[NEohioPAL] Fwd: Submission of theater review of FUN HOME

[Neda Spears]

*Review: "Fun Home" at Cain Park is a must-see tour-de-force of Cleveland
talent (unsolicited by actor Neda Spears)*

Sometimes the hype of a show can overshadow the enjoyment of a show, as I
think may be the case with FUN HOME. Though it is not a necessarily
well-known show outside the theater community, its reputation still holds
some weight due to its association with the source inspiration- Alison
Bechdel's 2006 graphic memoir of the same name. The aforementioned hype was
due to composer Jeanine Tesori & lyricist Lisa Kron being the first female
writing team to win the Tony Award for Best Original Score. In the case of
the production at Cain Park, the show outmatched the hype.

Director Joanna May Cullinan has assembled a literal pitch perfect cast for
this show. Allison, a lesbian graphic artist (performed in an emotionally
subtle, moving, heartbreaking track by Tasha Brandt) is the narrator of the
story, looking back on her life and trying to reconcile her relationship
with her closeted father, Bruce (performed by Scott Esposito, who once
again delivers a fractured, flawed and wholly real character). Younger
versions of herself are played at different stages: Small Alison, played by
Juliana Shumaker, who delivers the song "Ring of Keys" (which relays her
emotions at seeing her first butch lesbian) with a maturity beyond her
years; and Medium Alison, played Gabi Ilg. Ilg's rendition of "Changing My
Major" was a delight and a highlight of the evening, being exceedingly
funny as well as vocally challenging and showed this young actress as a
strong and vibrant performer who I hope will be seen in many more
productions in the near future. Natalie Green as Helen is the suffering,
patient mother, and though only has one song ("Days and Days"), never
misses a step in her onstage moments in making this character as grounded
as possible. Zoe Lewis plays Medium Allison's college girlfriend and fits
perfectly into this world and this cast. Her presence in her scenes and her
rapport with Ilg is palpable and wonderful. Danny Simpson (listed as Roy/Bobby
Jeremy/Others in the program) made each of his iterations as varied and
well-rounded as he could; they had to be as they are all essential to the
story. Rounding out the cast were Simon Keating and Jaiden Shauf-Dressman,
playing Allison's brothers Christian and John, respectively. Their
performance of "Come to the Fun Home" with Shumaker had me wanting to give
them accolades for a much longer time as their vocals were something to
behold.
Caveats also to the orchestra, led by music director Rachel Woods. The
music and vocal performances perfectly matched, with one never
overshadowing the other (which means there should also be a mention of
sound designer Angie Hayes).

There aren't many times that a performance of a show checks all the boxes
and leaves an indelible mark that resonates long after the lights dim. This
is one of those shows. Do yourself a favor and see it and support theater
and these Cleveland actors.
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