Review: FUN HOME at Studio Theatre

“Do you feel my heart saying hi?”

The character of “Small Alison” sings this line from her solo “Ring of Keys” in Fun Home, a 2013 musical by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron. In this moment, the childhood version of the show’s grown-up narrator experiences recognition and self-discovery when she sees a stranger who she finds “beautiful—no, handsome.” Alison’s heart shines through the show, giving audiences the warmest of greetings and welcoming us into her inner world.

Celebrated as the first Broadway musical with a lesbian protagonist, Fun Home is adapted from Alison Bechdel’s masterpiece graphic novel memoir, which chronicles the author’s coming of age under the shadow of her family’s complex relationships and funeral home business. Fun Home is non-linear, exploring different moments in Alison’s journey as she discovers her own sexuality and reflects on her father’s life and death. The musical version of Fun Home gives us three distinct versions of Alison – in addition to the adult one, who is our cartoonist emcee as we travel through Alison’s memories, we also get “Small” and “Medium” versions of her at ages 9 and 19.

The stunning production currently at Studio Theatre (directed by David Muse) beautifully captures the extremes of Alison’s story, from the stifling dimensions of family life in a small town to the epicness of profound revelations and sudden tragedy. It takes us to other extremes, too—from loneliness to the euphoria of sudden belonging, and from extremely painful confrontations to kids literally dancing around death while making an ad for the titular family “Fun Home.”

The set by Debra Booth is simple but lush with emotionally weighty detail, just like Bechdel’s cartoons. The story begins inside adult Alison’s cartooning studio, but memories of her childhood intrude as she works, until her entire household materializes in her imagination. These moments from her past are woven together by musical themes from Tesori’s brilliant score and a beautiful continuity between the three versions of Alison (played by Quinn Titcomb, Maya Jacobson, and Andrea Prestinario in ascending age order). Later on, the artist’s studio set gives way to the uncanny walls of her family home, and then into blank space when Alison and her dad go for a climactic drive together. 

In this dynamic ensemble piece, every actor has a shot at stealing the show, and the cast of Studio Theatre's production all rise to the challenge. Maya Jacobson as Medium Alison was especially outstanding, captivating the audience with charmingly relatable teenage awkwardness from her first moments on stage. Her solo “Changing My Major” showcased stellar vocal chops and was a masterclass in acting through song. As Bruce, Alison’s father, Bobby Smith embraced his character’s suffering with compassion while refusing to back away from his uglier moments. Smith’s performance captured the rollercoaster of Bruce’s simultaneous need for recognition and refusal to connect.

Throughout the entire show, adult Alison is on stage, observing, remembering, writing, and guiding us through her past. This key role is played skillfully by Andrea Prestinario, for whom Fun Home holds special significance: Five years ago, she co-founded a nonprofit called Ring of Keys (in honor of Small Alison’s song) based on the idea that “musical theatre is gay but not queer.” Through community outreach and advocacy, Ring of Keys works to “queer the stage,” ultimately building “a more inclusive musical theatre landscape for all.” 

Fun Home made history by opening the door for a more queer future for musical theatre—and Studio Theatre’s production presents every character’s humanity and each meticulously crafted beat with intensity and grace. You won’t want to miss this chance for your heart to say hi back.

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Running time: Approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission

Fun Home is at Studio Theatre’s Mead Theatre (1501 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005) through August 20. The production includes a moment of very bright lights, and it also includes verbal abuse, depictions of homophobia and a death by suicide, and allusions to sexual contact between an adult and teenagers. Tickets can be purchased at StudioTheatre.org, and Studio Theatre’s health and safety advice can be found here.

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