Ridgedale Players to present ‘Fun Home’

TROY — The Ridgedale Players’ upcoming production of “Fun Home” explores the coming-out experience and family relationships of cartoonist and author Alison Bechdel.

Alison Bechdel is a well-known American cartoonist, with work that displays subject matters pertaining to LGBTQ+ and feminist perspectives.

Some of her most notable works include “The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For,” “Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama,” and “The Secret to Superhuman Strength.”

“Fun Home” is a 2006 graphic novel memoir that follows Bechdel’s childhood and young adult background. The memoir provides introspection on her experience as a closeted lesbian and her coming-out, as well as her complicated relationship with her father, a closeted homosexual who later died in 1980.

The graphic novel was later adapted into a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by Lisa Kron. The musical displays different time periods of Bechdel’s life by having three different actors of different ages portray her through the characters Small Alison (child-age), Medium Alison (college-age), and Alison (fully-adult). The musical came to Broadway in 2015 and received the Tony Award for Best Musical, among several other accolades.

“It’s not a happy show, but there are a lot of happy moments,” Scott Steiger, the director of the Ridgedale Players’ production of “Fun Home,” said. “It’s not sad, either. It’s real, and sometimes real is sad. … We hope audiences can see the transformation of Alison.”

The Ridgedale Players’ production of “Fun Home” features the talent of Lori Knoth (Alison), Brooke Candella (Medium Alison), Cora Steiger (Small Alison), Alan Neuwirth (Bruce), Alexa Carollo (Helen), Anya Miller (Joan), Rosealie Ventimiglia (Christian), Julia Steiger (John), Sylvester Nadar (Roy/Pete/Bobby Jeremy) and Jack Steiger (Mark).

Showtimes will be 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays Oct. 25-27, and Nov. 1-3 and 7-10.

Scott Steiger has worked with the Ridgedale Players since 2001 and has been involved with many of their different productions, including co-directing “A Christmas Story: The Musical.” He also has family members involved with this upcoming production.

“My daughters are both in the show and were cast by the production team,” Steiger said. “My child is obsessed with ‘Ring of Keys,’” a song from “Fun Home.”

Cora Steiger has been involved with many shows associated with the Ridgedale Players over the past four years and plans to be involved with more both in and outside of this community theater company, specifically through her school and the upcoming Ridgedale production of “Babes in Toyland: The Musical.” She is also a longtime fan of “Fun Home.”

“I’ve loved this show for a long time,” Cora said. “Small Alison is a fun role to play around with how she acts.”

Candella had been involved with theater as a teenager, and she decided to get back into it after moving back home from school. She connected with the show after a friend from high school recommended it and after hearing the song “Ring of Keys” from the show.

“It’s kind of cathartic in college for Medium Alison to discover herself in a drastic way where the backlash is worth being where she is,” Candella said. “I went through a similar thing, and it feels like exploring the good and the bad.”

For Knoth, this her first show with the Ridgedale Players as she decided to get back into the community theater scene.

“Not many shows have lesbian protagonists, and it’s a great honor to portray a great author and cartoonist,” Knoth said. “Her story mirrors where I’m at, and the self examination has been fun.”

Knoth is inspired by Bechdel’s work and relates to the story through her own experiences growing up in Sterling Heights.

“‘Fun Home’ is a unique way to tell a life story, and I see parallels to my life,” Knoth said. “It’s really easy to delve into the emotions involved.”

Neuwirth has been in several shows with Ridgedale Players. He became aware of “Fun Home” through his friends and fell in love with the script.

“I think Bruce was loving towards his family but had his own demons that he couldn’t overcome,” Neuwirth said. “I looked through the whole thing, and I do my best to interpret the character brought together by Alison.”

For the upcoming “Fun Home” performances, there are plans to have representatives from LGBTQ+ organizations like PFLAG Detroit present to share resources with interested audience members.

“We want to let our community know there’s an LGBTQ+ community in Troy and share with as many people as possible,” Steiger said.

More information and tickets are available at ridgedaleplayers.com.