Fun Home
From the first audition to her final bow, Lyla's journey with Fun Home at Boston's historic Huntington Theatre was a life-changing experience full of joy, hard work, and incredible growth. Lyla learned so much from her director, her castmates, and the production's extraordinary creative team and crew along the way.
Winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Fun Home is a beloved, groundbreaking, and emotionally rich story of seeing your parents through grown-up eyes. Lyla was entrusted with the role of Small Alison — the youngest incarnation of author Alison Bechdel, navigating the wonder and confusion of her childhood within a complicated family. This production was directed by Logan Ellis, a visionary director whose bold, emotionally precise staging drew widespread acclaim throughout the show's run from November 14 to December 14, 2025.
Lyla’s performance earned glowing reviews. The Boston Globe's Don Aucoin wrote that Lyla "stopped the show" with her rendition of "Ring of Keys." Joyce Kulhawik, Emmy Award-winning critic and President of the Boston Theater Critics Association, called Lyla "an astonishing young performer who brought the house down more than once," declaring the production a must-see. Peter Chianca of Boston.com called her performance "a dead-on show stopper," writing that she "simply embodies these characters, in a way that feels uncannily real and profoundly moving." Jenna Sargeant of 1851 Chronicle called Lyla’s performance "nothing short of remarkable," predicting: "this is the beginning of a long career for a performer on the path to stardom." John Amodeo of Cabaret Scenes Magazine wrote "the real star of this show is Randall," praising the "incredible range of emotions" she brought to the role.
Fun Home earned the production a Boston Theater Critics Association Critics' Pick, and in April, as announced by Broadway World, Lyla received a nomination for the prestigious Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical — one of the highest honors in Boston's theater community.
The celebrations didn't end with the nomination. Lyla, along with her "Bechdel brothers" Caleb Levin and Odin Vega, was invited back to the Huntington's biggest night of the year, the Spotlight Gala, to perform "Come to the Fun Home."
Then, at the 43rd Annual Elliot Norton Awards ceremony on June 1, 2026, Lyla was honored to be invited to perform “Ring of Keys” one more time for an audience of Boston's most celebrated theater artists and critics. (You can watch her performance here.) Being counted among the best featured performances on Boston's stages this season was a tremendous honor, and being invited to perform at both the Gala and the awards ceremony, are memories she’ll carry with her always.
Lyla is endlessly grateful to director Logan Ellis for his extraordinary trust, vision, and mentorship. Sincere thanks to local casting director Brett Duffy for believing in her, and heartfelt gratitude to the entire Fun Home cast, creative team, and crew for their kindness, generosity, and the incredible memories that she’ll cherish forever. Lyla would also like to thank her voice teacher, Dani Brindisi, for her guidance, love, and steady support every step of the way.
