Lyric Theatre to Stage OKC Premiere of FUN HOME
By: Julie Musbach Mar. 07, 2018
Lyric Theatre will explore the complexities and dysfunction of an American family as it continues its 2018 season in April with the opening of the Broadway hit musical Fun Home.
An Oklahoma City premiere, the three-week run of Fun Home opens April 11 and continues through April 29 at the Plaza Theatre, 1725 NW 16 St.
The book and lyrics for Fun Home were written by Lisa Kron with music from Jeanine Tesori. Based on the graphic novel memoir of the same title by Alison Bechdel, the hit Broadway production earned five Tony Awards in 2015, including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical.
Fun Home is set in three time periods. The production follows adult Alison as she draws her memories of the past, and that action calls forth the other two eras - Alison as a child and Alison as a college student. The scenes intertwine as the characters help paint the picture of a fascinating family living a lie and careening toward a tragedy they can't begin to imagine.
When her father dies unexpectedly, Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, demanding, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family's Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father's hidden desires.
"This pioneering production is refreshingly honest," said Lyric Producing Artistic Director Michael Baron, who also is directing the show. "The complexity of this musical allows us to reflect on our own families and how they influence us as adults."
Filled with brilliant and witty lyrics, the Broadway production won the Tony Award for Best Original Score, and Tesori has composed more scores than any other female in Broadway history. The show was hailed by the Huffington Post as "the best Broadway musical in years with the finest score in a decade." The soundtrack runs the gamut from such vulnerable songs as "Days and Days" to The Jackson 5 vibe highlighted in "Come to the Fun Home" and "Ring of Keys," a poignant song in which Alison details her childhood crush on a female delivery driver.
Lyric's cast features Lyric favorites Lyn Cramer as Alison, Mateja Govich as Bruce Bechdel and Mandy Jiran as Helen Bechdel. The cast also includes Taylor Yancey (Medium Alison), Reese Freund (Small Alison), Coulter Hershey (John Bechdel), Connor Willis (Christian Bechdel), Taylor Blackman (Roy) and Sandra Mae Frank (Joan).
"I'm especially proud to have my talented friend and University of Oklahoma professor, Lyn Cramer, play the adult Alison - a role she was born to play," Baron said. "In addition, I'm thrilled to welcome back Sandra Mae Frank, a deaf actress who was last seen at Lyric as Hodel in our American Sign Language-integrated production of Fiddler on the Roof."
Lyric was given permission from the author of Fun Home, for the first time, to use her drawings as inspiration in the set design. This will allow Lyric to project Frank's lines as she uses ASL for the audience to read in the comic style of the novel. The production will feature scenic design by Dawn Drake, costumes from Jeffrey Meek, choreography by Matthew Sipress, lighting design by Art Whaley and sound design by Anthony Risi. Music direction will be provided by Brian Hamilton.
Lyric was the recipient of two grants for this production of Fun Home. Through its Art Works program, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Lyric $10,000 to integrate both hearing and deaf actors into the production. Lyric was one of four Oklahoma arts organizations receiving grants through Art Works, the endowment's largest funding category. Additionally, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre recognized Lyric as one of its first ever Innovation and Exploration Grant recipients to support the integration of a deaf performer into the production. Only eight recipients from across the nation received the recognition.
Two special event nights are planned during the run of Fun Home. Pride Night, sponsored by The Gayly, is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12. Select tickets are discounted $10 by entering the code "FunPride" at LyricTheatreOKC.org. Lyric is also partnering with Coop Ale Works for Pint Night on Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. Attendees who purchase their tickets online using the promo code "FunPintNight" will receive admission to that evening's performance, a limited edition commemorative Lyric/Coop pint glass to take home and a Coop beer and a bag of snacks for the show.
Single tickets to Fun Home start at just $25, and the production is recommended for mature audiences only. For more information, visit LyricTheatreOKC.org or call Lyric's box office at (405) 524-9312.
About Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
Founded in 1963, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma is the state's leading professional theatre company. Lyric produces classic and contemporary musicals, new works, and plays featuring artists from Oklahoma and around the nation. Shows are presented at two Oklahoma City venues - the intimate Plaza Theatre and in the summer at the grand Civic Center Music Hall. Lyric's Thelma Gaylord Academy is the premier professional theatre training ground, offering classes in all aspects of the performing arts. Lyric is a nonprofit member theatre of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and Allied Arts. For more information, visit www.LyricTheatreOKC.org.
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