Posted: 12/27/15 at 3:09pm
I am seeing Fun Home in a few weeks and know nothing about it except that it is supposed to be great. Would listening to the cast recording beforehand enhance my enjoyment or give too much away. Thank you in advance for any advice.
Posted: 12/27/15 at 3:25pm
If you're looking for spoilers, read Alison Bechdel's original graphic novel and that way before you see it for the first time you'll be saying, "There's no way to make a musical out of THIS" and then you'll be suitably blown away.
Posted: 12/27/15 at 4:44pm
this is an age old question...
my personal preference is to have some familiarity with the songs and story beforehand
this show is so emotional, powerful and dramatic, that its one i enjoyed that I had not heard the music
or knew much about it ahead of time
Posted: 12/27/15 at 5:19pm
I never want to hear the music ahead of time, but that is especially true for this. I don't think it will have the impact on a cold listen that it will in context, and then it will be somewhat spoiled
However, I agree with Namo. Read the book and then stand in awe of what Kron did to shave it down to so little and still not only be true, but more potent than ever. It was already one of my favorite books, and I think that enhanced my appreciation. And it only takes an afternoon.
Updated On: 12/27/15 at 05:19 PM
Posted: 12/27/15 at 5:51pm
I'm so so glad I didn't listen to the music before I saw this. It was much more heartbreaking to have everything be a surprise.
Posted: 12/27/15 at 6:23pm
I don't suggest listening to the score prior to seeing this one given that it's quite accessible. Also, doing so may compromise the emotional wallop of experiencing it in the context of the production.
Updated On: 12/27/15 at 06:23 PM
Posted: 12/27/15 at 7:02pm
I don't have the option to wait to listen to something before I see it, given that I live in Michigan, but his is one where I kind of wish I could have seen it first. I fell in love with the album like 18 months before I saw it though.
Posted: 12/27/15 at 7:14pm
Don't listen to the album. It gives too much away (it's practically the whole show, including dialogue). A lot of shows benefit from prior familiarity with the songs, but this isn't one of them.
Posted: 12/28/15 at 1:00am
Read the book. Listen to the music. Nothing is lessened. It is a powerful show that is not diminished by familiarity.
Posted: 12/28/15 at 1:36am
See the show.
Read the graphic novel afterward.
I went into the show having ONLY seen "Ring of Keys" performed at the Drama Desk Awards and thought it a beautiful and insightful song. I knew Bechdel's body of work previously, but had never read Fun Home, so I only had cursory knowledge of it being a lesbian's coming of age story.
Beyond that, I went in blind and I was emotionally floored by the piece, and "Ring of Keys" had me sobbing openly, especially as I looked across the house and noticed a significant number of lesbians, many of the self identified butches, and realizing the power of having that moment in their lives realized in that way and for the first time ever. Several songs in particular had my completely in tears and not knowing the content of those numbers certainly helped.
I read the graphic novel after the fact and marveled at Tesori and Kron's ability in adapting it to the stage.
Posted: 12/28/15 at 7:30am
I guess it depends on what you prefer.
I saw it, knowing nothing about it. I enjoyed watching the story unfold in front of me without knowing what was going to happen. Personally I found the experience enhanced by not knowing.
That's usually my preferred approach though.
If you prefer getting some front loading, despite the potential for spoilers (which listening to the cast recording would do), go for it. It's not necessary though. Easy to follow without having that background.
Posted: 12/28/15 at 9:39am
Perfect timing for me. I went a second time yesterday afternopon (12/27), and found the show in glorious shape, as expected. Cerveris, Kuhn, and Malone at the top of their game, Cerveris, if anything, more complicated as Bruce. (And overdue kudos to Emily Skeggs, who perhaps gets the least amount of attention, yet carries a portion of this show beautifully). And the music, now such a part of the performers' storytelling, seems to flow and guide the story without any discernible effort. I can't think of another show that is constructed and performed thus. It just seems all of a piece, even more than the first time. And it's the show with the best amplification on B'way. The sound still comes from the actors, not (just) speakers. You sometimes lose a word or two, and it's oddly wonderful, not a liability. The show feels close to unplugged, a daring concept,
For the record, I know the score intimately, as I did the first visit, and appreciated how the knowledge enhanced my pleasure. Yet my 25-year-old son had never heard it, save one hearing of "Ring of Keys," and was blown away by the show, and afterward remarked on the score. It's a show that reveals many of its secrets via its music. I'd probably argue in favor of waiting until the theater.
Updated On: 12/28/15 at 09:39 AM
Posted: 12/28/15 at 6:02pm
I went into totally blind. I didn't know the music, hadn't read or heard of the book, and only knew it was about a family who ran a funeral home. I was totally blown away and had an amazing evening at the theatre
Posted: 12/28/15 at 7:27pm
BwayinVan said: "I went into totally blind. I didn't know the music, hadn't read or heard of the book, and only knew it was about a family who ran a funeral home. I was totally blown away and had an amazing evening at the theatre
"
Personally, I went into with eyes open. I knew the music perfectly. I had read and studied the book. I was totally blown away and had an amazing evening at the theatre.
Isn't that a strange sentiment that someone might think he/she will enjoy theatre less if the element of surprise is removed? if you know, exactly, what you are going to see? That kind of philosophy actually minimizes the show itself, it seems to me, to think that the show isn't good enough to sustain the interest of those who know the piece. is that true of Chekov? Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?, Glass Menagerie? August Osage County? Fun Home? I think not.
Learn all you can. You won't be sorry.
certainly I'm not criticizing those who don't prepare. that is of no concern to me. do what you want but I'm saying, again, that knowledge does lessen the experience.
Posted: 12/28/15 at 9:32pm
It does not deligitemize a piece of musical theatre at all to say that, when it comes to a particularly theatrical show, it helps to wait until a complete live experience to hear the songs. It's a compliment to how well-integrated the whole is.
Updated On: 12/28/15 at 09:32 PM
Posted: 12/28/15 at 9:49pm
Such a subjective issue, it's hard to offer any standard issue advice. Most of us know what we learn from preparation, and what we (might) lose. On a show by show basis, based on the availability of recordings and/or text, we make the call. I was able to see "Hamilton" 5 days after the streamed music surfaced. I'd heard just enough to have (for me) needed exposure to the density of the wordplay. I am grateful for that limited immersion, but it was necessarily brief. But for me, "Hamilton" and "Fun Home" have little in common in that regard; had I not heard "FH," I'm not sure my experience would've been reduced. I'll never know.
