FUNNY GIRL on Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 36

[Up In One]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 2:54pm

There's another reason beyond casting in the shadow of Streisand why the show hasn't been done in 60 years its been a stinker from the get go. Harvey just finessed the book when it needed a re-write. "I try not to put my fingerprint on it. I want it to be 'Funny Girl.' I want you to come to the theater and see 'Funny Girl' not a Harvey Fierstein show," he said. 

After leaving the project, director Jerome Robbins came back to fix it. At that point, out of town, there was only one thing working “Barbra Streisand’s performance” and the “fix” involved giving her more stage time. Indeed, the reason Funny Girl was a hit is that a genuine star was born, and audiences flocked to see her while they could. When your lead actress is filling the seats, the quality of the writing diminishes in importance.- Noel Katz musicalwriters.com 

Funny Girl producer Ray Stark and director Garson Kanin opened the show during a snow storm in Boston, Mass.  on January 13, 1964. William E. Sarmento of The Lowell Sun newspaper wrote this review which appeared in the January 14, 1964 paper:

"I can only guess but I'd swear that every Barbra Streisand fan in existence showed up via dog-sled, skis, and snowshoes for the opening night of the new musical, “Funny Girl” last night at the Shubert [in Boston]. And I hope that when they hand out medals for valor that someone will recall that I, too, braved the blizzard to attend this Brondwaybound vehicle. In case you are wondering, every seat in the theater was taken last night.

"Funny Girl” is the biography of the late Fanny Brice. It will be in Boston for a three week tryout then on to Philadelphia for a final three weeks of work. As of last night's opening, it will need every bit of time it can get. It is in rough shape and needs plenty of help.

...There are a few good scenes and if the plot can be sharpened and cut, the three hour running time should be curtailed. At the moment, “Funny Girl,” has troubles, but it also has Barbra Streisand and maybe she will be able to carry the show into the hit category in New York. If last night's cheering section were polled, I'm sure they would shout a resounding “yes.” I was not that convinced."

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 3:13pm

22 year old Streisand was already a Tony and Emmy Award nominated actress, Grammy Award winner with 3 hit albums with lots of national television coverage by the time FUNNY GIRL started its first out-of-town tryout in early 1964.  FUNNY GIRL helped establish her even moreso, but it was exploding by then.  If anything, FUNNY GIRL was a slight detour in her career trajectory. Streisand-mania was peaking hence Robbins’ advice on turning FUNNY GIRL into THE BARBRA STREISAND SHOW.  She’s even talked about the stress she was under as most people were going to see her based on the hysteria without having seen her work so she knew she was being judged.  “Oh, she’s not as great as they say she is”, etc.  

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 3:40pm

I just think the creatives didn't take into account what modern audiences want and expect from their musical theater leads.

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 3:48pm

Probably a good reason Funny Girl has not been on the boards since the sixties. Someone could- and pro probably should - play this role- with o much glorious music, it deserves to be seen- but it needs a showstopping lead to play Fanny. Barbra is bot irreplaceable- but you need a gifted vocalist to pull this off. I listened to Beanie on Youtube- and she is not a gifted vocalist. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 3:56pm

RippedMan said: "I just think the creatives didn't take into account what modern audiences want and expect from their musical theater leads."

None of the creative team are dumb, unseasoned individuals. They knew what they were doing. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 4:03pm

Sutton Ross said: "RippedMan said: "I just think the creatives didn't take into account what modern audiences want and expect from their musical theater leads."

None of the creative team are dumb, unseasoned individuals. They knew what they were doing."

I will add here that as I was watching the show, I was conscious to look at the faces of the others on stage with her as Beanie was singing.  You know they know Beanie’s vocals are a mess.  No disrespect to her as a person and in her book scenes.  

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 4:05pm

Dag. What did their faces suggest?

[pmensky]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 4:10pm

I’m curious to hear reports from this upcoming Saturday night’s performance. It will be the final show of a 7 show week which probably included daytime rehearsals, and it’s their first, two show day.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 4:10pm

Maybe that's why homeboy looked spaced out. 

