Review: FUN HOME at CV Rep

I don't know about your family, but mine was all about secrets. The two most common phrases were "That's none of your business" and "Don't tell your sister." It was a super warm and fuzzy dynamic.

In Fun Home, the Bechdel family has different secrets than my family, but they're secrets that the audience is privy to as they bubble up to the surface through the eyes of the eldest child, Allison - a graphic artist in search of a caption. It's the latest offering by Coachella Valley Repertory, and the second show with new artistic director Adam Karsten at the helm, and it is fantastic.

The show is based on the graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel. I'll be honest, I had never heard of a graphic memoir, so learning one had been turned into a musical was a double whammy. As it turns out graphic memoirs are one of the fastest-growing genres among teenage readers. (You never know what you don't know until you know it.)

This is a wonderful step in the evolution of the company, and if you are familiar with their past work, this reminds me of how impactful How I Learned To Drive was for me. Fun Home takes that up a notch and puts trauma to music and lyrics. It is a very personal journey that's ironically relatable. It is disquieting, to its core it's more than disturbing, yet it is often hilarious, and while much of the information we learn is not light-hearted - the play is joyous and full of laughs until it splits you in two.

Before I love on this production, I would like to say that the book and lyrics by Lisa Kron are absolutely brilliant. I'm off to find out what else she's done, because damn that is some fine writing. I want to hear/see/read everything she's ever done and will do. That being said, let's talk about this production.

I could use phrases like "Director Adam Karsten moved his actors across the stage with expert execution" but honestly, with the exception of a few choreographed moments in the songs, everything felt organic and authentic, which means you are never ever out of 'the moment'. And while that might seem like the point (and it is) sometimes directors get too precious with blocking and character action - a little too zealous. That is not the case here. When the lyrics are monologues, Karsten allows them to exist - they stay with the character, not encumbered by silly choreography. However silly is not off the table with a "commercial" that is similar to the make-believe of many of our childhoods. Karsten absolutely shows off his chops in this production; I'm toying with the word flawless in my head, and you know what? It fits.

Design

This is the second time Karsten has used the pre-curtain stage to titillate the audience, and I'm here for it. His delightful collusion with set designer Jimmy Cuomo becomes evident only after it is gone, until then it's just interesting and cool and keeps you busy until that moment is gone and you get that "Oh!" moment shortly thereafter. I like those.

Cuomo's set has moving parts, and Moira Wilkie Whitaker was well up to the task of lighting it. Tableaus appear and dissolve, and we are never confused as to whose moment this was. Sound design by Karlene Roller also fit the bill, although - humorous note on the sound layout - we were seated house left right in front of an on stage speaker and when the first phone cue was executed I nearly had a heart attack thinking I'd forgotten to turn off my phone (I hadn't).

Actors

This was an incredibly talented and cohesive cast that took every breath as the character they were portraying. There was a cohesion you could actually feel, like the family unit they were portraying.

Bruce Bechdel (Victor Wallace) is Alison's dad who is not just a funeral home director, but also the "fun guy" in the mom/dad dynamic, he is also a closeted gay man who has an even darker secret (not murder dark, but dark). His wife, Helen (Leslie Tinnaro) has that 1960s housewife sadness to her that doesn't quite fit the gaiety of the rest of the family until we learn why as she tells us in "Days" and I double dare you not to feel her torment. It took my breath away.

The family is rounded out by Small Alison (Keely Karsten), and her two little brothers Christian (Griffen Campbell) and John (Colton "CJ Wealand). I'm not sure if director and actor are related, but if talent is any indication, they are. All of the Alisons have a standout number, and for Keely Karsten it's "Ring of Keys" - an incredibly difficult melody and lyric that Keely handles like it was just a normal Tuesday (okay, it actually was Tuesday, but read between the lines). She has the same core (interior) design as Medium Alison and Alison in that you buy them as another version of themselves.

Medium Alison (Cecily Dowd) is college age and is finally exploring whether or not she's gay. Her suspicion is confirmed even before she has her first sexual experience with Joan (Charlotte Wallace) which leads to the funniest performance of the night, "Changing My Major." Dowd's Alison is as delightful as Small Alison, but she's the one that summits Mount Everest which adds even more joy to her portral. Wallace, as Medium Alison's sexual foil, gives us an experienced lesbian who very much cares about our girl.

Blake Kevin Dwyer plays a variety of Bruce's lovers. We never really get to know any of them, but they do vary in ages which Dwyer does a great job portraying. Each is not as much of a full blown character as they are the dark shadow that is Bruce's sexual orientation.

Alison (Kristen Howe), is our narrator, the adult, the one who has processed everything and is now in search of captions for her graphic memoir. She is introspective, completely self-aware, and is more often than not quite funny. She allows us to peek into her memories as she starts then discards those in search of better words. When she finally jumps into the action it is with the heartbreaking "Telephone Wire" - a dissonant pulsing duet with Alison desperately trying to reach Bruce with aching lyrics - "Say something" a request both of herself and of her father. If your eyes aren't brimming, congratulations on having a perfect childhood.

I will once again encourage you all to go see this production. The show is terrific, Michael Reno and his orchestra were outstanding, and the cast absolutely brings their all to the stage and at the very least reached this audience member.

One last personal note for anyone reading this: Secrets "F" everyone up. Maybe try not to have those?

TICKETS

CVRep Home Page

Photography by David A. Lee

Fun Home

Music by Jeanine Tesori

Book and lyrics by Lisa Kron

Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel

Cirector: Adam Karsten

Music Direction: Michael Reno

Cast:

Alison: Kristen Howe

Medium Alison: Cecily Dowd

Small Alison: Keeley Karsten

Bruce Bechdel: Victor Wallace

Helen Bechdel: Leslie Tinnaro

Joan: Charlotte Wallace

Roy/Mark/Pete/Bobby Jeremy: Blake Kevin Dwyer

Christian Bechdel: Griffen Campbel

John Bechdel: Colton "CJ" Wealand

Creative Team and Production Crew:

Production Stage Manager: John Galo

Assistant Stage Manager: Melina Ginn

Costume Design: Frank Cazares

Hair and Makeup Designer: Lynda Shaeps

Set Designer: Jimmy Cuomo

Technical Director/Lighting Designer: Moira Wilkie Whitaker

Prop Manager: Gustavo Sanchez

Sound Designer: Karlene "Kiki" Roller

Sound Engineer: Joshua Adams

Orchestra:

Piano: Michael Reno

Bass: Emiliano Villarreal

Drums: Dominique Torres

Guitar: Robert Scarano

Reeds: David M. Young

Cello: Richard Treat

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