the poses for characters, she goes through the tedious technique of photographing herself in the poses and then drawing them out. Simple and effective, yet it doesn’t look boring. Each panel is filled with things to look at but not enough to be too much. The line art style doesn't take away from the purpose of illustrating her own life in a way that feels unique and suits the style of the story. If anything, it's reminiscent of early newspapers strips.

The story itself is intriguing for sure, over the course of the book you connect with Alison, her mother (Helen), and most definitely her father (Bruce), who is a major part of the story. I had to keep reminding myself that this is an autobiography and not a work of fiction based on how heart-breaking it is. Making it seem real and believable is one of the hardest things a writer can do with a piece of non-fiction and Alison Bechdel did that for sure. While there are a few moments which I feel take some artistic liberties, they still feel as if they happened.

Alison is an interesting person; she’s a "dyke", as stated by herself. Over the course of the story we discover this alongside her as she delves into the LGBT community and what it’s like to come out as a lesbian to a family that struggles to show basic emotions to each other, anchored by an abusive father and a highly religious mother. Coming out as someone in the LGBT community is one of the hardest things a person can do and the way the book handles it is rather underwhelming - but the reason why makes it easier to understand.

As far as main a main character goes, Alison is that. But she’s not the type of character in a normal story you can root for, as there isn’t really much to root for. Many major plot points are brought up early and then explored throughout the narrative. This helps the reader understand how she deals with certain issues alongside the rest of her family, which is something that is done well in both the comic and musical.

What made this worthy of being made into a stage production? A musical even? Honestly, I don't know. But they made it work. From a narrative perspective, it made more sense to be adapted into just a stage production, but through the wonderful work of Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron they managed to turn simple moments into wonderful songs. What I believe turned it into a musical was the sheer potential that it had. Due to the style of the comic in which it jumps back and forth, it allows for a free-flowing story which could be told in any way.

Like a lot of musicals, they tend to cover emotions, trauma, and self-discovery and what each does to a person. Fun Home falls into that category easily. The themes made it worthy of a stage production; the story made it musical worthy.

Musical

Starring:

• Beth Malone - Alison Bechdel (Adult)
• Michael Cerberus - Bruce Bechdel
• Judy Kuhn - Helen Bechdel
• Sydney Lucas - Alison Bechdel (Child)
• Alexandra Socha - Alison Bechdel (Teen)

Honestly? I don’t know how they did it. I feel as if they made one of the most interesting adaptions from page to stage. Like the comic, which jumps back and forth in time to show how Alison's life was, the musical showcases her life in the same way and somehow manages to turn simple thoughts into songs, sometimes going to the point of having multiple timeframes co-aligning to help progress plot. Unlike the comic, adult Alison is almost always present watching over her younger selves with awe or distaste as she remembers her earlier life.

Alison is such an interesting character, she's someone you can connect to. She's innocent and open to everything. Her life makes her relatable whether or not you fall into the LGBT community. Two examples, everyone gets awkward around their crush or has family problems. She's a human, a real one that has real problems.

Enter Stage Right: Bruce Bechdel. The musical portrayal of Bruce didn’t quite hit the nail of how abusive and downright uncaring a person can be. Bruce is a unique factor in the story I never expected. He’s a married father of three. The twist? He’s gay. But so is Alison. The story truly follows Alison’s connection with her father who she grew up to have a dislike and borderline hate for, but still cares for him. I won’t go into details about their connection but I have to say, the Bechdel family is a sham. The story shows how important acceptance and trust can be to a family. Apart from family connections, the adaption did not contain many of the overarching plots.

I was impressed by the musical numbers. Some of the best songs come from brief moments in the comic such as Alison realizing she likes girls in “Ring of Keys" and Helen coming to terms with her husband’s actions in “Days and Days” performed by Judy Kuhn of Disney Pocahontas fame (My personal favorite). "Edges of the World" by Bruce Bechdel is a powerhouse of emotions and voice in regards to the song's context, which I won’t spoil.

I love almost everything about the musical apart from the important things brought up in the comic, such as Bruce’s childhood and the importance his actions have on his children’s future, but, like any adaptions, things have to be cut out. From a narrative perspective, this backstory shouldn’t have been omitted.

The musical combines dialogue and song effortlessly and it almost transitions perfectly into both, taking the time to slow down in the serious moments, but yet opening it up for a musical number once it happens. There are moments in the musical that doesn't come across as well compared to the comic, but obviously not every moment can be replicated perfectly. For example, in one of the opening panels, Alison as a child reflects back on how her father used to lift her up and she would act as if she was an airplane. This moment was instead turned into a recurring song.

How did the musical compare to the comic? Did it have the same impact? Yes, but in its own way. While the comic has a retrospective feel to it, as if we are looking back on it and realizing alongside Alison how bad her life was and how she dealt with it, the musical lets us experience it alongside her, making it even more emotional when you listen or watch what happens.

If you’re looking for a creative musical based on a comic then check out Fun Home, but you may want to skip it if you prefer less-depressing musicals. I feel, however, something like this should always be experienced, as many themes brought up can connect to almost everyone.

Conclusion

Why did it work? I think the reason why it worked so well was that it was such a risk. Basing a musical directly on a comic with an almost perfect adaption is something that hasn't happened successfully, but it worked. The powerhouse voices behind the characters paired with emotional songs and plot made it one of the few musicals to connect to people on a familial level. The musical is truly about looking back on something remembered and while realizing it wasn't what or how it was to be remembered. What then is true in memories?

I loved both forms of the story. The comic made it easier to understand the characters and their actions. The musical made me feel the so much more than the book. What I learned from the story is that your actions mean everything to others, whether it’s giving someone attention or lying about something. Small things can lead up to huge consequences in the future. And life is hard, whether or not it has been, currently is, or will be. Nothing is for sure.

Check out more of Alison Bechdel's work in Essential Dykes to Watch Out For & Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama.

Musical: 9/10 (5 Stars)

Comic: 8/10 (4. 5 Stars)