FUNNY GIRL on Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 40

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 2:51pm

ljay889 said: "YettaTelebenda2 said: "Sutton Ross said: "Anyone saying she will WIN a Tony is beyond delusional. Yikes."

I stand by what I said. Regardless of what industry professionals say, I think this will get good reviews and Beanie will win a Tony."

As others said, she’ll be lucky to get a nomination. I will keep saying it, I think this will turn into a Elena Roger scenario with no Tony nomination."

I agree, ljay. I think the comparisons to the Evita revival are very apt and appropriate here. I even think that Funny Girl will mirror the Evita revival's timeline of a Spring opening in March and ultimate closing date the following January (Evita ran March 2012 through January 2013). I don't have a crystal ball, of course, and stranger things have happened, but the similarities between both productions are eerie almost... highly anticipated revival with a lead who is disappointing in a season jam-packed with other high-caliber revivals (Caroline, or Change, Company, and The Music Man). The 2012-2013 season was even more packed with revivals (Evita, Follies, The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Godspell, and Jesus Christ Superstar), and Evita flew under the radar with only three nominations (Revival, Cerveris, Choreography) and 0 wins.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 3:07pm

That person just joined and has not seen the performance. Would not put much stock into their opinion about her WINNING a Tony. 

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 3:11pm

YettaTelebenda2 said: "I think this will get good reviews and Beanie will win a Tony."

 

I  DON'T  THINK  SO

 

 

[YettaTelebenda2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 3:11pm

Synecdoche2 said: "YettaTelebenda2 said: "I stand by what I said. Regardless of what industry professionals say, I think this will get good reviews and Beanie will win a Tony."

Uh... have you seen the performance?"

No I have not. However, I have seen a clip of her and I say she will win the Tony for the excitement regarding this revival and a greater agenda at play to pay respect to and to advance inspired casting. 

A question: Did they leave out "If a Girl Isn't Pretty?" Because the lyric: "Is a nose with deviation such a crime against the nation" does not fit Beanie's cute nose. Just sayin'

[YettaTelebenda2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 3:27pm

bwayphreak234 said: "God, what I wouldn't give to have had this revival happen a few years ago when Stephanie J. Block could have lead...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN9zy3N6CxE

I watched that clip and I think she is awful. 

I say Haley Reinhart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgSk75vVw4k

 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 3:34pm

I highly doubt Beanie is going to be awarded a Tony because of "excitement."

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 3:34pm

YettaTelebenda2 said: "the lyric: "Is a nose with deviation such a crime against the nation" does not fit Beanie's CUTE  NOSE.  Just sayin'"

 

Creepy.  Just sayin'.

 

 

 

 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 5:02pm

bwayphreak234 said: "ljay889 said: "YettaTelebenda2 said: "Sutton Ross said: "Anyone saying she will WIN a Tony is beyond delusional. Yikes."

I stand by what I said. Regardless of what industry professionals say, I think this will get good reviews and Beanie will win a Tony."

As others said, she’ll be lucky to get a nomination. I will keep saying it, I think this will turn into a Elena Roger scenario with no Tony nomination."

I agree, ljay. I think the comparisons to the Evita revival are very apt and appropriate here. I even think that Funny Girl will mirror the Evita revival's timeline of a Spring opening in March and ultimate closing date the following January (Evita ran March 2012 through January 2013). I don't have a crystal ball, of course, and stranger things have happened, but the similarities between both productions are eerie almost... highly anticipated revival with a lead who is disappointing in a season jam-packed with other high-caliber revivals (Caroline, or Change, Company, and The Music Man). The 2012-2013 season was even more packed with revivals (Evita, Follies, The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Godspell, and Jesus Christ Superstar), and Evita flew under the radar with only three nominations (Revival, Cerveris, Choreography) and 0 wins."

This time, it's possible Funny Girl could miss out on a Best Revival of a Musical nomination unless there ends up being a close race between that and maybe The Music Man in the nominating process, which would then lead to 4 nominees in the category. 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 5:06pm

fbueller said: "What is Lauren Ambrose doing these days? She is a little older now but with some makeup…"

She's currently starring on the Apple TV+ series, Servant.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 5:27pm

I saw Streisand in a late matinee performance of FG, and she was clearly bored, racing through the show with little or  no commitment. Only because I loved the score  I came back to see the show again when Mimi Hines came in, and she performed the songs and the scenes as though her life depended on it, amazing. A few years later they did a run of the show at Westbury Music Fair with -- hold onto your seats -- Barbara Cook as Fanny! She was actually quite funny in the book scenes, and her singing was second to none (and she had to contend with George Hamilton as Nicky, who wasn't half bad, and who got to sing a reprise of "People". and he got top billing!). And saw Sheridan Smith in London, and while her vocals were not spectacular, her performance was really good.

 

So I've seen the show quite a bit. People seem to forget that the movie, where Streisand is on screen almost every minute, is not the show, where there are some fairly long stage waits in-beween Fanny singing those great songs. This is not a great show, regardless of Harvey's sprucing it up, but it has a reputation because of the film. Keep your expectations low.

