THERE’S A STAR IN THIS
DUSTY OLD COUCH OF A MUSICAL
Funny Girl — the musical narrative of the ugly duckling turned Ziegfeld star turned tragic heroine — takes center stage once more. With beloved songs written by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, Isobel Lennart‘s 1964 book was updated by Harvey Fierstein for Broadway in a production that starred Beanie Feldstein and then Lea Michele, who turned a so-so run into a hit. The story of real-life Fanny Brice, with a scallywag husband and a loving but judgy mother, was taken down from the Golden Age of Broadway shelf and dusted off to bring the classic Broadway glamor back to the stage. How can anything go wrong? I assume many will attend to relive Barbra Streisand’s performance in the original or the 1968 film. The book has always been problematic, and it remains so. So, for the National Tour, the big question is can Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny live up to La Streisand? Comparisons are useless, but suffice it to say, Wow, can Miss McCrimmon belt! She truly left it all on the stage in her final numbers of both acts. You want drama? She answers.
Katerina McCrimmon
But that book. Meet Fanny Brice, a budding lover of theater and a teenager looking for her break on the big stage. After not finding much solace and more or less a lukewarm response from her single mother (Melissa Manchester), her nagging but loving poker-playing friends, our heroine is determined to succeed, as per the tradition of any good old-fashioned American musical. Fanny’s determination leads to her landing in a Florenz Ziegfield vaudeville spectacular, the best-selling follies at the time. Well, Fanny, in her earthy way, defies Ziegfeld and enters the stage as a pregnant bride in “His Love Makes Me Beautiful.” The bawdy display of humor and ingenious dramaturgy works.
Katerina McCrimmon, Izaiah Montaque Harris
In her rise to stardom, Fanny gets help from the very talented Eddie Ryan (Isaiah Montaque Harris). But you know how the good guys never get the girl? Fannie sets her eyes on the very handsome, suave, up-to-no-good professional gambler Nicky Arnstein (Stephen Mark Lukas). But, as the adage goes, there can never be too much of a good thing. Fanny eventually is faced with choosing love or career, so she ditches a national tour, jumps on the next train to New York — belting out the iconic tune “Don’t Rain on my Parade”– so she can follow Nick to Monte Carlo and become his bride.
Jackson Grove, Katerina McCrimmon, Rodney Thompson
The second act slowly unspools the melodrama that is now Fanny’s life. In the end, Fanny, who has been flashing back, awaits Nick — who has been incarcerated for three years for embezzlement — in her dressing room. Nick, due to his own psychological whirlwind of failure and having to depend on his starlet wife for income, wants a divorce. Our proud heroine will belt a reprise of “Don’t Rain on my Parade” and sings, Well, Brice, that’s life in the theater!”
Melissa Manchester, Izaiah Montaque Harris
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE on stage at Segerstrom Hall is top stellar talent. Katerina McCrimmon and Stephen Mark Lukas’s chemistry is simply magical. They are both gorgeous singers, and their physical movement and interaction are delicious to witness. On the other hand, Lukas, being perfectly adequate, relied on McCrimmon to keep his tuning from dropping, and he has some consistency issues, especially in the second act.
Company
The dancing is phenomenal. Harris busted out the tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, and the pared-down chorus looks great in Ellenore Scott’s choreography, and director Michael Mayer keeps the musical comedy machine moving.
Company
Technically, this is a better experience than most touring shows. The set design by David Zinn is practical, trimmed, and effective. Kevin Adams‘ lighting design == with associates Timothy Reed and Emmanuel Delgado — while not particularly groundbreaking, works perfectly. And Susan Hilferty‘s costumes are just to die for. Bravo to the three associate costume designers Mark Koss, Heather Freedman, and Meriwether Snipes. who put love and detail into every jewel and coat.
Katerina McCrimmon, Stephen Mark Lukas
Does this book survive over time? Sadly, it fails to capture my imagination. In modern more-jaded times, the comedy and long melodrama feel like watching an old movie minus the charm. Producers are banking on a draw of old stage glamor but the plotline needs to be more exciting. The story is so out of touch with today’s societal advancements (“You are woman, I am man”; Do I need to say more?) that it should be placed back on the shelves. Fanny is a helpless heroine who goes from self-made woman to sobbing mess, and that sort of story just doesn’t resonate today. You need a good dose of caffeine to sit through the convoluted storyline of the second act.
Melissa Manchester, Katerina McCrimmon
If you want an outstanding lesson in musical history, attend this show. There are some great tunes, fantastic dancing, McKinnon lights up the stage, and Manchester’s portrayal of the no-nonsense Mrs. Brice captures the spirit of the whole musical — she gets a lot of love from the audience. Plus, the spot-on 17-piece orchestra, led by conductor Elaine Davidson, successfully captures the classic Broadway sound,
Stephen Mark Lucas
photos by Evan Zimmerman and Matthew Murphy for Murphymade
Funny Girl
National Tour
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa
ends on June 09, 2024
for tickets, call 714.556.2787 or visit SCFTA
tour continues; for dates and cities, visit Funny Girl
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