Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, FUN HOME has become one of the most celebrated musicals of the 21st century. But before it took Broadway and London by storm, it began life as a graphic memoir. Ahead of Sarah Frankcom's new Royal Exchange production, discover what makes this acclaimed musical so special.
IT STARTED AS A GRAPHIC NOVEL
Before it became a Tony Award-winning musical, FUN HOME was a celebrated graphic memoir by cartoonist and writer Alison Bechdel – the same Alison Bechdel behind the famous “Bechdel Test” for female representation in film and television.
Published in 2006, the memoir received widespread acclaim. Profound, tender and unexpectedly funny, it redefined what a graphic memoir could be.
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“A work of rare intimacy and honesty.”
IT’S BASED ON A TRUE STORY
At the heart of FUN HOME is Alison’s relationship with her father.
Set in and around the family’s funeral home, nicknamed the “Fun Home”, the story traces Alison’s coming-of-age journey through childhood memories, family secrets and first love as she looks back to understand both her father and herself.
IT REDEFINED WHAT A MUSICAL COULD BE
When FUN HOME opened on Broadway, it challenged expectations of what stories could be told on the world’s biggest stages.
It was one of the first musicals to place a queer woman’s story front and centre, at a time when LGBTQ+ narratives were still rarely seen. It went on to win five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Alongside Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen and Hadestown, FUN HOME helped usher in a new generation of musicals that brought underrepresented voices and contemporary themes to centre stage.
Fun Home performance at the 2015 Tony Awards
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“It changed the conversation about whose stories get told on stage.”
IT WAS CREATED BY A GROUNDBREAKING DUO
FUN HOME features music by Jeanine Tesori (Shrek the Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie) and a book and lyrics by Lisa Kron.
Together, they became the first female writing team to win the Tony Award for Best Original Score.
Blending humour and heartbreak, the score unfolds like a series of memories, reflecting the way Alison pieces together the past. “Ring of Keys” has become one of the musical’s defining moments.
Watch the cast perform “Ring of Keys” at the 2015 Tony Awards:
Fun Home performance at the 2015 Tony Awards
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“The songs feel like thoughts set to music.”
IT CAPTIVATED LONDON AUDIENCES
FUN HOME was a major hit during its sold-out London premiere at the Young Vic in summer 2018, going on to earn three Olivier Award nominations.
As The Guardian put it, it was “a quietly devastating, deeply humane musical.”
Now, Manchester audiences have the chance to experience it for themselves.
A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS THIS JULY
This July, director Sarah Frankcom returns FUN HOME to its original staging in the round, reimagining the landmark musical for the iconic stage of the Royal Exchange Theatre.
Refreshingly honest, funny and deeply moving, FUN HOME runs from 3 July – 1 August.
