I’ll Work On Calming Down

Emily Skeggs “Changing My Major”

I remember thinking that it was very strange that Alison Bechdel’s comic book memoir Fun Home had been turned into a stage musical, and just assumed it would be extremely maudlin and dreary. The actual show is very emotional, but also very dynamic and entertaining, and highlights a dry wit that’s on Bechdel’s pages, but isn’t necessarily the most famous thing about her book. At least in terms of music, this is a fairly traditional Broadway musical, and as such a lot of it isn’t exactly subtle – it is mostly made up of people with bold, clear voices singing their feelings and actions. But I think overall, the show has a depth the book only suggests. Michael Cerveris’ just recently won a Tony for his performance as Bechdel’s closeted father Bruce, and thank god, because he brings out the subtleties of that character’s many layers of repression in a way that highlights the very best of what acting can be. Cerveris’ Bruce and the trio of actresses who play Alison – Beth Malone, Emily Skeggs, and Sydney Lucas – bring out the best in Bechdel’s source material and Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori’s book and score, and present highly specific, intricately detailed portrayals of their characters.

“Changing My Major,” sung by Emily Skeggs as the college-age Bechdel, is a particularly charming song, and stands on its own rather well. All you need to know is that this is sung from the perspective of Alison on the morning after she loses her virginity to a classmate named Joan, and it’s her excited and confused inner monologue about the conflict her intense infatuation and her unsure feelings about fully coming out as a lesbian. (“I’m changing my major to…Joan! / I’m changing my major to sex…with Joan!”) This is definitely specific to the circumstances of Alison’s sexuality, but the powerful feeling of experiencing “OH MY GOD MY LIFE IS CHANGED I LOVE THIS PERSON” for the first time is close to universal.

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