[Trish2]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 4:18pm

Forgive me if this has already been posted--but Leslie Kritzer is pretty thrilling here in the 2001 Papermill production.

 

 

 

 

[Fire and Music]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 5:07pm

Auggie27 said: "Trust me, I know well the Klausner history. I saw her Eva at a Saturday matinee 6 weeks into the run. I mention her because as per the LuPone memoir, 'twas Klausner who the company seemed to be rooting for on the road during the infamous west coast tryouts. Posting her reviews in the green room and such. My reference isn't a literal standby (and I saw Opel too; friend was in the Evita company). Klausner was always ready when LuPone was indisposed on the road. And did play the evenings in both LA and SF. And I believedid play a LuPone vacation circa late summer 1980 (fuzzy memory; I saw the show again and met her afterwards). Saying "Nancy Opel dreams" wouldn't exactly resonate. But I don't think we have to further parse this. I'm up on the subject."

I actually happen to have an understudy slip from the summer you're referring to. Terri Klausner did evenings and Nancy Opel did the matinees that week.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 5:07pm

Julie Benko is wonderful. Wow.

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 5:29pm

Okay.  I’m revisiting the show when Benko is filling in for Beanie.  SHE has the vocal pipes for the score.  Let’s see how she fares with the comic moments and the book scenes.  Now I’m excited again.  

[Theatrelover1975]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 6:04pm

Trish2 said: "Forgive me if this has already been posted--but Leslie Kritzer is pretty thrilling here in the 2011 Papermill production.

This was 2001, not 2011. She was about 18 years old here.

 

 

 

"

 

 

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 6:06pm

"I actually happen to have an understudy slip from the summer you're referring to. Terri Klausner did evenings and Nancy Opel did the matinees that week."

Phew. Thanks, Fire and Music. Memory is dangerous. And this is seemingly off topic, for a one joke quip, but ultimately may prove relevant.  The LuPone memoir details not dissimilar experiences on the road, when she blew out her voice multiple times -- including at the sitzprobe -- and Klausner went on, even with critics attending. The cast posted Klausner reviews right in the building. We know the ending in that case; LuPone triumphed, and her career trajectory turned her into a B'way legend. But LuPone's blistering honesty about what it's like to work on a role with another singing actor waiting in the wings is quite a context. Had Evita opened in LA and SF in the days of social media, what would the impact have been, with another performance available for comparison to LuPone's  (Note, fans: I'm in no way comparing the iconic LuPone Eva to Feldstein's Fanny. I saw the first NYC performance, 9/10/79 -- day I signed a lease on my first apartment here -- and can state Patti was superb, vocally and otherwise; it's only the circumstances that are worth noting).

Since Funny Girl will lose Feldstein next month for a handful of performances, comparisons will be made, and fairly early in this show's new history.  
 

[YettaTelebenda2]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 6:18pm

RippedMan said: "Maybe that's why homeboy looked spaced out."

LMAO I laughed so hard at this comment... and I am still laughing as I type this. Still laughing.....

Are any audience members leaving at intermission? 

[Skip23]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 6:24pm

Any audience leaving?  Who knows.  Not at the doors.

 

But the audience watching it was very vocal in approval.

 

 

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 6:36pm

Loving the reports that the OVERTURE is great!

Hearing it live at the Wednesday, April 20 matinee, then again on Friday, April 22.

Until then, I will continue to sing Parade and People daily - off key and uninspired  - in the shower, to lower my expectations.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 7:04pm

YettaTelebenda2 said: "RippedMan said: "Maybe that's why homeboy looked spaced out."

LMAO I laughed so hard at this comment... and I am still laughing as I type this. Still laughing.....

Are any audience members leaving at intermission?"

The way the audiences are responding after Beanie’s songs, you’d think Streisand was performing.  The analyzing chatter/talk is with the savvy Broadway bunch. The mainstream masses are LOVING every single moment.  Oddly, they even are cheering when Beanie is painfully reaching the final sections of “Don’t Rain on My Parade.”  Their excitement is completely clouding their little heads.  Even on social media, you’d think Jennifer Hudson had played Fanny at their performance.  No one is walking out, not a single cell phone went off and not even random coughers.  They were engulfed in the show.  Creepy, but true.  

