On Friday, December 5th, select DHS English classes and the cast of the upcoming DHS musical, “Six: Teen Edition”, travelled to the Huntington Theatre in Boston to see the musical “Fun Home”.
“Fun Home” is a Tony Award-winning musical based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir, “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic”. Bechdel is maybe best known for her creation of the Bechdel Test in 1985. A movie or television show passes the Bechdel Test if it features at least two women talking to each other about something other than a man.
“Fun Home” itself features Bechdel travelling through different moments in her own life in order to write her graphic memoir. While Bechdel is travelling through moments in her life, she encounters younger versions of herself. It was fascinating to see scenes of Bechdel observing her own life, and very impressive how clearly visuals shifted between moments within Bechdel’s childhood to moments within her college experience. The relationship between Bechdel and her father illustrated complication and depth, and as perfect as Bechdel’s father tried to make her family seem, it was clear that they were far from that.
The enthralling storyline was taken a step further with the actors’ and actresses’ musical talents. One fan-favorite song from the musical is “Ring of Keys,” sung by a young version of Alison Bechdel. The song was sung at the 2015 Tony Awards, effectively drawing more attention to “Fun Home”.
The story of “Fun Home” portrays that one needs to understand their own past before one can understand their present and future, a concept prevalent throughout the musical.
The set design was also impressive, as chandeliers dropped from the ceiling and impressive Victorian decoration adorned the set, depicting Bechdel’s childhood home.
“Fun Home” was an amazing true story, highlighting the unique types of struggles that different families go through.