[voiceanthliveth]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 5:27pm

At the Boston tryout of "Funny Girl" in 1964 - the show was in trouble. As a personal favor to Jules Styne, Jerome Robbins took the train to see the show and give his opinion:

"Make everything about "the girl". Cut anything that isn't about "the girl". The show is "the girl.""

Robbins understood what people, to this day, as we see, still don't understand: "Funny Girl" was a "vehicle" for Barbra Streisand and not a Broadway show. It may have started out as something very different but that is not what it became, Unlike hundreds of other shows, this one would rest on the shoulders of Barbra Streisand and only Barbra Streisand and once filmed, would live on only through Barbra Streisand,

Period,

To do it well you need a singer with the voice of a Celina Dion who the show is then built around. Not a singer with a modest voice who is part of a multifaceted and well built show designed to show her off as best as they can.

If you are not getting goosebumps from the voice ...you ain't getting "Funny Girl".

 

 

 

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 5:30pm

If you are not getting goosebumps from the voice ...you ain't getting "Funny Girl".

My friend said she got "cringe chills" if that counts. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 5:55pm

FUNNY GIRL meets CALL ME BY YOUR NAME.

 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 6:26pm

Remember when we got rumors of Gaga and Rosie reviving Funny Girl…and we got this? 

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 6:35pm

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Remember when we got rumors of Gaga and Rosie reviving Funny Girl…and we got this?"

To be fair, that probably wouldn’t have been very good either. Ditto for the rumored Idina Menzel-led production. Did anyone call Jessie Mueller?

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 6:41pm

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Remember when we got rumors of Gaga and Rosie reviving Funny Girl…and we got this?"

What a shame. Gaga’s vocals would’ve been soaring. 
I still honestly don’t get how Micaela Diamond wasn’t cast. I’d have to imagine her name came up at some point. Talk about perfect for the role. 

[YettaTelebenda2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 7:03pm

Highland Guy said: "YettaTelebenda2 said: "the lyric: "Is a nose with deviation such a crime against the nation" does not fit Beanie's CUTE NOSE.Just sayin'"

Creepy. Just sayin'.

 

What's creepy? That is the word for word lyric from "If a Girl Isn't Pretty"  The song is all about the way Fanny looks. 

 

[Tag]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 7:08pm

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Remember when we got rumors of Gaga and Rosie reviving Funny Girl…and we got this?"

If Rosie had not moved to LA, we would have got half of that.

[voiceanthliveth]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 7:46pm

Also  - this myth that Patti LuPone had to work her way through "Evita" and got the role down with frequent practice, is just that. a myth.

Patti LuPone on opening night of "Evita" was already being described as one of the great musical theater voices of her generation.

No one, is saying that about Beanie, They are instead asking for keys to be changed, Keys she has been singing in for months.

Gaga would have sung and acted the crap out of it,

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 8:46pm

Yes, LuPone was raved upon, won the Tony Award, and her career took off instantly with EVITA but in recent years she’s spoken openly about her difficulty singing the score and just her general bad memories of her time doing the show.  This isn’t a “myth.” Obtain a copy of her memoirs.  She writes about this.  Your fantasy is far from the reality and all this isn’t heresay — if from her own lips.  

A few weeks ago she appeared on The View and on the 7 minute mark, she talks about EVITA.

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 8:55pm

Gaga would have ATE as the children say. 

[ddenoff2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 9:22pm

YettaTelebenda2 said: "Highland Guy said: "YettaTelebenda2 said: "the lyric: "Is a nose with deviation such a crime against the nation" does not fit Beanie's CUTE NOSE.Just sayin'"

Creepy. Just sayin'.



What's creepy? That is the word for word lyric from "If a Girl Isn't Pretty" The song is all about the way Fanny looks.

"And Beanie's incidentals are DEFINITELY bigger than two lentils !"

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 9:32pm

We discuss the LuPone travails in detail above. Her memoir explicates all of her anxiety and difficulty. But it’s raised not to draw a facile parallel with Feldstein’s challenges; only to point out that even a gifted vocalist must find a performance. This actor has fewer experiences to draw upon, and a Herculean part to conquer in the center of Manhattan. No ten weeks on the road, which still invites the question: why wasn’t this given a low stakes tryout? Or just a workshop? The star feels unprotected. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 9:57pm

NOWaWarning said: "GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Remember when we got rumors of Gaga and Rosie reviving Funny Girl…and we got this?"

To be fair, that probably wouldn’t have been very good either. Ditto for the rumored Idina Menzel-led production. Did anyone call Jessie Mueller?"

 

I was at THE LITTLE PRINCE this afternoon and there were two "matinee ladies" sitting behind me talking about FUNNY GIRL. One of them "had read somewhere" that the producers were bringing Streisand back to replace Beanie. She was dead serious, too!

 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 11:07pm

Didn’t Sheridan Smith have attendance problems, so much that it became an issue? Didn’t she leave for an extended period for exhaustion?