In 1964, Jule Styne, riding high on the success of his legendary powerhouse score to Gypsy, the landmark biomusical based on the life and career of burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee (considered by many to be the most perfectly written American musical in existence) was approached by producer Ray Stark to compose the score for another showbiz biomusical based on the life of his famous mother-in-law, actress, comedian, and Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice. Eventually paired up with lyricist Bob Merrill, a book by Isobel Lennart, and the breakout performance of a generation that launched newcomer Barbra Streisand into the stratosphere (as well as provided her with several still signature songs), Funny Girl became one of the last beloved musicals of what is considered the Golden Age of Broadway.
Streisand’s definitive Fanny, thankfully documented by her Academy Award Winning performance in the 1968 film version where she flawlessly delivers a score of iconic songs so perfectly that they seem to be written for her, has loomed so large over the piece for the 60 years since it debuted that it is the rare major hit musical that had never seen a revival. Director Bartlett Sher, renowned for his moving rethinkings of classic musicals (The King & I, Fiddler on the Roof My Fair Lady) attempted one in 2012 starring Lauren Ambrose that collapsed when financial backers dropped out blaming “uncertain economic conditions”. So it was huge news last year when this production’s long-awaited return arrived in New York featuring a revised book by Harvey Fierstein, strong direction by Michael Mayer, and boldly cast an against-type Beannie Feldstein as Fanny. New York critics were not kind to the production (are they ever?), mostly due to Feldstein’s distinctly non-Barbra vocals. Producers cut her contract short and replaced her with Lea Michelle, who has basically spent her entire career auditioning for this role since episode 1 of Glee. She garnered more favorable reviews and considerably higher box office grosses, basically saving the financial investment of the producers’ and recouping the musicals $16+ million pricetag.
Never possessing the strong, absorbing book of Gypsy, centered on the strained relationship between a strong, loving, but controlling and smothering mother intent on giving her daughters the showbusiness careers she never had if it kills all of them, Funny Girl has, from the moment Streisand took center stage and uttered the immortal opening line, been a showcase vehicle for a strong, triple threat leading lady with great comic timing. So let’s address the elephant in the room. Who is Fanny and how is she?
Hello, Gorgeous. Headlining this sumptuous production is newcomer Katerina McCrimmon, an engaging young actor with only one Broadway credit to her name, but possessing a big, soaring voice, a voracious, enthusiastic energy, and a fun, engaging comic presence. She’s not Streisand, but who is? Neither were Mary Martin, Eydie Gormé, Anne Bancroft, or Carol Burnett, all of whom were attached to the original production at various points during its development. The good news is she doesn’t try to be Streisand. She chooses some of Streisand’s familiar inflections in her vocals but, where Streisand merely opens her throat and emits this once-in-a-lifetime lush, golden voice that just flows over the audience and across the scales, McCrimmon is a strong belter that gives new life to the familiar songs without sacrificing any of the intimate interpretational elements for the bigger sound. As a comedian, which was ultimately Brice’s strong suit, (even Streisand was notoriously underrated for her sublime comic skills; study the movie or her masterful performance in Peter Bogdanovich’s brilliant salute to screwball comedies What’s Up Doc?), McCrimmon excels from the brassy humor of a young, earnest Fanny trying to land a job or hijacking a Ziegfeld Follies extravaganza, to the subtle, anxiety-ridden humor of the underappreciated “You Are Woman, I Am Man” (bogged down by today’s politically overcorrective climate). Most importantly, she delivers huge on all the iconic numbers. There are a few unwritten rules of performing: at the top of the list is “Never sing Streisand”. Ever. Period. Non-negotiable. McCrimmon breaks that rule with gusto and croons a moving “People”, blends comedy with her belt on a list of first act showstoppers like “I’m the Greatest Star” and the newly arranged, underrated “Cornet Man” (cut from the movie), and then silences all worries when she blows the act 1 finale “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (the quintessential Streisand signature song) to the third balcony and back. Twice during the press night performance, McCrimmon received well-earned ovations midsong. This role demands a star to carry it, and McCrimmon gives all evidence of catching one on the rise as she delivers it all—the comedy, the vocals, and an engaging presence to draw the audience in and leave us with no comparisons to those who came before her. Make no mistake. Katerina McCrimmon makes this role her own and succeeds.