 

[Trish2]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 7:17pm

Theatrelover1975 said: "Trish2 said: "Forgive me if this has already been posted--but Leslie Kritzer is pretty thrilling here in the 2011 Papermill production.

This was 2001, not 2011. She was about 18 years old here.

 

Even more impressive. Thanks for the date correction!

 

 

 

"





"

 

 

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/1/22 at 1:05am

i did a deep dive tonight on the show. I read all the glowing reviews of the Sheridan Smith / Mayer directed West End show. And then watched it on YouTube. Not sure I get the hype. She's fine, but - and maybe it's lost in a West End thing and maybe that's why they didn't feel the need to bring her over -  I didn't get the hype. But then I stumbled across Ms. Stephanie j. Block doing the show in 2001 and THIS (!!!) is what I expect from a Fanny. Sorry not sorry. She's perfection. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcLURceSkbs

 

This seems to be the same year as Kritzer! How fun. I KNOW the talent is out there. So why did we get this? 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/1/22 at 2:33am

RippedMan said: "i did a deep dive tonight on the show. I read all the glowing reviews of the Sheridan Smith / Mayer directed West End show. And then watched it on YouTube. Not sure I get the hype. She's fine, but - and maybe it's lost in a West End thing and maybe that's why they didn't feel the need to bring her over - I didn't get the hype. But then I stumbled across Ms. Stephanie j. Block doing the show in 2001 and THIS (!!!) is what I expect from a Fanny. Sorry not sorry. She's perfection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcLURceSkbs



This seems to be the same year as Kritzer! How fun. I KNOW the talent is out there. So why did we get this?"

I saw SJB in concert with Seth. She said she thought she had the last proposed revival in the bag. Then it was announced Lauren Ambrose was attached after she had pretty much been told it was a done deal. She was really upset about how she was treated. She was not upset when the financing went belly up. 

[Shower Singer]

Posted: 4/1/22 at 5:33am

Fair warning...long post!! I was at the second preview on Monday night. Let me say that again, it was the SECOND PREVIEW – so with that in mind, there’s some good news and (as much as I wanted to love this production) some bad news.

The good news is that there’s a Broadway revival of Funny Girl with a couple of standout performances and some truly hysterical one-liners that have been added in the revised book. The bad news is that one of the standout performances wasn’t from Fanny and overall the production is currently underwhelming.

First, the good... To me, Jared Grimes (as Eddie Ryan) was the best thing about the show. He has a natural stage presence and is a spectacular tap dancer. He does Ayodele Casel’s tap choreography proud and will be a strong contender for the Tony (although it feels more like a featured role despite the fact that his name is above the title – perhaps the production will lobby the Admin Committee to have him considered in the Featured category so he’s not competing against Ramin). It’s a shame that he wasn’t featured more in Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat. Jane Lynch (as Mrs. Brice) is solid, both in vocals and acting. Her comic timing is spot-on. Do I think she’s going to take a Tony for this role? Probably not. Will she get nominated? Probably. I also enjoyed Peter Francis James’ performance as Florenz Ziegfeld. Ramin Karimloo (as Nick Arnstein) looks and sounds as great as always, despite not having much to do (and very little chemistry between he and Beanie). Overall the chorus looks and sounds good as well.

Now, the less than good… As many have already noted on this board, despite trying REALLY hard, Beanie just isn’t the right fit for this role. I hate saying that as I was so excited to see them cast someone who isn’t a size zero (no offense to you ladies who are lucky enough to be a size zero) and is a bit of a “non-traditional” choice as compared to others who have done the role. I really was hoping she’d blow it out of the park. She handles the light stuff okay, but she’s working very hard and it shows (again, I saw the second preview, so I cut some slack here). The visible effort may soften over time as they get a few more shows under their belt, but it just wasn’t evident that she has the chops to pull off such a big role, nor, in my opinion the presence to own the role. And there’s the issue of her voice. While the vast majority of theatergoers don’t know sharp from flat or a belt from a head voice, it’s hard to ignore the nasal and under-supported sound. She did manage to nail her last big notes on Don’t Rain on My Parade and The Music That Makes Me Dance (and the orchestra conveniently swelled to help cover any shortcomings that may have happened), but she just doesn’t have the pipes to meet the demands of the score. Again, with some time (and some rest when they’re not rehearsing during the day and performing at night), she may get a bit better and she may get a bit more stamina to support the notes on longer phrases, but they’ve been in rehearsal for weeks, so I’m not optimistic that it’s going to improve so drastically that she’ll be a vocal standout. The upside of this is the vast majority of theater-goers are not as discerning as many on this board (nor do they see as much theater as most of us do – particularly those of us in NYC) and won’t notice her short-comings and will have a perfectly entertaining night at the theater. Keep in mind, most people only see a show or two a year, as compared to many of us who see dozens (or in my case, hundreds) of shows a year, both on Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway.

