Lea Salonga will play Helen Bechdel in the first international production of Fun Home, opening in Manila in 2016.
Fun Home is the most awarded and acclaimed musical of the year, winning five Tony Awards including Best Musical.
When her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family’s Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires.
Fun Home is a based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir Fun Home features music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron who won the Tony Award this year scheduled to grace the shows opening night in Manila next year.
Fun Home marks Lea’s first musical in Manila since she played Grizabella in Cats in 2010. Her last stage appearance in Manila was in Atlantis Productions’ critically acclaimed play God Of Carnage in 2012. She is currently appearing as Kei in the Broadway musical Allegiance.
Director Bobby Garcia, says, “Dreams do come true. It is an honor to be able to stage Fun Home in Manila with Lea Salonga as Helen. It is a ground breaking musical that needs to be seen by audiences all over the world. I am thrilled that it will premiere internationally in Manila and that we will be welcoming Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron to our Opening Night. We hope you will all come to the Fun Home next year.”