Before the show started I really didn’t know what to expect from the musical production of Fun Home. I was really curious to see how the playwrights interpreted the meaning and essence of the graphic novel memoir. As it turns out, the play was more entertaining and enjoyable than the graphic novel. In the production, I felt that the turning points in Alison’s life were more poignant and emphasized through song. That kind of emphasis was not as great in the graphic novel, where these moments passed quickly.

I remember when I was watching the play, there were a discrepancies between the musical and the novel, such as the scene in New York City where Bruce snuck out in the middle of the night while the children were all asleep. In the novel, this moment did not seem to me to be as significant as the play made it out to be. The production added some more elements to that particular scene to make Bruce seem more fatherly and less distant, putting Alison to bed before he left. Another instance was when Alison had sex for the first time with Joan. In the novel, that moment wasn’t as extravagantly highlighted as in the play, where Alison dedicated a whole number to her newfound love and attraction for Joan. It just seemed like some moments were specifically emphasized in the musical for the entertainment value, which made the story lose some of its intensity and drama.

The musical was thoroughly enjoyable, if not a little too upbeat to match the same mood set in the graphic novel. Everything was one step more happy and energetic than what I felt while reading the novel. I don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing, but I guess the story does need to be adjusted to match the entertainment needs of the audience. I, for one, certainly laughed more during the course of the play than I did the whole time I was reading the graphic novel (I didn’t even laugh once). One thing that bothered me was that there was no mention at all of Alison’s struggles with her developing OCD during her childhood years or her lying in her diary entries. Maybe all of this was excluded from the final cut of the play because it was not essential to the central theme focusing on Bruce and Alison’s relationship? Even so, I thought that it should have at least been mentioned somewhere since it was an important part of the author’s transformative years.

Although a lot of the nuances and allusions to other great literary works were missed in the transformation from graphic novel to musical, the story didn’t lose its most integral theme surrounding the issues of closeted homosexuality and father-daughter relationships. The musical managed to put the “fun” in Fun Home by making every moment marvelous either through the visual settings or the catchy and clever song lyrics.

It really was an emotional and unforgettable play, and I would absolutely recommend everyone to see it!

When I was going home today after a long day of class, I followed my normal routine and walked to the 23rd street subway station to take the train home. When I was waiting on the subway platform, I grew increasingly restless and looked all around for things to stare at. My eyes rested on a curious tile on the subway wall. It said “Marie Curie, Physicist.” I thought to myself, what does this tile mean? It was then that I realized the tile corresponded to the hat mosaic above it. I’ve always noticed the hats floating around all throughout the subway platform wall, but this was the first time that I noticed their meaning. I started to look around at other hats and who they corresponded to, and that task got me walking up and down the platform to look at all the mosaic art on the wall. Other famous people whose hats are shown include: Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, sculptor and art patron; Fay Templeton, vaudeville actress; and suffragist Maud Nathan. I was actually really surprised that out of the past month that I’ve been going to this station, I only realized this today. It made me think about what I can notice about the world if I just took the time to look and observe.

As soon as I got home, I searched up the subway art, and it turns out that this was the art installation titled “Memories of Twenty-Third Street” by artist Keith Godard. It pays homage to all the regular patrons of this very neighborhood in the 20th century. Once a center of culture, fashion, and entertainment, the Flatiron area was once bustling with actresses, dancers, and people of all backgrounds. It tells a story of times long gone and the people who lived it. After learning the meaning and the reason behind this art, I appreciate it much more than when I only passively glanced at the tile mosaics on the wall, thinking that they were just for decoration and that they didn’t have much meaning. This really proves that in New York City, you can find art in the everywhere, even in the most quotidian of places.

——Joanna Huang

From top to bottom: Subway station mosaic, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s hat, Marie Curie’s hat. (Photos by Joanna Huang)