Matthew Murphy
The Broadway musical Funny Girl is a curiosity because of its enduring popularity. A curiosity only because it’s based on the life of a performer, Fanny Brice, who died about 13 years before the show premiered, and who is probably not even known by most audiences today because her career was mostly on stage, with only a handful of movie appearances, her most famous work being The Baby Snooks Show on the radio. She didn’t live long enough to make major TV appearances, so it’s just curious that she’s mostly known today from her portrayal in Funny Girl. The show itself has endured since 1963 because of Barbra Streisand, who originated the role and reprised it for the 1968 film, and the classic songs by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill including ‘People’ and ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’. As most of us know, the show had a tumultuous 2022 Broadway revival that nearly sank because of its original casting of Fanny Brice, but the show’s fortunes turned around once Lea Michele got the role she’d always dreamed of and audiences ate it up. The Broadway run has ended, and now the show is making its way across the country, stopping at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre, but can it capture that lightning in a bottle that Michele gave the Broadway run?
If you’re unfamiliar with the story, Funny Girl very loosely follows the life and career Fanny Brice (Katerina McCrimmon), and her tumultuous relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein. The show begins with Fanny awaiting Nicky’s release from prison after three years then flashes back to starstruck teen Fanny who is enjoying her first job in vaudeville. Her mother (Melissa Manchester) tries to steer Fanny away from show business, but the girl perseveres and becomes a star, her mother now worried that her daughter will forget about her family and friends. Fanny meets Arnstein (Stephen Mark Lukas) and quickly falls in love, determined to marry him regardless of his gambling past. The couple do marry, Fanny becomes a huge star and supports her mother and husband, but Nicky finds himself in trouble with the law. So can their marriage, and Fanny’s career, weather this hardship?
I honestly did not know much about Fanny Brice, and I’ve only come to know more about her for the purposes of reviewing the show, When I say the show is ‘very loosely’ based on Brice’s life, I’m not exaggerating. A quick look at her Wikipedia page will give you more robust details of her life that are completely omitted from the show, most notably her most famous character, Baby Snooks. The show focuses on a more romanticized version of her life and her love of Arnstein (the show also omits another prison sentence), so it’s better to go into the show not knowing much about Brice for a more enjoyable theatre experience. The show has been beloved by audiences for years, but for me it lacked some oomph, not through any fault of its wildly talented cast, but the story itself is just a tad … old-fashioned and a bit dated. The book by Isobel Lennart has been punched up a bit by Harvey Fierstein, but it still plays like a traditional Broadway show. Not that there’s anything wrong with that — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — but after seeing the magnificent job that was done with making The Wiz feel so fresh and modern (with a script assist from Amber Ruffin), this one just left me feeling a bit underwhelmed as far as the overall production is concerned.
Matthew Murphy
What does work is the cast, and they have a real winner in Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny (note that Hannah Shankman will take the role at some performances). Fans of the show have probably seen the movie and Streisand is untouchable, and the videos of Lea Michele on Broadway are also impressive, but McCrimmon absolutely commands that stage and makes Fanny Brice her own. And you know how this all works? Because she’s beautiful and can deliver all of Fanny’s ‘I’m not beautiful’ dialogue and you don’t think twice about it. She totally embodies this stage version of Brice, cutting jokes in awkward situations, being vulnerable around Nicky, performing with the Ziegfeld girls, and belting out those signature songs. Fanny Brice is a demand role, to be sure, and McCrimmon is the force that keeps this thing running.
Normally, the iconic Melissa Manchester plays Fanny’s mother, but at the opening night performance the role was filled by Eileen T’Kaye (usually Mrs. Strakosh). I have to say I was disappointed upon hearing that Ms. Manchester would not be appearing — she is the show’s ‘big name’ in the cast — but I quickly got over myself as T’Kaye took to the stage, skillfully delivered her lines with some great comic timing when needed, ran a full gamut of emotions over the relationship of Fanny and Nicky, and used her powerful voice to deliver Mrs. Brice’s songs, usually as part of an ensemble of characters, but she really got to show up with the Act II number ‘Who Taught Her Everything?’ with the Eddie Ryan character. I may have missed out on Ms. Manchester but Ms. T’Kaye more than capably filled those shoes.
Stephen Mark Lucas is the dashing Nicky Arnstein, but I could not help but think of John O’Hurley every time he spoke. I’d love to hear him speak out of character to see if that’s how he really sounds because I overheard some others say they felt he was ‘acting’ too hard. Arnstein, though, is a tough role because even though he is the romantic co-lead, he’s also a cad and a whole lot of a male chauvinist (that ‘You Are Woman, I Am Man’ song is just a bit cringy) so you know you want to like him because Fanny does but at the same time you know he’s no good and Lucas does allow us to root for Nicky. He also duets nicely with McCrimmon, but Nicky’s big solo number ‘Temporary Arrangement’ was a little rough vocally. Hopefully it was just an off night for Lucas.
The other main character is Fanny’s friend and confidant Eddie Ryan, played by Izaiah Montaque Harris. This is Harris’ first national tour so I’ll cut him some slack. The early part of his performance was a bit mechanical and he mugged just a bit too much, totally playing to the people in the back row of the balcony. But … when he had his big tap dance number in Act I — it was electric. And as the number was part of the Ziegfeld Follies scene, it also gave Harris a chance to loosen up and interact with the audience. I think that wildly appreciative response from the audience at the end of his dance also made the rest of his performance more natural, especially as Eddie tries to keep supporting Fanny even though he can see right through Nicky. His duet with Mrs. Brice was also charming, so he did warm up in the role as the show progressed. In the role of Ziegfeld, Walter Coppage, a veteran of stage and screen, makes for an imposing presence with his booming, deep voice, watching out for Fanny (she was his main draw after all) while trying to not interfere too much with her affairs of the heart.
Matthew Murphy
Susan Hilferty’s costumes are gorgeous, the lighting design by Kevin Adams is done so well that you really don’t even think about it. It’s not flashy, but the combination of spots, stage lighting and the lights around the proscenium just work so well together that it doesn’t over-power the show itself. The scenic design by David Zinn is what really gives the show its old-fashioned vibe as it’s mostly flats that raise and lower to give us a city street, the backstage of the theatre, or Nicky and Fanny’s Long Island home, with a few tables and chairs here and there when necessary. Not the flashiest of sets but it gets the job done. Director Michael Mayer keeps the show’s pace running smoothly, and the orchestra sounds great. The sound design by Brian Ronan and Cody Spencer keeps the actors’ voices loud and clear, never over-powered by the music.
When all is said and done, there really isn’t anything here that should disappoint anyone. An excellent cast and a well-run production should be enough to get the job done. I have to say that, seeing Funny Girl for the first time it wasn’t my favorite show. That’s just my opinion. I didn’t like Wicked much the first time I saw it either, but the second viewing made me a fan because I was more familiar with the material. Perhaps a second viewing will change my mind about Funny Girl. If you’re a fan, I think you will appreciate it very much, if you like traditional Broadway musicals you’ll probably love it. I wish I could say I loved it. I appreciated all the hard work that went into it and sometime down the road I will be more than happy to revisit it.
Funny Girl runs about 2 hours 50 minutes with one intermission. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Funny Girl runs through October 29 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Other cities on the schedule include Durham NC, Tampa, Orlando, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hartford, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Atlanta and more. Visit the official website for more information.
Funny Girl – North American Tour (2023)
NETworks Presentations
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
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