Which is a essential, because as amazing as the score is lined up in the first act for her to tackle top to bottom, the second act of Lennert’s show, although somewhat improved by Fierstein’s restructuring to incorporate more songs, is musically slight between opening number “Sadie, Sadie” and the 11:00 “The Music That Makes Me Dance” into the finale reprise of “Don’t Rain on My Parade”. Fortunately McCrimmon’s acting prowess fills the void where Fanny experiences the darker side of fame and love as she grows to learn her own worth as opposed to her defining her value through a husband or a career.
Stephen Mark Lukas as love interest, professional gambler and “investor” Nick Arnstein, is saddled with a thankless role that basically asks him to primarily be beautiful, while also being shallow, unlikeable, and criminal. Fortunately, Lukas possesses the matinee idol looks that make Fanny melt, but brings a depth to him not written on the pages of Lennert’s script. We know he’s no good for Fanny, but he wins the audience over along with her (and likewise also breaks their hearts). His solos are barely memorable, but he delivers them with a magnetic charm and does excel in the one mandatory song when needed to, matching wills with McCrinnon in the sexy and fun musical seduction “You Are Woman, I A Man”. (Spoiler alert: He wins.)
I totally admit I was initially massively disappointed when I looked at my “At This Performance” cast insert right before curtain and found that, despite delivering the preshow “turn off your phones” speech as herself, Grammy Award Winning singer/actor (and former Bette Midler Harlette) Melissa Manchester would not be appearing at this performance as Fanny’s mother Rose Brice. Considering I had basically centered my whole intended marketing strategy for this review around her as the star name on the bill (#YouShoudHearHowHeTalksAboutHer), guess I now have to adjust that (#MidnightBlue she didn’t perform?). But, as is becoming ever more prevalent in these post-lockdown days, understudy Eileen T’Kaye, who normally plays Rose’s superior poker-playing sidekick Mrs. Strakosh, was a winning, natural fit as Fanny’s loving, protective mother, and shows without a doubt where Fanny got her sense of humor and impeccable comic timing in an excellent duet with Fanny’s longtime best friend Eddie Ryan in “Who Taught Her Everything She Knows?”, wisely moved by Fierstein to the second act where it gets the attention it deserves instead of getting lost in the first act Henry Street segment. Not only did she make me miss Manchester a little less, she made me want to see her Mrs. Strakosh a little more.
As Ryan, a dancer who helps Fanny get her big break and spends a lifetime concealing the torch he has always carried for her, Izaiah Montaque Harris breaks out some amazing dance skills as an incredibly gifted tapper and gives the show a natural warmth that helps balance and ground the big emotional swings Fanny takes to make her relationship with another man work. Although not the usual pairing, Harris and T’Kaye have a sweet chemistry as they team up to guide and support Fanny despite her questionable life choices.
The technical aspects of this tour are, at the risk of overusing the word, gorgeous. David Zinn’s set pops right from the opening notes of the overture. His proscenium’s rims of concentric lights begin virtually dancing to the score, and displays its versatility throughout the show, shimmering, chasing, flashing, and changing colors depending on the feel of the number. (Special note about Styne’s overture: His previous one for Gypsy is also considered by many to be the most perfect of its kind. Hearing his follow-up here highlighting his powerhouse numbers to come live for the first time in my life, let me declare it is almost just as perfect.) Zinn fills his technically modern frame with beautiful, elegant, old-fashioned painted drops for a convincing meld of a show that takes place in flashbacks to the early decades of the last century. Nick and Fanny’s Long Island drop that appears in the transition of “Sadie, Sadie” is particularly impressive.
