THEATRE REVIEW: "Fun Home" at the Oriental Theatre (Chicago, IL)

     On November 3rd, 2016, a friend and I went to see the Lisa Kron / Jeanine Tesori musical "Fun Home" at the Oriental Theatre (now called the Nederlander Theatre) in Chicago, IL.  This musical was based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel.  This was one of the shows that was included with the 2016 Broadway in Chicago Spring Subscription Series that I got as a Christmas present from my parents the year before.  I am not sure why "Fun Home" was included, since the National Tour didn't come to Chicago until the Fall of 2016 rather than the Spring.  That is not a complaint exactly.  The tour launched in Cleveland only a month before the Chicago Engagement (on October 2nd).  

     The Broadway Production of the musical, which had closed two months before, played at Circle in the Square Theatre, and therefore was a production designed to perform in a theatre-in-the-round configuration.  David Zinn was the scenic designer for that production.  The National Tour, which I saw in Chicago, was redesigned (apparently by David Zinn)  to perform in  proscenium theatres.  I wasn't particularly bothered by this.  There was a lot more going on at the time.

A photo of the Oriental Theatre marquee that I took (I make no apologies for using a filter).

    

      As far as the musical was concerned, I thought it was about an hour too long.  That is probably because there was no intermission and the show was nearly two hours in duration.  Plus,  while the show was advertised as an emotional powerhouse,  the chain of events in the plot were basically one depressing thing happening after another.  That doesn't exactly cause fluctuating emotions--and the show was made depressing by the talented cast.  

  

    The cast included Kate Shindle, Susan Moniz, Alessandra Baldacchino (former understudy in the Broadway Cast), Robert Petkoff, Karen Eilbacher, Robert Hager, Lennon Nate Hammond, Pierson Salvador, Anthony Fortino, Amanda Naughton, Sofia Trimarchi, Michael Winther and Abby Corrigan.  The original Broadway cast of "Fun Home" included Michael Cerveris, Judy Kuhn, Sydney Lucas, Beth Malone, Emily Skeggs, Roberta Colindrez, Zell Steele Morrow, Joel Perez, and Oscar Williams.

  

     

The touring company, and revised set design, of "Fun Home" (photo by Joan Marcus).

     At the time that I saw the show, before regional productions of "Fun Home" were developed, the National Tour wasn't the only proscenium production of the musical ever produced.  The off-Broadway premiere of "Fun Home," at The Public Theatre, was a proscenium production too.  That production ran from October 22nd, 2013 through January 12th, 2014, with preview performances having begun on September 30th, 2013.  The Broadway Production didn't open until April 19th, 2015, and ran until September 10th, 2016, with previews having begun on March 27th, 2015.  Even though I didn't really like "Fun Home," it was a smash at the 2015 Tony Awards.  "Fun Home" won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.  

     "Fun Home" is about Alison Bechdel's sexuality, her relationship with her closeted gay father, and her attempts to unlock the mysteries surrounding his life (leading right up to when he killed himself, I suppose).  Adult Alison, as narrator (played by Kate Shindle in the tour) narrates the musical, the story of which is told in a series of "non-linear" vinegarettes-oh, I meant to write vignettes.  That's what I get for relying on Wikipedia for the synopsis of "Fun Home."  Or I might have acid reflux while writing this.  It really was a stressful and upsetting show to watch.  An intermission would have helped.   

Kate Shindle as Alison and Robert Petkoff as Bruce (photo by Joan Marcus).