In an exciting and significant moment for NZ theatre, The Court Theatre in Christchurch is staging Fun Home, the groundbreaking musical based on the graphic novel by lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel about her complex relationship with her father and growing up in a funeral home.
Lead actors Michael Lee Porter and Kelly Hocking share the impact Bechdel’s work and musical theatre have had on each of them.
The Pioneering Spirit of The Court Theatre
Michael Lee Porter, who plays Alison’s father, Bruce, is proud of The Court Theatre’s decision to bring Fun Home to New Zealand. “It makes me proud that The Court Theatre obtained the rights and programmed the show first. It’s tricky programming a musical, even with a smaller cast, because of the additional elements like the live band and sound engineering needed. This makes it a riskier investment for a theatre, particularly with a show that is not widely known. But The Court Theatre has a history of daring to try what others might not, like the New Zealand premiere of Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” he says, nodding to the musical that he himself directed for The Court Theatre.
Kelly Hocking, who plays Alison, echoes this sentiment. “It’s a little-known show that isn’t about vocal or actual pyrotechnics, but it definitely has emotional pyrotechnics. Some companies might think Fun Home has a niche audience, but that’s a myth! If you have a family, long to understand yourself and others, or want to see queer joy and not just queer pain, this show is for you!”
A Personal Connection to the Role
Alison Bechdel has not only played a pivotal role in modern feminism for her graphic literary works like Fun Home (which ranks 33rd on The Guardian’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century) and the groundbreaking comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For but also the Bechdel Test – a measurement now widely used to chart the representation of women in film and fiction. Invented in 1985, to pass the Bechdel Test, a film or novel must feature at least two female characters. The characters must talk to each other, and the subject of that conversation has to be about something other than a man. In a staggering revelation in 2018, a BBC analysis revealed that less than half of the films that have won the Best Picture Oscar passed Bechdel’s test!
Bechdel’s contribution is so significant that it only seems fitting that she would be the subject of the first mainstream musical about a young lesbian. And for Hocking, getting to play Alison in that musical feels innately personal.
“I’ll be 41 when Fun Home opens, playing the adult version of Alison, aged 43. As a queer/bisexual woman, I’m very interested in ‘queer temporalities,’ which describe how queer experiences and identities are passed from one generation to another. These experiences are often transferred through art and culture. There’s a queer joke that once a woman comes out as a lesbian, someone slides a copy of Fun Home (the graphic novel) under her door. I’m excited that queer people of all ages will be able to see Fun Home at The Court and piece together another part of their history. I’m thrilled to be part of that process,” she says, adding, “It speaks to highly relatable themes like found family, what we inherit from our parents, self-discovery and the fallibility of both memory and truth.”
Bringing Complexity to Life
Alison’s father, Bruce Bechdel, is a complex character. A closeted gay man with a wife and children, living in a very hard era to be openly gay. Fun Home also alludes to him having sexual relationships with underage men. As an actor, Porter approached this character with a nuanced perspective. “I don’t think I’ve played a character with as many flaws as Bruce. You have to start with the actor’s homework: script analysis, dissecting everything about him, what he says about himself and others, and what others say about him. He can be viciously cruel and put himself in very dicey situations. My job isn’t to judge the character and his deeds but to find the good in him and make him as human as possible, and from there, let his journey occur into the Bruce we see at the end of the play,” he explains.
Porter also reflected on the personal connections he found in the script. “There are parts of the script that break my heart, like the way he condescends and speaks to people, particularly his wife Helen and ‘small Alison’. I have vivid memories of how my parents spoke to each other sometimes, and it’s as if Lisa Kron and Alison Bechdel recorded their words and included them in the text,” he shares poignantly.
The Importance of Queer Representation
The casting of queer actors in queer roles is a significant aspect of this production. “As an actor telling a queer story, especially when the role is based on a real person’s life, there are many connections to make with their stories, like realising you’re different even when you’re not sure why or the need to hide your true self out of shame or self-preservation. It’s that part of ‘self’ that a queer actor brings to a queer role,” Porter tells us.
Hocking also feels deeply about the importance of representation. “It’s an important consideration due to the lack of opportunities queer people have had to tell their own stories,” she says, adding that that representation needs to apply to every colour of our queer rainbow.
“When I was cast, I worried I wasn’t ‘queer enough’, something I’m sure some readers can relate to. I’m married to a man and in a heterosexual-presenting relationship, but I’m still bisexual. It’s important for me to be open about my sexuality. It’s a part of my identity, and there is no one way to be queer,” she concludes.
For Porter, that queer representation does not have to be portrayed by a queer actor, as long as the actor is doing a good job!
“When I’m in the audience, I don’t care if the actor playing a role is queer or not. I just want them to tell the story with honesty and respect and be bloody good at it. There’s nothing worse than seeing an actor ‘play’ gay onstage,” he explains, noting that he has even seen gay actors ‘playing gay’!
From Discovery to Performance
“I became aware of Fun Home just before it opened on Broadway. I love (composer) Jeanine Tesori’s work and the way she writes about everyday people doing everyday domestic things. The conversational style of the lyrics and melody, and the small combo band orchestrations, always place her shows perfectly in their time period. I saw Fun Home for the first time in New York when I went there to marry my partner, David. We paid over $500 for tickets, and at the end of the show, I turned to David, hardly able to speak because I was so moved, and said, ‘I have to play Bruce one day,'” Porter recounts.
For Hocking, she first found a personal connection to Fun Home through the graphic novel. “I relate very much to Alison’s pursuit of subjective truth, identity and understanding. This intense self-scrutiny and soul-searching comes across expertly in both the graphic novel and the musical. As soon as I heard the soundtrack, I knew it would become my favourite musical, and it did,” she tells us.
Career Highlights
Reflecting on their careers, both actors highlight the varied range of roles they have played and the unique opportunities they have been given.
“I’ve been lucky to play a diverse range of roles. Being a ‘Standby’ on the recent tour of Come From Away was one of the hardest but most rewarding things I’ve done. Standbys had to learn five roles each and be ready to go on without notice,” Porter reveals before highlighting just how special a place directing Hedwig and the Angry Inch at The Court Theatre holds in his heart. “It still seems like a dream!”
For Hocking, “A major highlight was debuting my first autobiographical solo show, Thief, in 2021. Another highlight was opening the current version of my studio, The Voice Lab NZ, in Otepoti (Dunedin) in 2020. I’ve been a voice coach for over 15 years and have longed for a bigger space and community. The studio now has eight coaches and over 160 clients. I’m extremely proud of the environment we’ve created.”
An Invitation to Experience Fun Home
Fun Home feels like more than just a show; it’s a pivotal moment in musical theatre. A beautifully crafted piece that touches on themes of family, identity and self-discovery. For those looking for a compelling reason to visit Christchurch, this production offers an unforgettable experience that resonates on both personal and universal levels. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness this landmark musical and support the incredible talent bringing Alison Bechdel’s story to life.
