The SJU Theatre Company presented the musical production of “Fun Home,” adapted from the 2006 graphic memoir of the same name by cartoonist Alison Bechdel. There were four performances from Dec. 6 through Dec. 8.
The graphic memoir “Fun Home” recounts Bechdel’s life and her experiences growing up in a funeral home in rural Pennsylvania. In this story, she discusses her sexuality, her relationship with her secretly gay father and coping with his eventual suicide.
Raegan Davies ’21 played the role of adult Bechdel and said that although “Fun Home” may not seem relatable on the surface, there is so much in the show that everyone can relate to.
“It is such a universal show,” Davies said. “There’s a parent-teenager relationship, everyone can relate to that. There are anxieties about finding friends in college [and] those feelings of your first love. It’s so important to be able to see yourself in others and this show really does that for people. That’s why it’s a really important story to tell.”
The musical is told from the point of view of adult Bechdel, who is onstage behind her desk for the entire performance drawing cartoons about episodes from her life. As adult Bechdel, Davies draws and writes captions.
A young Bechdel, played by Lauren Sass, appears on stage and recounts the dynamics her father, played by Paul McElwee, brought to their household. Next, a college-age Bechdel, played by Lilly McCann ’21, talks about discovering her sexuality in college. At different times, adult Bechdel enters the main scene and narrates and evaluates her changing relationship with her father.
McCann said she initially struggled to find ways to connect with the character of college-age Bechdel, because she is not a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. But she soon realized that she is more similar to her character than she thought.
“Coming into college, you know nothing about yourself and you’re just trying to find yourself,” McCann said. “I think that was a huge thing for me.”
Before the show on Dec. 7, The Alliance, a St. Joe’s faculty and staff organization dedicated to creating a safe campus environment on campus, held a dinner with students, faculty and staff to discuss and watch the production together.
Amy Lipton, Ph.D., co-chair of The Alliance, said it is important that the story of “Fun Home” is told on St. Joe’s campus because there are students who can relate to Bechdel’s story.
“I think some students come here with secrets and are discovering their sexuality, and that’s what the story is about,” Lipton said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for people to see. It’s like, if you can see it, you can be it.”
Lipton said theater has always been an important way to connect people to each other and to new ideas.
“Theater is a wonderful way for people to connect with themselves, with ideas that they have not been exposed to before, or feelings that they feel and that they don’t feel like they can express,” Lipton said. “It’s being expressed in a different way, in a much more accessible way.”
Dave Sucharski ’07, alum of the SJU Theatre Company, said he was touched by the fact that St. Joe’s was presenting such an inclusive story.
“This show embraces open sexuality regardless of homosexual or heterosexual relationship,” Sucharski said. “It [is] great to see the St. Joe’s community embrace that type of conversation.”
Director Renee Dobson said to her, “Fun Home” is one of the best musicals of the 21st century because it resonates so widely.
“Alison Bechdel’s true and personal story has resonated with so many who have experienced similar life circumstances, and succeeds in creating empathy in the audiences that have experienced it,” Dobson said.
Laura Pattillo, Ph.D. who directs the straight plays or non-musicals, for the SJU Theatre Company also said “Fun Home” is important because of its wide reach and relevance to the students on the St. Joe’s campus.
“It brings to life a family that some might not think has much in common with their own families until they see it and are moved by it, and that is something really special that the art of live theater can do,” Pattillo said.
McCann said the most important part of the production for her was seeing the impact it had on everyone who came to see it.
“Realizing that you are putting on a show that is going to affect someone whether they’re going to admit it to you or not, somebody is going to walk out of that audience and think, ‘I needed to see that,’ and I think that’s a really great thing,” McCann said.
