Bechdel conquers Broadway

by Anthony Glassman

New York City--After being the best-reviewed new musical of the season, the Broadway adaptation of Alison Bechdel?s graphic novel memoir Fun Home snagged five Tony Awards on June 7.

It won Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical for Lisa Kron, Best Original Score for Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Best Actor-Musical for Michael Cerveris and Sam Gold took Best Direction of a Musical.

The book, and the musical, examine the relationship between a young Bechdel and her enigmatic father, as she realizes that she is gay, and he is too.

It is the latest in a series of conquests for Bechdel, whose graphic novel was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Her series Dykes to Watch Out For spent years as the most notable lesbian-themed comic strip in the nation, and ran in newspapers throughout the country, including this one.

Bechdel released Fun Home in 2006 to widespread acclaim. Time called it the best book of the year. It won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album, and was included in the British newspaper The Guardian?s list of 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read.

Two years later, she halted production of Dykes to Watch Out For after 25 years to focus on her memoirs. She followed Fun Home with Are You My Mother? The latter graphic novel focuses both on her relationship with her mother, as well as with her therapists.

In other Tony Award news, the Regional Theater Tony Award was given to the Cleveland Play House.