Fun Home

Evan Buliung and Hannah Levinson in FUN HOME Photo credit: Cylla von Tiedemann.

Rarely does a musical tackle complex topics such as sexuality and suicide, let alone captivate audiences from all walks of life with brilliant storytelling and a beautiful score. Winner of five Tony Awards, including "Best Musical," Fun Home is now playing for a limited time at the CAA Theatre (formerly The Panasonic) featuring a top-notch Canadian cast.

Based on the best-selling graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel, Fun Home follows Alison, a lesbian cartoonist, as she struggles to untangle her complicated relationship with her deceased father. Moving between past and present, Alison (played by three different actresses at different ages and stages) relives an unusual childhood growing up in a funeral home, her sexual awakening and ponders unanswerable questions about her father's secret life.

We first meet Alison (Laura Condlln) at 43 years of age, looking back and sketching her story. This older version of Alison remains ever present, watching over and narrating past events as they unfold on stage. Small Alison (played by the extraordinarily talented Hannah Levinson) knew she was different from a young age, a feeling she describes in the unforgettable number "Ring of Keys." We witness her coming out journey as Medium Alison (Sara Farb) in college when she unexpectedly falls in love with another student, Joan (Sabryn Rock). Farb brings the house down in this scene with the jubilant song "Changing My Major." Meanwhile, as Alison comes to terms with who she is, she discovers that her father, Bruce Bechdel (Evan Builung) has been hiding something big, and his refusal to talk about it ultimately leads to tragedy.

Buliung's performance as Bruce, a man desperate to cover up his imperfections, is simply devastating. An English teacher and funeral director obsessed with restoring old homes, he spends his life trying to polish and paint over his true identity. His choices not only spell disaster for his own life, but also have a major impact on those around him, such as his children and long-suffering wife, Helen (Cynthia Dale). Helen's experience is realized in the heartbreaking piece "Days and Days," which Dale delivers exquisitely.

At 100 minutes with no intermission, Fun Home is tautly paced and packs an emotional wallop. The run has been extended to May 20th due to popular demand. Don't miss it! Visit mirvish.com for more information and to buy tickets.