By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“)
It’s hard to believe, but until three years ago there had never been a revival of Funny Girl on Broadway. The starring vehicle in 1964 that turned New York phenom Barbra Streisand into a nationally known recording artist and a soon-to-be cinema star was deemed too iconic a role for anyone other than Streisand herself to attempt.
But three years ago all of that changed when producers took a chance on Beanie Feldstein to star as Fanny Bryce in a new production at the August Wilson Theatre. As might have been predicted, critics assailed Feldstein’s performance while her understudy, the unknown Julie Benko, unexpectedly garnered raves.
Like sharks circling the water around chum, fans of former Broadway performer and Fox Network TV star Lea Michele (“Glee“) launched an aggressive internet and social media campaign to get her hired as Feldstein’s replacement. Feldstein soon announced her intention to leave the role months sooner than her contract had stated and Michele’s followers were elated to learn she would indeed be stepping into the role of Fanny Bryce, albeit several weeks in the future. In the meantime, Benko performed in the starring role prior to Michele joining the cast.
This national cast would never have been a possibility had Michele not stepped into the role. No doubt she charged the producers a pretty penny, but this was the role of her lifetime and gave the production a glimmer of hope that it would not be closing prematurely.
Michele’s dedicated followers came through. They breathed new life into this old musical and gave it the impetus it needed to recoup the investors’ $16.5 million capitalization within a month of its final closing in September of 2023. It literally made the launch of this very first national tour of Funny Girl a possibility.
The musical took on such new life that a new original cast album followed and ticket sales for the national tour soared. Even after the Broadway show had closed, it was Michele’s fanbase that created a swell of desire to see the show when it hit the road.
Because of the Broadway Across America series, New Orleanians are lucky that the Saenger Theater affords so many seats and that producers are anxious to bring big shows like this to the facility. While a good number of cities caught the new Michael Mayer-directed project last year, the Saenger is presenting Funny Girl for the last time today before it goes back on the road with a closing of the tour slated for next month.
For those unfamiliar, it is a fantastic, old style musical with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill. Hannah Shankman stars as Fanny Brice, the Jewish singer who went from an unknown talent to a Zigfeld star. Melissa Manchester, the celebrated singer-songwriter, plays Fanny’s mother, Rose Brice. Manchester takes on the role originally created by award-winning actress Tovah Feldshuh in the new production.
Funny Girl has a revised and fleshed out book by Harvey Fierstein improving the original work written by Isobel Lennart. Fierstein expanded the role of Mrs. Strakosh that had existed previously and Cheryl Stern does a superb job of playing opposite Manchester. Fierstein also gave additional stage time to Mrs. Meeker, one of their poker buddies played by Christine Bunuan. Stern will assume Manchester’s role today as Rose Brice, while Leah Platt will likely assume the role of Mrs. Strakosh.
Because it deals with early Broadway and the glorious era of vaudeville, Funny Girl has lots of ensemble dance sequences emulating the Zigfeld Follies and other stages where Fanny Brice was as undisputed star. Many of the musical numbers include speciality tap numbers. Choreography is by Ellenore Scott and tap choreography is by Ayodele Casel.
Shankman, who is an amazing belter with an impressive instrument, plays opposite Stephen Mark Lukas, a veteran of Tulane’s Summer Lyric Theatre. He plays gambler and ne’er do well Nick Arnstein, who Fanny falls for lock, stock and pickle barrel!
Lukas plays the dandy quite well and he has his own moment in the spotlight with “Temporary Arrangement.” Ramin Kamirloo handled the role when both Feldstein and Michele were the leading ladies.
Shankman also enjoys some great scenes opposite Izaiah Montaque Harris as choreographer Eddy Ryan, who believes in Fanny’s abilities and who taps his way into the audience’s heart. Watching Shankman portray Bryce is sheer joy as she puts the ensemble through their paces as we see her star rise on the Great White Way.
Manchester is terrific as Rose Bryce with she and Harris enjoying a moment in “I Taught Her Everything She Knows” in Act II. Manchester’s mannerisms are essentially very authentic and a tribute to her Jewish ancestry. Stern is a perfect understudy for Manchester as she grew up in New York and was steeped in her legend.
The music is rendered by music director Elaine Davidson and a sextet of national players joined with eight local performers, many of whom are Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra leading musicians. Orchestrations are by Chris Walker with incidental dance, vocal and other musical arrangements supplied by Alan Williams, Carmel Dean and David Dabbon.
The costumes are over the top and designed by Susan Hilferty. They exude the vaudeville era at what appears to be great expense. Campbell Young Associates is credited with hair design, which is also quite spectacular. Lighting is superbly designed by Kevin Adams, while the sound is by Brian Ronan and Cody Spencer.
It’s taken six decades for Funny Girl to resonate with Broadway fans and to bring about what has been both a successful run on the Great White Way and a profitable Equity tour thus far. But were it not for “Glee,” the TV program that a decade ago rekindled interest in Broadway for millenials and introduced Lea Michele as a singer who might possibly one day tackle the role of Fanny Brice, this show and the tens of thousands of New Orleanians and the hundreds of thousands of adoring fans across the country would never have seen the light of day or the glow of footlights on the stage.
It’s a strange but true chapter in the history of Broadway and the power of social media and the internet to make change possible. It’s such a funny tale that a certain funny girl must be laughing along in her heavenly abode.
Funny Girl (2 hours and 50 minutes with a 15-minute intermission) finishes its first national tour at the Saenger Theater, 1111 Canal Street in New Orleans today with two shows at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m.. The tour continues through April 13 with final stops in Arkansas, Ohio and upstate New York. For tickets click here or call 504-287-0351.