Another challenge is that there’s very little chemistry between she and Ramin so it’s hard to buy the romance scenes. Part of this may be due to the above-mentioned second preview and it being really apparent how hard Beanie is working, so she’s not really had time to live in the role, but I worry that what I saw may just be as good as it gets. Speaking of Ramin, while they’ve increased the number of songs he has, Temporary Arrangement in the second act is just bizarre with an odd dance break. The entire number just doesn’t fit, despite how good he sounds – and, while I normally find him a decent actor, he seemed a little disconnected Monday night (did I mention it was the second preview?).

I was also a little thrown by some of the costumes. In His Love Makes Me Beautiful, Fanny looks like she’s about to give birth to a hippo. I get that it’s part of the joke, but it was too much. There were also a couple of costumes that were just not flattering on her. Also, the shiny silver lamé uniforms of the chorus in Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat were baffling. They all looked like a bunch of tin soldiers - and Fanny's costume was straight out of a community theater.

As a few others have mentioned, the set was also cumbersome. The two spiral staircases on the sides seemed unnecessary and made the sides of the stage somewhat unusable. The brick castle turret looking wall was also strange. The upside is that combined with the revolve, it did work very effectively for the transitions from the front view/back view (transitions from seeing the show within a show from the front as the audience, then transitioning to the backstage scenes).

Overall, I think things will get a bit better (as all shows do) with repetition and the ability for everyone to get into the groove of the production, but without a Fanny with a better voice (and, in my opinion, a more dynamic stage presence) I’m not sure it will ever be the production for which we were hoping.

Oh, and for what it’s worth, I’ve seen Julie Benko in several productions and she’s got a much stronger voice than Beanie. She’s not as nasal, has a bigger belt, and supports her notes better so doesn’t struggle with the “under singing” issue I observed with Beanie. I may end up going to see it again when she’s in to see how different the production feels with a better singer in the lead.

I also saw Sheridan Smith do the role at the Menier Chocolate Factory and while I was also disappointed with her vocals, it was simply because her voice wasn’t very big. She didn’t struggle with pitch the way Beanie does, nor was her tone as nasal, but she’s an actress that can carry a tune. She’s also a much better actress – VERY funny, even at an early preview, with very good acting chops. So, while I can see the comparison (because neither of them are great singers), Sheridan definitely was more successful in the role.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/1/22 at 7:26am

I am kicking myself right now. I originally had tickets for one of the shows that Beanie Feldstein was going to be out for, and after I got the email I moved my ticket (and my entire trip) to a couple weeks later just so I could see her performance... This obviously happened before the performances started, but now I REALLY wish I was seeing a Julie Benko performance.

[bwayplays]

Posted: 4/1/22 at 7:38am

bwayphreak234 said: "I am kicking myself right now. I originally had tickets for one of the shows that Beanie Feldstein was going to be out for, and after I got the email I moved my ticket (and my entire trip) to a couple weeks later just so I could see her performance... This obviously happened before the performances started, but now I REALLY wish I was seeing a Julie Benko performance."

You still can unless the show is sold out! Purchase a new ticket for the new date and then contact https://www.jujamcyn.com/help/ for a refund. They're much better at getting refunds issued (I've had to twice for Hadestown and Funny Girl, both times refunds were issued within a few days). Hopefully ticket prices didn't go up since previews. Good luck!