My original email address has been hacked and I have been delayed in sharing the following responses to a show I saw this past weekend in Canton Ohio. Please feel free to read, but note that the show has closed. -Melissamiller79md@yahoo.com Unsolicited opinion-Fun Home North Canton Playhouse I love a theater with passion. I love a theater with determination. I love a theater who likes to step outside the box. I also love GOOD theater. Sadly, while clearly determined to put on a passionate, real and beautiful piece of new theater,North Canton Playhouse's Fun Home is lacking in the "good theater" category. I hate to give negative feedback and really, one person's opinion is just an opinion...but the opinion being shared will not include much of a glowing review. I'll start with the positives. The set design was well laid out, versatile, and I felt, the perfect color scheme not only for the show's marketing material, but for the feel of the Bechdel family. And since I mentioned it, the designer that this theater uses for their marketing is incredible. Also incredible, though not always smoothly executed, was the use of light to transition focus between moments in the show. Doing a show that requires many changes on a static set is not always easy nor well done, but here,the show was successful. While not the biggest Fun Home fan, I did enjoy the touring production in Cleveland last fall and was happy to know that a local theater was producing this show. Having been to the NCP theater a few times in the past, I felt this smaller space would be more ideal for this piece than the giant Palace in Cleveland. I think overall this theater did a nice job of using the space but the actual direction of the show was not strong. Young Alison was played by Kathryn Mudrak. While cute, Mudrak was often difficult to understand in her dialogue and her singing was often under pitch. Her performance of Come to the Fun Home with Jackson Clarke and Hannah Jamison was, however, energetic and enjoyable even though they seemed to be working against the band at times. As Christian, Clarke was a good addition to the cast, bringing a few chuckles to the audience during this song and the scene leading up to it. Unfortunately, the production loses a lot by using a girl to play the role of John and playing the role as a girl (Jan). Hannah Jamison is no doubt the cutest thing on the stage and her performance is actually quite good but the dynamic of the show is changed by playing the role as a girl. As Medium Alison, Allie Garisto is the most perfectly cast player in this show. Her hesitation into her self discovery, mixed with her delightful interactions with Amelia Zerbe as Joan, is strongly acted and also very well sung. While some belted notes felt a little bit like a shout, Garisto is the most skilled performer on the stage and shines in her solo "Changing my Major". As Joan, I just wish Amelia Zerbe had 50 times the amount of stage time given to her character. Her ability to give the character a meaningful performance with so little opportunity to shine is outstanding. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing this delightful actress on stage again very soon. I have seen several shows at this theater and often have found myself watching a cast of actors who are playing roles a bit out of their age range. I mention this only because I recall strong productions of The Crucible, August Osage County and Next to Normal here with actors not quite the right age and felt that the direction as well as the skill of the performer to play a role older or younger than their actual age was very successful in these cases. Unfortunately, this is not the case in this production. As Alison (aged 42 in this show), Tessa Gaffney is barely half the age of the character she is playing. While a younger actress would work for this role, the absolute necessity of mature acting was not met. Gaffney would have been an exceptional Medium Alison (if Allie Garisto had not been so well cast) but as adult Alison she is too youthful and often overacts in the role (This flaw is likely on the director as this was a common problem with the majority of the actors). More often than not, her singing is under pitch and again, too youthful sounding to play the role. In 20 years I hope Miss Gaffney plays the role again. Her voice will have matured and she will have settled well into the maturity needed for the role (For the record, because it sounds like I hate this girl, I saw her in Avenue Q at this same theater and LOVED her). As far as age appropriate goes, Corina Gaffney and Greg Emanuelson ARE the perfect age for their roles. As a conflicted married couple they work well together. Emanuelson is arrogant, proud and just a little creepy as Bruce, Alison's father. Vocally, he lacks the intensity needed for Bruce and often the notes are not quite right, but the moments where he is most on are when he is yelling at Helen. Most other times, however, I feel as though he is overacting. As Helen, Corina Gaffney is likable, with a nice singing voice and a natural motherly demeanor. The character is sometimes too intense and it makes it difficult to sympathize with her because her over-emphasis on everything she says makes the character annoying. Overall, the production quality felt a little like mediocre high school theatre. You have skilled performers incorrectly cast who are often misdirected and the show just misses the mark. What the show DOESN'T lack, however, is energy. All of the upbeat numbers brought the audience into the show. We clapped and bounced along with the cast and I felt a true sense of homey-ness in this theater. The box office woman was a delight and as always, I felt incredibly welcome in their space-not only by the volunteers helping out but also by other audience members. This may not have been my favorite show I've seen here but that doesn't mean this isn't a wonderful place to support local theater. Fun Home runs through the end of this weekend at North canton Playhouse.