Fun home is an American musical that makes the debut in the UK and tells the story of a family in which the father is gay and paedophile and the daughter (we see her when she is a child, when she is a young student and when she is an adult) is a lesbian and trying to cope with her sexuality.

 

Just at the beginning of the show the whole plot is spelled out (not that there is a lot to tell about it): we know from the beginning that she is gay, that her father is gay and he killed himself. And this is all what the show is about: Alison experiencing her sexuality;  her father Bruce seeking out young boys; her mother trying to find an escape  to her miserable life playing piano.

 

 

There is something good about it: the musical number Fun Home, performed by the three children (Alison and her brothers) reminds I want you back by the Jackson 5 and it is outstanding.

Also, the set is beautifully designed and the use of lights is perfect.

 

Besides this, the story of a young woman looking back at her life and dealing with her and her father's homosexuality hardly held my interest. It is not entertaining nor provoking and the musical (if we can call it musical) lumbers soon into boredom.

 

 

Photograph: Marc Brenner