‘Fun Home’ hits close to home

Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.’s production “Fun Home” is not always fun, but it is an important story and one that will hit home with a diverse audience.  

As director Mary Job points out in her notes, “Many of us, whatever our background and natures, have complicated relationships with our parents: we not infrequently revere and resist them.”  

The musical tells the story of Alison, a girl whose father is a high school teacher, part-time funeral home owner and closeted gay man in the 1970s and ‘80s. Alison realizes in college that she is gay and comes out to her parents, an event that may or may not have triggered her father to commit suicide. As a middle-aged Alison writes about her experience, she relives the past to try to resolve the mixed feelings she has about her parents and her upbringing.  

Based on cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s autobiographical graphic novel of the same name, the play, which was adapted for the stage by Lansing native Joan Kron and Jeanine Tesori, won the Tony for Best Musical in 2015. In 2020, Jake Gyllenhall bought the movie rights and plans to play Bruce Bechdel himself. With a pedigree like that, it would be easy to assume that a community theatre company might not live up to expectations, but Peppermint Creek rarely disappoints. In this case the company exceeds expectations.  

Job’s set design and Kelly McNabb’s scenic pieces are spot-on in combining the graphic novel feel and the implied majesty of the Bechdel house, aided by the atmosphere of the venue itself. The flow between scenes is seamless as the cast swoops in and resets the stage quickly and smoothly.  

The entire cast is strong, but hands down the most heart-wrenching scenes are in the hands of two incredibly talented actors, Matt Eldred and Laura Croff. As a wife who has suffered a sham marriage and the indignity of community gossip, Croff lays bare Helen’s soul with her gut-wrenching rendition of “Days,” trying to explain to Alison the slippery slope that led her to give up her life to a lie.  

Eldred is mesmerizing as the conflicted Bruce. Sometimes loving, sometimes demanding, but ultimately human in his need to be accepted for who he is, his performance is a true tour de force, culminating in the penultimate song “Edges of the World.” Bruce is desperate and increasingly manic, and the song reflects the imbalance of his comforts and his demons.   

Alison is presented in triplicate. The middle-aged Alison is played by Abigail Grill, “Medium Alison” (the college-aged Alison) is played by Sally Hecksel and “Small Alison” is played by Lorena Krauss. They are well-matched, talented singers, and each has a chance to shine. As she fully embraces her sexuality, Hecksel nails it with “Changing My Major,” sharing the common experience of falling in love in college and perhaps neglecting studies for sex.   

Grill carries the emotional weight of regret with “Telephone Wire,” as she shares a twilight drive with Bruce and struggles to connect with him on the one thing that could draw them together. Krauss shines with snippets of song that bookend the play, desperately begging for attention from the remote father whom she loves but doesn’t understand.   

The play may be about a gay daughter and her conflicted feelings about her relationship with her closeted gay father, but at its heart “Fun Home” will hit home with anyone who remembers the moment of realizing one’s parents weren’t super heroes, just regular human beings with hopes, dreams, weaknesses and faults.