Fun Home (Royal Exchange, Manchester)-★★★★★

On Friday 24th of July, and Saturday 1st of August, 2026, I attended two performances of ‘Fun Home’ at the Royal Exchange in Manchester as part of their ‘Homecoming season’. Although not the premier production of this musical in the UK, it was my first time experiencing this remarkable show. 

‘Fun Home’ opened on Broadway a decade ago and is based on Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphical memoir about her upbringing and challenging relationship with her father. It explores themes of sexual identity, family, death, mental health and the way in which our perception of situations evolves over time. What makes ‘Fun Home’ unique is how it creatively avoids conforming to the ‘norms’ of musical theatre through the exclusion of an overture and interval as well as the lack of a linear structure. 

The intimate atmosphere created within the Royal Exchange perfectly aligns with the intentions and direction of ‘Fun Home’ as it places the audience within the Bechdel’s family home; specifically those placed on Banquette seating around the stage. While, minimal, the staging of this production enhances the overall performance as it conveyed period and location. This included a grand piano, chais longue, vintage television, casket and artist worktop amongst other similar furniture pieces. While on the surface, the set appears to simply drive the characters, it intelligently acts as a metaphor for their personalities and emotional states. Each character is drawn to a piece of set which grounds them and draws on their inner construct.

At the heart of this show is its phenomenal cast, who conveyed Alison and the people around her during her childhood and college years. It is hard to focus on one particular performance as each member of the company provided an integral theme to ‘Fun Home’. Nigel Harman’s embodiment of Bruce Bechdel provided audiences with an intricate portrayal of the Bechdel’s father troubled father figure. Harman successfully challenged theatregoers by embracing Bruce’s ever changing emotions and concealment of his sexuality and lack of control. Helen (Bruce’s wife) was played by Alex Young who carried the weight and emotional bagged attached to her family. Her performance throughout was heartbreaking to observe, particularly in her stand out number ‘Days and Days’ which revealed the deeper situation Helen finds herself trapped in. I was touched deeply by her delivery and execution of this challenging role as there was a clear shift in her characterisation as she gradually begins to accept her position within her husband’s world. 

The use of child actors within this show is both a testament to their talent but a reminder of the heavy source material covered. This specific production used three sets of young performers to embody the Bechdel children. I was fortunate to see two out of the three casts in their respected roles and was impressed by the emotional range and comedic moments they showcased particularly in ‘Come to the Fun Home’. Portraying Alison’s two brothers during my performances were the actors Reggie Kempson and Reuben Shepherd as John and Morris McKinley and Theo Wake as Christian. Although the two only had a limited role on stage, they successfully added moments of light and dark to ‘Fun Home’ with their expressive choreography and clear dialogue. Harriet O’Shea and Felicity Moore embraced the role of Young Alison and delivered performances which carried their own unique flare. The song ‘Ring of Keys’ was my personal highlight of the musical as it emphasised the immense talent that many young performers are forging. O’Shea and Moore not only showed powerful vocals but a mature evolution of Alison as she grapples with identity. 

‘Fun Home’ featured three performers in the principal role of Alison and they ultimately conveyed a clear transition and growth over her life. Alice Audrey O’Hanlon presented Alison’s Freshman college year and specifically, the moment in which she embraces her sexuality and comes out to her parents. I was particularly impressed with O’Hanlon’s comedic timing, for example in 'Changing my major', which was necessary to lighten moments of the musical. Also, her chemistry with Joan (played by Natasha Contriall) conveyed an accurate first relationship which I admired throughout. Contriall showed a confidence that juxtaposed O’Hanlon’s portrayal of Alison which I appreciated as it supported the development of the two characters. Lucca Chadwick-Patel took on the roles of Roy, Bobby, Mark and Pete. I loved the subtle changes between the various men who come into contact with Bruce while remaining similar to emphasise Bruce’s specific interest in these males. Chadwick-Patel had strong chemistry with the young children as he acted as their babysitter as well as working well with Harman to create a power imbalance.

The company was led by Jodie McNee playing Alison Bechdel. The complexity of Alison as she grapples with revisiting her past and in particular her father’s suicide. ‘Fun Home’ divulges Alison’s grief in a significantly challenging way however McNee’s talent consistently facilitated this onstage. It is clear to me that McNee has a unique gift in performing and her acting process is presented on stage in ways which are rarely seen especially in the number ‘Telephone wire’. Under the strong direction of Sarah Frankcom, McNee and the rest of the cast created a production that left a lasting impact on me. Few shows successfully cultivate the emotion, comedy and heart ache ‘Fun Home’ etched into me over the two performances I watched. Time after time, the Royal Exchange produces some of the most significant shows in the 21st century within its unique and intimate staging, relying on the extraordinary talent and skill of its creatives and actors. I can not wait to return in the fall to see what they have to offer next.