LALO News:
“What would happen if we spoke the truth?” Alison Bechdel asks in her graphic novel “Fun Home”, along with many other provocative questions and ideas. Another: “Perhaps affectation can be so thoroughgoing, so authentic in its details, that it stops being pretense … and becomes, for all practical purposes, real.”
The Los Alamos Light Opera (LALO) will delve deep when it presents the Tony-award-winning musical “Fun Home” at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays April 19-27, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 21, at the Performing Arts Center, 1670 Nectar St. Tickets at $25 (general admission)/20 (students/seniors)are available for purchase online at Zeffy, at www.losalamoslightopera.org, and at www.lalt.org. Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, and there are no fees associated with online presales. Remaining tickets will be available for purchase at the box office beginning one hour before curtain, when online sales end. The show is sponsored by Los Alamos Little Theatre.
The music is by Jeanine Tesori, and the book and lyrics are by Lisa Kron. The show is based on Bechdel’s graphic novel and presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals (www.concordtheatricals.com).
Bringing a true story to the stage involves a lot of responsibility, and it’s one that Director/Choreographer Wendy Caldwell Lanchier, Musical Director Gretchen Amstutz, and the entire cast take seriously.
“Alison Bechdel is a queer and feminist icon,” Caldwell Lanchier said. “She came out as a teenager in the late 1970s when that wasn’t a common or necessarily safe thing to do. She embraced who she was and then had the courage to tell her story in her own way: through a graphic novel. She is unapologetically herself. I love that.”
Caldwell Lanchier said her original connection with the musical began with the song “Ring of Keys,” wherein Alison, as a child, first sees a person she identifies as “like her.” The song was not only musically appealing, but entirely relatable, she said.
“My ‘ring of keys’ moment happened in graduate school when I was 32,” Caldwell Lanchier said. “It was the first time in my life that I had a woman as a math professor.”
She added, “I want everyone in the audience to have their ‘ring of keys’ moment. I want people to see themselves in the characters. There are people who will want to see this show, but there are also people who need to see this show. ”
She said she became confident Los Alamos would support a musical like “Fun Home” when she saw how the community came out for Drag Story Hour at the library.
“I love the music and the story, of course, but Drag Story Hour is what convinced me that Los Alamos would embrace a show like this one,” Caldwell Lanchier said. “We have a great community of allies in town, and I know they’ll show up in support of this important story. Representation is so important. Queer youth who have support at home/in community are significantly less likely to self-terminate.”
Amstutz said that being the musical director for “Fun Home” is a “deeply fulfilling experience for several reasons. Firstly, the story itself is incredibly compelling, but moreover, the music itself is beautifully crafted, with poignant lyrics and melodies that capture the essence of the characters’ journeys. Having previously performed “Fun Home” (in Santa Fe), I am thrilled to be able to work with this great local cast and musicians, and once again be involved in the telling of Alison Bechdel’s journey, through music. In addition, performing this particular musical in our small community allows us to promote understanding and empathy and create a space where everyone feels seen, heard and valued.”
While the story is both a coming-of-age story and a coming-out story, it is also the story of Alison Bechdel’s relationship with her father (played by Patrick MacDonald), whose death Alison interprets as suicide, despite the details remaining, essentially, unclear.
“This story has some difficult subject matter, but I like that,” Caldwell Lanchier said. “I want people to recognize the nuance of holding very difficult and conflicting ideas at the same time.” Alison’s parents’ relationship with each other, much like Alison’s relationship with her dad, was “tumultuous and toxic at times.” Simultaneously, the family members each supported one another as best they could.
Mitsi Pair Willard, playing Alison’s mother Helen, said, “I love to sing and act, but the role of Helen is incredibly emotional and vulnerable. As a woman and a parent, it can be quite difficult to make it through the lyrics of Helen’s solo, “Days and Days.” But I have enjoyed working with this phenomenally gifted team (cast, crew, and orchestra) and appreciate the mindfulness of the directors in creating a safe space to tell the Bechdel family’s story. I hope audiences will approach the show with kindness and open hearts — and lots of tissues.”
Caldwell Lanchier said an important part of everyone’s development is finding your own identity outside of being someone’s child/sibling/etc. In Fun Home, she said, “We see Medium Alison (played by Anna Gattis) begin this process, and by the time she is in her 40s, she has become a woman who has been influenced by her family but is still very much her own person.”
“Art is how we connect with one another,” Caldwell Lanchier said. “Seeing this show can spark discussion and conversations.”
Allison Zastrow, playing adult Alison (understudied by Andrea Albert), said what is really impactful for her is how Alison Bechdel processes her relationship with her father and his suicide.
“Even though they had a complicated relationship, I think he’s still someone that she loved and still loves, and she certainly sees herself in him,” she said. “And she is really wondering — and afraid of — whether the things that make them so similar mean that she might not have a choice in how her story ends. But ultimately, she realizes that where her father hid his real self away, she has lived her life openly, and that has made all the difference. And I really admire that about her.”
While “Fun Home” lands firmly in the drama category, “there is a lot of levity as well,” Caldwell Lanchier added. “There are some great moments, particularly between Small Alison [Alison as a child, played by Abbie Johnson, understudied by Annabelle DeBurgomaster] and her brothers. Adult Alison looks back on her first crush and has that same cringe reaction a lot of us have when remembering our awkward years. You don’t have to be queer to identify with Alison in that moment … Our incredible cast will have you rolling with laughter, and they’ll rip your heart out, too.”
“Alison Bechdel lived through this story. Life is often uncomfortable, and portraying those moments is a great step toward reducing the stigma about talking about uncomfortable moments. This show brings the opportunity to make so many people feel seen, possibly for the first time. That’s the most exciting part.”
“I think what makes the show so meaningful is that it’s both an extremely specific story, and also utterly universal, which is one of the qualities that makes theater so amazing and gives it so much power to change people and their lives,” Zastrow said. “I was lucky enough to grow up in a place where I was largely allowed to be and accepted as who I am (even in the ways in which I’m different from my family), but not everyone is, and I think this show is an opportunity for people (especially younger folks) to see that they can have hope in the future.”
And finally, Caldwell Lanchier said, “our set — designed by local artist Fran Stovall — is awesome. I won’t say more than that right now. You’ll have to come see the show.”
Musicians include Gretchen Amstutz on keyboards, Nick Denissen on keyboards and guitar, Craig Reingold on bass, Max Light on cello, Wendi Deesen on violin, Joyce Guzik on clarinet, and Kip Bishofberger on drums.
Other crew and cast include Assistant Director Kaity Burke, Tech Director Corey Skinner, Stage Manager Emily Teti, Producer Kelly Dolejsi, Intimacy Coach Zoe Burke assisted by Victor Reyes, Dance Captain Cami Charonko, Annabelle DeBurgomaster as Alison’s brother Christian (understudied by Ben Baker), Emmy Smith as Alison’s brother John (understudied by Ben Baker), Matt DeSmith as Roy/Mark/Pete/Bobby, and Gloria Galassi as Joan (understudied by Danae Zimmermann, who will perform the role on April 27).
