By Kiana Emmett

Based on Alison Bechdel’s bestselling graphic novel about growing up and coming out, the groundbreaking, multi-Tony Award-winning musical Fun Home, arrives in Melbourne following its acclaimed Sydney season. Directed by Dean Bryant (Torch the Place) and featuring a stellar cast that includes Lucy Maunder (Ladies in Black) and Silvie Paladino (Mamma Mia!), this production promises to make you laugh, cry and love until your heart is full.

Silvie Paladino plays Helen Bechdel, Alison Bechdel’s mother in the MTC production of Fun Home. She took the time to talk to us at the Media Preview ahead of the show’s opening night this week.

Q. What do you think makes Fun Home different from the other shows running in Melbourne at the moment?

I think certainly the topics that are touched on, we talk about diversity, mental illness, mental health. It talks about so many things: family, acceptance, homosexuality, so many major topics in life have been squeezed into an hour and forty minutes of this show. With an incredible score and an incredible book, I mean the story is so moving and funny and full of emotions. It won multiple Tony Awards, yeah, it’s an extraordinary piece.

Q. How has COVID shifted the way you prepare and the way you sustain yourself during a show season?

It’s hard because you lose that show fitness. I know people don’t see this but we are similar to athletes in that our voices are our muscle, and if we don’t use them we lose that elasticity, that flexibility that comes with singing. So it’s been hard, it’s been challenging to get back in the swing of things. But it’s also been extremely fulfilling and I feel like we are back where we belong, not sitting on the couch in our moccasins, even though that is wonderful! I would kill to be doing that right now! But it’s great to be doing it again. You appreciate the job so much more now than we possibly did before because we haven’t been able to do it.

Q. What do you hope audiences take away from this show?

I hope that audiences will hopefully be open minded, broaden their ideas of what families are and what we are as individuals. For me, we are called to love each other no matter what and I think this show, I hope this show will get people talking about their own unique family dynamic. Because we’re all different aren’t we? And rather than judging, and casting judgement on others, that we can just love one another. That’s what I hope comes out of it.

Fun Home is currently playing at the Arts Centre Playhouse through March 5^th. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/season-2022/fun-home/