Kevin Adams’ lighting design also compliments his visually thrilling work assisting Zinn on the proscenium with beautiful stage lighting in a variety of settings and stage performances. Brian Ronan & Cody Spencer’s sound is particularly clear and balanced, although I’m quite sure when McCrimmon begins to wail we’d have perfect sound regardless.
Susan Hilferty’s costumes are bright and bold and cover an impressive array of styles from Fanny’s turn-of-the-century Brooklyn roots to the heights of Art Nouveau and Art Deco fashion as she becomes a legitimate Ziegfeld star. Her designs for the elaborate Follies numbers are particularly stunning, especially the mock bridal showgirl frocks dripping in beads, rhinestones, and pearls with high feathered headdresses (the silver rhinestone-encrusted groomsmen parading them around are equally as impressive).
Ellenore Scott’s choreography is lively and serviceable, considering the number of Follies numbers where it is deceptively deliberate but intricate, but what wouldn’t escape notice when tap choreographer Ayodele Casel steals the dance portion of the evening with exciting tap numbers executed by the amazing Harris with lightning speed and razor-sharp precision.
Even with Fierstien’s revisions, the book still shows a little of its age and leaves itself open for criticism in this overly sensitive era where modern audiences can’t judge a piece beyond its surface story. Admittedly, if ever a musical failed the dreaded Bechdel test, it would be Funny Girl, where the leading character, a strong, successful—and eventually wealthy woman—continues to define her worth by her man. Her opening night is ruined if Arnstein doesn’t show. Her biggest moment of the show belting the ultimate anthem of determination “Don’t Rain on My Parade” is sung in the context of her leaving her starring role in the current Follies Tour to follow her man on a gambling bender in Monte Carlo. The entire second act opening, “Sadie, Sadie” (immediately followed by the lyric “Married Lady”), is an elaborate glorification of marriage as the ultimate barometer of success (never mind her years as a Broadway and Ziegfeld star, or the fact that her prized husband more often than not jeopardizes her financial security). To complicate results, that man is not only really not good for her—he gambles away his (and her) money, and can’t feel like “a man” if he has to rely on his wife for financial support (a fact her own mother drives home, from experience with her father). Despite all these shortcomings that today reek of sexism, Director Mayer keeps a tight focus on all the strengths of the pieces and guides McCrimmon and Lukas through all the highs and lows of their relationship as we watch Fanny grow more successful and stronger. He also does an equally admirable job in the more subtle relationships between Fanny and Eddie and her mother. But contemporary critics who may pounce on such “sexist” issues need to view the piece in context (a luxury we are rarely allowed anymore), because it is all par for the era when the roles of women, who were not even allowed to vote when the story starts, were evolving and changing, as Fanny does throughout the arc of the show. Again, depicting sexism—or any –ism—isn’t condoning it. Sometimes it’s cleverly used for parody. Here it’s just, historically, sadly pretty accurate. #DontRainOnMyParade
But let’s, like Fanny, leave this review on a high note. While not the strongest story or ultimate showbusiness parable, Funny Girl does boast a grand score of big, old-fashioned showstoppers by Stein, who wrote some of the best ever (and fleshed out by an impeccable, brass-heavy orchestra that makes one long for more of these big old musicals), strong and engrossing performances by a great cast led by Katerina McCrimmon in a winning debut filling some pretty gigantic, intimidating shoes. One leaves feeling euphoric as we watch Fanny the duckling evolve into a full-on swan. Tonight, in Baltimore, she is indeed the Greatest Star.
All photos by Matthew Murphy of MurphyMade
The show runs 2 hours and 45 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.
Funny Girl, runs through October 29, 2023, at the Hippodrome Theatre in the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at 12 N. Eutaw Street. For tickets call the box office at 410.752.7444. or purchase them online