Character guide
Helen Bechdel
from Fun Home
Helen Bechdel is Alison's mother in Fun Home, Jeanine Tesori's 2015 musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir.
- Show
- Fun Home
- Broadway premiere
- 2015
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Jeanine Tesori
Who is Helen Bechdel?
Helen Bechdel spends decades married to Bruce, aware on some level of his secret life but choosing, for years, to maintain the appearance of a stable family rather than confront it directly. Her restraint and quiet suffering come into sharp focus late in the show, when she finally speaks candidly to Alison about the reality of her marriage.
Helen's perspective offers a sobering counterpoint to Alison's search for understanding, showing the toll that decades of secrecy took on the person who lived closest to it.
Helen's role in Fun Home
Helen is a supporting role in Fun Home, built around a small number of scenes that carry outsized emotional weight, particularly her late solo number, Days and Days. The role requires a performer capable of conveying years of suppressed feeling in a controlled, understated performance.
Audiences remember Helen for that late confession scene, which recontextualizes much of what came before it and gives the show one of its most quietly devastating moments.
Helen Bechdel: frequently asked questions
What show is Helen Bechdel from?
Helen Bechdel is a supporting character in Fun Home, which opened on Broadway in 2015.
Is Helen Bechdel a lead or supporting role?
Helen is a supporting role, Alison's mother and Bruce's wife.
Who wrote the music for Fun Home?
Jeanine Tesori composed the music, with a book and lyrics by Lisa Kron.
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