[CW: This article makes mention of the grooming of minors and suicide.]
It can often feel like trauma is a given in queer media. Queerness is often inseparable from the internal and external stigma, shame and sorrows that occur in the process of self-discovery and the act of coming out. The musical “Fun Home” brings a nuanced perspective to this narrative, stressing the importance of telling these difficult stories.
Future Waitstaff of America (FWA)’s—Vassar’s musical theater student organization—production of “Fun Home” ran from April 10 to 12. The Susan Stein Shiva Theater served as the home for this story as passionate Vassar students brought the show to life.
“Fun Home,” with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, is based on cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic memoir of the same name. The title itself is a reference to Bechdel’s childhood, as her father managed a nearby funeral home. The show follows a fictionalized Bechdel at three different ages as she navigates through the death of her father and her own queer identity. The musical focuses on Small Alison, Medium Alison and Alison—portrayed by Nora Guzikowski ’27, Jamie Walsh ’25 and Sarah Schuster ’25, respectively—as they tell the story of Bechdel’s complicated childhood.
“‘Fun Home’ explores the dangers of suppressing queer identities and the harmful effects it has on individuals, families, and communities,” Stage Manager Rebecca King ’26 wrote in the Dramaturg’s Note. “The act of putting the graphic novel on stage forces us to confront the real-life implications through the embodiment of the story with the actors.”
King approached Director Abby Bettencourt ’25 last year with the idea to produce this show. Since then, King and Bettencourt had been working to create something they felt would be impactful to the Vassar community. “I hope Fun Home gets people talking,” Bettencourt said. “About theater, about queerness, about anything really… I want to give the Vassar community a chance to laugh, cry and just be together.”
“Fun Home” is centered around the double-edged sword of self-discovery. Throughout the show, Alison, in her 10-year-old, college age and adult forms, and her father, Bruce, played by Oliver Hollmann ’27, both grapple with their respective queer identities. Small Alison’s scenes allude to her queerness, and Medium Alison’s story follows her as she discovers she is a lesbian and comes out. On the other hand, Bruce suppresses his queerness, having affairs with young men and teenage boys to fulfill himself outside of his heterosexual marriage. Following Bruce’s suicide, Alison spends the rest of her life retrospectively wondering how their overlapping journeys affected their relationship.
The show explores a number of heavy topics, including internalized homophobia, grooming of minors and suicide. The content of the show itself is incredibly dark and, at times, uncomfortable to watch. Many of the scenes centered around Bruce put us in his perspective as he would contemplate his own sexuality, including moments when Bruce was making advances on younger men and when he was about to take his own life. The performers deftly handled this discomfort and channeled it into their performances. Music Director Nick Monsion ’27 noted the dynamic in the show between Bruce and one of his students, Roy, played by Anthony Rosenthal ’27, and how Hollman and Rosenthal were able to effectively give the moment the weight that it needed. Both actors were incredibly impactful in their performances, with Hollman’s characterization acknowledging the predatory nature of Bruce’s actions while still humanizing him as Alison’s father.
Another key aspect of “Fun Home” is the score. Monsion describes it as a folk-like, singer-songwriter style. “A lot of the background music…really feels like memories from growing up,” he said. Monsion mentioned that he was especially interested in the different musical themes that were repeated throughout the show and how the melodies and motifs revealed that Alison and her father were more similar than she thought.
Assistant Music Director Melody Hamilton ’28 has had a long history with “Fun Home,” having performed in a production of the show at the Manoa Valley Theatre in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii at 11 years old. Hamilton states that this show is incredibly important in terms of queer representation and has been incredibly impactful to her own life. “Probably the most important thing Fun Home did for me is normalizing and humanizing lesbians,” Hamilton said. “My experience in that show made it very easy to come to terms with my own queerness as I got older.”
An integral part of the success of “Fun Home’s” production was the tight-knit nature of its cast and crew. Monsion said, “In our case, we all knew each other. We were all friends, and we respected each other as artists, actors, musicians. We all trusted each other so much.” King, Bettencourt and Hamilton all acknowledged this community as well, agreeing that the show was a labor of love for all involved.
While its content is rather disturbing, “Fun Home” is a rough and raw story which needs to be told. “With the current political climate I think it’s important now more than ever to produce queer stories and center queer voices,” Bettencourt said. “‘Fun Home’ highlights the importance of accepting yourself and others, and also shows the consequences we face if we force people to stay hidden in the closet.”
King echoed this sentiment, adding that the Vassar student body provided a unique and valuable audience for the show. “At a school like Vassar that proudly offers classes on studying queer literature and art, it is sometimes easy to forget that not every school or community is as accepting of the LGBTQ+ community and the stories that they have to tell,” King said. “I would love to see the musical spark a larger conversation of the importance of continuing to amplify queer voices beyond the bounds of our small college.” At its core, “Fun Home” emphasizes how queer people live with pride to honor the memories and struggles of those who could not.