You’ve probably heard of Alison Bechdel even if you think you don’t know who she is: the graphic novelist and recently-named MacArthur Genius is the creator of the Bechdel Test, a 3-step checklist to determine whether or not a film does right by women.
Bechdel’s already made plenty of history. But last night she added to her list of accolades: Fun Home, a musical adaptation of Bechdel’s 2006 best-selling graphic memoir of the same name, won five Tony Awards, including best new musical.
Fun Home revolves around Alison’s relationship with her father, Bruce. The story illuminates two sides of the LGBT experience simultaneously: Alison’s coming out while coming-of-age is contrasted with Bruce’s closeted existence, his series of affairs with younger guys and his eventual suicide. It is the first Broadway musical to feature a lesbian protagonist.
Fun Home composer Jeanine Tesori and playwright Lisa Kron won the Tony for best score, becoming the first all-female team to do so. Sam Gold also won for his direction of the show.
Michael Cerveris, who won best actor for playing Fun Home’s dad, gave one of the only blatantly political acceptance speeches of the night. “Our show is about home. It’s about finding who you are,” he said. “If Corey Mitchell [a theater educator honored with a special Tony award] can teach his students to to be their pure, wonderful selves, I hope that all of us can do that for everybody in our lives and across the country, and I hope the Supreme Court can recognize that, too.”
Another big winner of the night: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, based on Mark Haddon’s 2003 novel, which is told through the perspective of a teenage boy with Asperger’s. Curious Incident won best play, and Alex Sharp, the show’s star, took home best leading actor in a play. In his speech, Sharp said, “This play is about a young person who is different, and who is misunderstood, and I just want to dedicate this to any young person who feels misunderstood and feels different.”