The Huntington Theatre’s production of “Fun Home,” a musical based on cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s comic of the same name, is a great success. The production was full of talent, humor, and heart. It is certainly worth seeing before it closes on Dec. 14.
The show follows three stages of the main character, Alison’s, life as she navigates a complicated relationship with her father, sexuality, and family dynamics. The entire cast does a fantastic job throughout each scene, but a standout is 13-year-old Lyla Randall. The young actress plays the youngest version of Alison, and she steals the show with her impressive voice and emotional scenes. The relationship she portrays with her on-stage father, played by Nick Duckart, moved the entire audience and kept them captivated at every scene.
I was amazed by the scenic design and innovative sets used in the production. The titular home is described in the show to be a historic marvel, and director Logan Ellis and scenic designer Tanya Orellana clearly understood the importance of the house in the show. Moving set pieces flowed beautifully through each scene and it emerged the audience throughout the entire show. It was both an impressive feat of technology and scenic design and greatly enhanced the production.
Despite the serious themes of grief, sexuality, and mental illness, the show contains plenty of humor. Particularly humorous moments included the songs “Come to the Fun Home” and “Changing My Major”. The nearly constant comedy allowed for the more emotional moments to pack a punch on the audience. Many audience members were left in tears as the show navigated the complexities of familial relations and growing up.
If audience members are looking for a classic, showy golden-aged musical, this is probably not the show for them. The cast only consists of nine actors and there are no big ensemble numbers. I did not feel like this took away from the show, however, but rather enhanced it as the audience was able to feel like they were really witnessing a close-knit family slowly falling apart.
The timeline of the musical can be difficult to follow at first as it jumps between different stages of the main character’s life. This was not an issue after the first 15 minutes of the show, but it did take some getting used to. The production does not contain an intermission, so audiences should be prepared for a longer show.
Audiences should run to catch “Fun Home” at the Huntington before it closes in mid-December. The entire cast and crew is incredibly talented and audiences will leave satisfied with the performance. “Fun Home” is a great and emotional watch.
–Nov. 22, 2025–
