College of Charleston SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

Off-Broadway Cast of ‘Fun Home’ to Perform on April 21

ORIGINAL OFF-BROADWAY CAST OF ‘FUN HOME’ TO DELIVER CONCERT-STYLE PERFORMANCE HOSTED BY COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON THEATRE

Hailed by The New York Times as a “beautiful heartbreaker of a musical, ‘Fun Home’ finds a shining clarity that lights up the night” in one of the best-reviewed productions of the year

The Department of Theatre and Dance at the College of Charleston School of the Arts will host an evening of music from the Off-Broadway musical and Pulitzer Prize Finalist, “Fun Home,” after its successful run at New York’s Public Theater.

Two performances of the concert will take place at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Monday, April 21 at Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain St. For mature audiences only.

Tickets are $15 general admission and $10 for senior citizens and College of Charleston students and employees with I.D. Tickets may be purchased ONLINE or at the door up to 30 minutes prior to showtimes. 

***After purchasing and printing your online ticket VOUCHER, you must turn it in for an actual TICKET. To avoid waiting in line for entry on Monday night, please consider picking up your ticket ahead of time, during business hours, at the Department of Theatre and Dance, room 322 of The Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts (161 Calhoun St. – corner of St. Philip and Calhoun Streets).

Adapted by Lisa Kron (book and lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (musical score) from Alison Bechdel’s 2006 memoir of the same name, the concert-style performance will include the majority of the acclaimed musical’s repertoire and will be presented by the original cast: Tony Award-winner Michael Cerveris as Bechdel’s father, Bruce; three-time Tony Award-nominee Judy Kuhn as Bechdel’s mother, Helen; Griffin Birney as Christian Bechdel; Roberta Colindrez playing Joan; Noah Hinsdale as John Bechdel; Sydney Lucas as Small Alison; Beth Malone playing Alison; Joel Perez portraying Roy; and Emily Skeggs as Medium Alison.

Todd McNerney, Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, describes the event as “an incredible academic opportunity for our students and the chance for our community to see Off-Broadway stars sing inventive and complex works from a popular musical fresh from the New York stage.”

“With Kron, Tesori, Bechdel and musical director Chris Fenwick in attendance, our students will have the added bonus of interaction with major theatrical and writing professionals.”

In the story, Bechdel dives deep into her past to tell the story of her father – the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man – whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life.

The musical was just announced on April 14 as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Nominated for nine Lucille Lortel Awards, the production premiered at the Public Theater in September 2013 to positive reviews. Originally scheduled to run through November 2013, the show’s run was extended multiple times; the production closed in January 2014.

The album of the original cast recording opened at #2 on the Billboard Top Cast Album Chart, a remarkable feat for an Off-Broadway cast album.

Kron’s work has been widely produced in New York, regionally and internationally. Several of her plays (“In the Wake,” “Well, ” “2.5 Minute Ride,” and “101 Humiliating Stories”) have received spectacular reviews, multiple noted awards and nominations for major theater awards.

Kron is a founding member of the legendary collaborative theater company The Five Lesbian Brothers, which has written four widely successful plays and received a Village Voice Obie Award, a New York Dance and Performance Award (“Bessie”) and a New York Press Award of “Best Performance Group.”