When her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family's Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father's hidden desires.
What Is the Story of Fun Home?
Composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist/librettist Lisa Kron’s Fun Home, a musical adaptation of the award-winning graphic novel of the same name, details Alison Bechdel’s experiences with coming out to her family and her investigation into the suicide of her father. The show boldly tackles Bechdel’s childhood in the 1970s, her growing acceptance of her sexuality as a young adult and her father's struggle with his own gayness in a small Pennsylvania town. The backdrop for Fun Home is not just the family home, but also the family business—a funeral parlor. The clan's nickname for this place is what gives the musical its title. Adult Alison remembers and illuminates the past while preparing to write her graphic novel.
