Lisa Kron Spotlights Alison Bechdel’s Unfolding Sexual Identity by Patricia L. Morin Lisa Kron’s “Fun Home” is a beautiful, heart-rending portrayal of the hidden anguish of a dysfunctional family, as seen through the childhood, adolescent, and adult eyes of lesbian writer Alison Bechdel. The musical is based on Bechdel’s prize-winning autobiographical graphic novel—also called…
Millennial Notes Jeanine Tesori’s Music Plucks Heartstrings at Funeral Home by Amy Deng In “Fun Home,” behind the façade of a family home, we discover a well of lies. I feel torn about City Lights’ production of the Tony Award winning musical. I find it both endearing and flawed—much like writer Alison Bechdel’s own…
Millennial Notes Matthew Sklar’s Tunes Thrust Homophobia into Full View by Ian Waters “The Prom” opened the week Roe v. Wade was overturned, and I passed multiple protests on the way. As I watched “The Prom,” a colorful fantasy land where kids wear backwards hats and a lifetime of homophobia can be overcome in…
Cleavon Smith Debates the Ways and Means of Racial Progress by Jennifer Ann Charron Students rally frequently at UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza. During protests, University Police are often called to seal off buildings and to “protect” people and property. All too often police clash with impassioned students in predictable outcomes. Playwright Cleavon Smith wisely…