Under Construction @ Keele 2016 Volume 2 Issue 1 | Page 11

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of dialogue from the musical’s script between the track listings helps to bridge the
songs well and gives a clearer understanding of Bechdel’s story for those unfamiliar
with the graphic novel. One can only hope this production makes its way to the West
End so that further admiration for it can be found amongst British theatregoers.
For Jeanine Tessori and Lisa Kron, there is not a lot to criticise here. Their
union has yielded something uniquely special with ground-breaking results for the
future of musical theatre. ‘Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect
balance’ narrates Alison at the end of the final track.6 A critical listening to the
catalogue of works here suggests that achieving a perfect balance between musician
and writer, was more than just a rare occurrence.

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Lisa Kron, “Flying Away – (Finale) from Fun Home – A New Broadway Musical [CD recording]
performed by Beth Malone. (Bronxville, PS Classics, 2015).
th
* Image used with permission from Mr P.Chaffin on behalf of PS Classics, Bronxville, New York (30
October 2015).