BroadwayWorld has a first look at the Toronto debut production of FUN HOME, slated for the Panasonic Theatre this spring! In the video, Hannah Levinson, one of Toronto's Matildas, performs "Ring of Keys."
A Toronto native, prior to alternating in the title role in MATILDA played 'Lee Bouvier' in the Acting Up Stage Company production of the Tony Award-winning musical GREY GARDENS in Toronto.
With the Musical Stage Company, Mirvish will co-produce the five-time Tony Award-winning musical, FUN HOME. Director Robert McQueen's cast spans three generations of Canadian talent. The cast includes acclaimed veterans of Canadian theatre and screen, Evan Buliung and Cynthia Dale, performers who have already built an excellent body of work; Laura Condlln and Sara Farb, who are still in the early years of their careers; and young performers such as Hannah Levinson, who only at the age of 11 has already starred in Matilda The Musical and Grey Gardens.
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.
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