Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home on Broadway [SIV396]
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- 4/17/15: Vermont cartoonist Alison Bechdel published her graphic novel Fun Home in 2006. The best-selling book told the tale of the author’s tumultuous childhood in rural Pennsylvania and the complex events that lead to the tragic death of her closeted father.
In 2013, a musical adaptation of Fun Home was mounted at The Public Theater in New York with book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and music by Jeanine Tesori. In March, Fun Home moved to Circle in the Square Theatre and opened to rave reviews on April 19th.
The musical depicts three versions of Alison (small, middle and 43-years-old) and jumps frenetically through time, slowly unfolding her emotionally charged tale. Playing the role of Alison’s little brother is 11-year-old Vermonter Oscar Williams. Oscar got Stuck in Vermont in November of 2014 when he shared his dream of performing on Broadway - which has now come true.
Eva and Seven Days’ cofounder Pamela Polston got temporarily unstuck from Vermont to see the show and meet up with Alison and Oscar on Broadway.
Music: Al Jolson, “I’m Sitting on Top of the World,” Fun Home, Music by Jeanine Tesori, Book & Lyrics by Lisa Kron
Note: Alison’s childhood home in Beech Creek, PA which plays such a large role in the book and the musical is now for rent by new owners. Alison and some of the cast stayed there and you can too!
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This episode of Stuck in Vermont was made possible by Hotel Vermont and Vermont Tourism.
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What a great interview! Alison seems to be such a down to earth person.
I love her so much. She is so nice and sweet! So amazing! She is such a role model for lots of people including me.
I saw it when it came to Toronto and I'm so glad I did. It's an excellent show.
How did I miss this superb, human, touching interview 7 years ago
Glad you found it! :)
I'm actually originally from Alison's childhood hometown. (comprised of two pages of people in a phone book, including miles of farmhouses in the township). I noticed with amusement, one of the very few poetic song lyric licenses that was taken by the Tessori team..there is NO department store anywhere in Beech Creek!! not a single, solitary stoplight, even! Blink once or twice on Main Street and you're suddenly across the bridge into Blanchard!
But the essence of the story WAS brilliantly captured.
Bruce waa a deacon at my church, the same church his wonderfully fun, VERY talkative sisters attended; Mrs. Eleanor Miller, my beloved 4th grade teacher, and the hilarious Jane Pool. (As a child, I often sat behind them, wishing I could hear better what they were whispering and quietly laughing about!) Just sent delighful Jane a 100th birthday card the other month to her care home. At the end of church services, when I was visiting my parents, Jane would always come up to me and encourage me to get in touch with Alison at the time when we were both in NYC, but I felt awkward calling someone whom I'd never even had a conversation with (she is 5 years younger than me, and she attended a Catholic church in another town.)
I totally understand Alison's Mom telling her to leave the Beech Creek area. Scenically gorgeous though it may be, with, many great childhood memories, by the time I was in college, with SO many nearby industries (Piper Aircraft, Hammermill Paper Company, etc) leaving the area, had a management and engineer brain drain, largely left behind a sizeable pool of bigoted, minimum wage workers, so I also felt a strong urge to flee the area.
I actually had a (misplaced, as it were) crush on Bruce Bechdel (every week at my church, he would pass out communion plates and then collection plates, walking row by row, and, as he approached, I would sit up a little taller! )
Bruce was also my family funeral director, who kindly helped me put on my coat when I was stuggling with my emotions, in Jr. High, ugly crying, shaking, unable to put on my own coat to leave my Grandmother's funeral to head to the church cemetary.
Bruce was also my 12th grade English teacher. Funny story: He confiscated a love note from my high school boyfriend that I wrote, and graded it. I got an A minus! Ha!
When I came back to my hometown to visit, and Mom informed of Bruce'. Bechdel's accident and death, I was devastated....and very angry. He was one of the few extremely intelligent, classy, elegant people who hadn't moved away from that economically depressed area, (with the exception of his very elegant, intelligent, beautiful wife), and his untimely death deeply upset me.
Only after "Fun Home" was released and was such a success, did my Aunt Maxine reveal to me that she and my Mom were behind the bread truck that horrendous day. My aunt told me that the bread truck driver was devastated. My Mom remained frozen in her car, horrified, while my aunt ran to the nearest house to call for an ambulance. After learnimg this shocking new information, I asked Mom why she never told me that she and Aunt Maxine were first on the scene. She said she didn't want to upset me. (I also suspect Mom didn't want to think or talk about it).
During the last decades of my late Mom's life, she became very friendly with Bruce's sister, Jane, via the church care group that went visiting the housebound and hospitalized. Jane gave Mom some smashing hand me downs from her (largely lime green) clothing closet that Mom also enjoyed "rocking". Jane was hilariously irreverent and quick-witted, and my Mom could also be very quick witted with funny retorts.
Another connection was through Millbrook Playhouse, on whose board, Bruce was a member. His wife, Helen and I, actually were cast in 2 shows together at Millbrook Playhouse, and I was able to see a bit more of her personality there, than when she was my substitute English teacher or my substitute Music teacher.
A lot of connections... I suspect Bruce is quite happy that his story has been told in a very introspective way, fleshing out his truth. The fact that this musical was a catharsis to all his 3 offspring, allowing a mutual emotional release for them, speaks to "Fun Home'"s emotional truth.
Footnote: I also suspect Bruce is pleased about the brief Gatsby mention. When I had him for 12th grade English, that was one of our assigned books. He seemed to have more than a slight connection to 'The Great Gatsby".
Thank you, Bruce Bechdel, for being one of the first to introduce me to fine literature, and for being one of the first to help me begin to expand my sights beyond the myopics of Beech Creek, Pennsylvania.
This is brilliant! Love Alison's story and the musical are both so beautiful! Make the trip to NYC and see it!
Jonathan Marro Thanks very much! We Vermonters are so proud of Alison!!
One of the best Broadway shows ever!!! Loved it !!,
If she were a bit younger, I imagine Alison Bechdel to be the secret love child of John Oliver and Rachel Maddox. Three of my favorite entertainers.
I think you win the comments section, thanks for this! :)
Hey! I've been wanting to do interviews with Broadway people for my blog. How does one go about doing that?
My question exactly. Did you have success?
I'm so sorry for this poor soul that she has to live in Vermont. I'm ok with everything she is about but dam girl, Vermont?????
Don't worry, I like being stuck here. ;)
I hear they have great senators there.