Toronto of FUN HOME Slated for 2017-18 Off-Mirvish Season

David Mirvish will welcome the Musical Stage Company to the Off-Mirvish Season with its production of the multi-award-winning musical FUN HOME as part of the 2017-18 Off-Mirvish Season. The show will play the Panasonic Theatre beginning April 2018.

This ground-breaking new musical based on Alison Bechdel's best-selling graphic memoir was the winner of five Tony Awards, including 'Best Musical'. It also won 'Best Musical' from the New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards, Obie Awards, Lucille Lortel Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, and Off-Broadway Alliance Awards.

The Musical Stage Company was founded 13 years ago by Mitchell Marcus, who is the company's artistic and managing director. The company has previously been known as Acting Up Stage and has built a sterling reputation for excellent productions of important contemporary musical works. Among its past triumphs are the Canadian premieres of CAROLINE OR CHANGE, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, GREY GARDENS and PASSING STRANGE. This will be the company's first collaboration with Off-Mirvish.

This Canadian premiere will be directed by Robert McQueen, who has helmed many Acting Up Stage productions and who worked with Mirvish Productions for many years on the long-running Canadian production of MAMMA MIA!

FUN HOME first played Off-Broadway at The Public Theatre in the fall of 2013. It transferred to Broadway in March 2015, where it was both a critical and commercial success, winning five Tony Awards and playing for 608 performances.

The musical is structured as a memory play, with the adult "Alison" struggling to write a graphic novel memoir. At 43 years old, Alison is attempting to untangle her complex relationship with her deceased father, a very complex character himself, full of contradictions and quirks.

She thinks back to her childhood, seeing herself as 10-year-old "Small Alison" and learning to deal with her unusual family's life. Although both her parents teach high school, the family also runs a side business - a funeral parlour in a small community for which all the family has to pitch in. The family calls it their "fun home."

She also remembers herself as 19-year-old "Medium Alison," beginning her post-secondary education and discovering her sexuality, eventually coming out as a lesbian. Around the same time, her father's life becomes even more complex and problematic, and she begins to unravel the secrets her father has kept far away from his family.
FUN HOME received worldwide critical acclaim for its stunning musical score and heartbreaking storytelling.

The remainder of the 2017-18 Off-Mirvish Season will be announced soon.