FUN HOME at the Royal Exchange is powerful, beautifully performed, and one of the venue’s standout shows in recent years.

Review by Steve Cooke

At the Opening/Press Night of Fun Home we were treated to the Exchange at its very best with a production of emotional depth, inventive staging, and exceptional performances from the whole cast.

Fun Home is structured around memory with three Alisons at different ages exploring its heavy themes of family dysfunction, sexuality and  grief; perfectly staged in the  Royal Exchange’s in‑the‑round space with a  minimalist set, clever lighting, and fluid transitions between memories.

Jodie McNee as Adult Alison exemplifies the excellence of the whole cast delivering a performance that embodies the essence of the play with laugh out loud hilarity and heart wrenching pathos, guiding the audience through the story with emotional clarity.

Nigel Harman (Alison’s dad, Bruce Bechdel): is absolutely  brilliant and deeply affecting with his violent mood swings.

The young cast of Harriet O’Shea as young Alison, Reuben Shepherd as John and Theo Wake as Christian bring the house down with their energy, humour and warmth especially in the set piece around and in an open coffin in their dad’s funeral parlour.

Jeanine Tesori’s score is jazzy, witty, melancholic, and propulsive, with numbers like Changing My Major to Joan and Raincoat of Love being audience favourites.

I confidently give Fun Home the highest recommendation - this Royal Exchange production is powerful, beautifully performed, and one of the venue’s standout shows in recent years.

To book tickets visit: https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/event/fun-home/#performances

On until Saturday 1 August at Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester M2 7DH