With June being Pride Month, Fun Home coming to the Royal Exchange Theatre feels particularly timely.
Based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir, the musical explores memory, identity, sexuality and family through Alison’s reflections on her childhood and her complicated relationship with her father. It’s an emotional piece of theatre that asks the audience to piece together memories alongside its narrator, and although I didn’t always know exactly what was happening, I found myself invested in Alison’s story from beginning to end.
Harriet O’Shea was probably my standout performer of the evening. Small Alison is an incredibly demanding role, and O’Shea absolutely rises to the challenge. Her voice is beautiful, and she has a stage presence that makes you root for Small Alison from the moment she steps on stage.
Her performance of Ring of Keys is one of the show’s defining moments. It’s the point where Alison first begins to question her identity, and despite the simplicity of the lyrics, the song carries so much emotional weight. O’Shea performs it with such honesty and sensitivity that it’s difficult not to be moved.
Nigel Harman completely drew me into Bruce Bechdel’s story. Bruce is a deeply complicated father whose internal struggles become increasingly difficult to look away from. It’s far from an easy role to play, but Harman captures every contradiction brilliantly, creating a character who is both frustrating and deeply human. He commands attention whenever he’s on stage, making Bruce’s internal conflict impossible to ignore.
The three versions of Alison are equally strong. Jodie McNee brings warmth, humour and vulnerability as the adult Alison, guiding the audience through her memories while moving effortlessly between moments of laughter, embarrassment, desperation, and pain. Alice Audrey O’Hanlon perfectly captures the awkwardness and uncertainty of Medium Alison, delivering some of the show’s funniest moments without ever losing sight of the emotion underneath.
The entire cast worked together to make Alison’s story feel as powerful as it does. Fun Home is a layered and emotionally demanding show, and each cast member rises to the challenge. No performance feels out of place, and together they make Alison’s story feel both deeply personal and incredibly relatable.
Storytelling that balances humour and heartbreak
There are several genuinely funny moments throughout Fun Home, but they’re also carefully balanced against themes of trauma, identity, and family. I found myself tearing up more than once, yet the show never feels relentlessly heavy.
One of my favourite sequences was Come to the Fun Home, performed by Harriet O’Shea alongside Reuben Shepherd as John and Theo Wake as Christian. Bursting with energy, sharp choreography and infectious enthusiasm, it’s a fantastic musical number that completely lights up the stage. Looking back on Alison’s childhood through moments like this helps make those memories feel vivid and alive, offering a contrast to the more reflective scenes elsewhere in the production.
The central plot, following adult Alison’s reflections on her life through her skills as a cartoonist, is particularly clever. Rather than simply acting as a visual motif, this outlet becomes the catalyst for how she processes difficult memories, helping the audience understand how she’s revisiting her childhood through adult eyes.
A thoughtful production that occasionally loses momentum
While I enjoyed the story overall, there were moments where the pacing slowed more than I expected. A handful of songs interrupted the momentum slightly, and there were sections where the writing became difficult to follow. At times, I wasn’t entirely sure what the musical wanted me to take from certain scenes, which occasionally pulled me out of the experience.
That said, the emotional core remains strong throughout, and even when I felt slightly lost narratively, I still cared about the characters and wanted to see where Alison’s journey would end.
Final thoughts
Fun Home isn’t always an easy watch, but it’s a thoughtful, heartfelt musical that rewards its audience with honest storytelling and some genuinely moving performances.
Despite centring on Alison’s life, the production never feels exclusive. Whether you relate directly to her experiences or not, there’s an honesty to the storytelling that makes its emotional journey easy to connect with. The intimacy of the Royal Exchange also suits the material perfectly, allowing the audience to feel close to Alison’s memories as they unfold.
If you’re looking for a musical that offers more than spectacle, Fun Home is well worth seeing. It’s a reflective, thought-provoking story about identity, family and memory that continues to resonate long after the final curtain.
Fun Home is running at the Royal Exchange Theatre until 01 August. Book your tickets now.Â
**Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review
Kelsey Haslam is the founding editor of Magenta Adventures Travel Publication and a freelance travel writer with a focus on community-based travel, culture-led experiences, and theatre tourism. She is passionate about spotlighting lesser-known destinations and connecting travellers with meaningful, human-centred stories.
Her published work includes destination features and luxury hotel reviews for leading travel outlets such as A Luxury Travel Blog, Beau Monde Traveler, and Luxury Lifestyle Magazine.
Explore more about Kelsey’s background on the About Page.
