FUNNY GIRL on Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 41

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 11:32pm

Bettyboy72 said: "Didn’t Sheridan Smith have attendance problems, so much that it became an issue? Didn’t she leave for an extended period for exhaustion?"

 

Sheridan Smith pulls out of Funny Girl for up to a month because of stress

Star of West End show taking two- to four-week leave of absence due to stress and exhaustion, producers say

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/may/12/sheridan-smith-pulls-out-funny-girl-month-stress-exhaustion-west-end

[OldTheatreLover]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 12:54am

This old poor quality audio is just a small part of the reason why I’ve always believed that a Broadway revival of this show could only really be successful once the memory of the OBC fades (if ever) and everyone who starred in it has passed on. Enjoy the music!

https://youtu.be/IxWrfKiAxKI

[Shower Singer]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 1:19am

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."

She's soooo not winning a Tony with this performance.

[Shower Singer]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 1:32am

Robbie2 said: "Bettyboy72 said: "Didn’t Sheridan Smith have attendance problems, so much that it became an issue? Didn’t she leave for an extended period for exhaustion?"



Sheridan Smith pulls out of Funny Girl for up to a month because of stress

Star of West End show taking two- to four-week leave of absence due to stress and exhaustion, producers say

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/may/12/sheridan-smith-pulls-out-funny-girl-month-stress-exhaustion-west-end"

 

She was out quite a bit and did take extended leaves, but it wasn't from stress and exhaustion.

[pmensky]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 1:44am

OldTheatreLover said: "This old poor quality audio is just a small part of the reason why I’ve always believed that a Broadway revival of this show could only really be successful once the memory of the OBC fades (if ever) and everyone who starred in it has passed on. Enjoy the music!

https://youtu.be/IxWrfKiAxKI"

I never heard Barbra sing any of that score live. I’m blown away by how flawless and thrilling she sounds. There is so much talent out there today, and we end up with someone who sounds like she’s competing in the quarter finals of the Jimmy Awards. What a wasted opportunity.

[BarnabyTucker]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 1:56am

I just caught the Saturday, April 3 evening performance and I am thrilled to report that I loved every minute of it. 

Jared Grimes is sensational.  I went in knowing that he was going to drop jaws with his tap routines, but he also makes an impression as a dramatic actor.  Particularly in the second act he found some moments to communicate to the audience just how deeply he cares for Fanny and, in the final scene, he shot a glare at Nick that said a thousand words.  I almost wish Fierstein had written in a juicy book scene for Eddie to give Nick a piece of his mind. 

Jane Lynch is serving the Jane Lynch shtick we've all come to expect from her.  It suits the role.  It feels like she's playing Ms. Hannigan again or that stand-up character her character on Mrs. Maisel plays.  It's fine.  Do I wish another actor had taken a stab at it?  Maybe.  Weird enough, there's some "character defining" moments that Fierstein wrote in for Mrs. Brice that just fall flat.  Why does Mrs. Brice have to tell her daughter about how her father is similar to Nick?  It failed to go anywhere.

(Side Question: In "If A Girl Isn't Pretty", did they add in the verse that Mrs. Brice sings about "temporary nausea"?  I believe I've only heard that verse in the film and I would imagine they added it to give Lynch a little more to sing.)

I'm going to have to give a dissenting opinion to most who have posted and say that Ramin Karimloo is my favorite Nick Arnstein I've seen.  He does some great physical acting; he presents as the dashing Prince Charming in act one and is deflated and tripping over himself by the end of act two.  His voice is sensational and I truly believed there was a character arc beyond "the pretty boy who is bound to break your heart".

The company is excellent all around.  "Henry Street" made me tear up a bit because it reminded me of my extended family and the stories of yester-year in NYC and how folks were born and died on the same block.  I would like to give a big shoutout to Collin Bradbury who was on for one of the ensemble tracks tonight.  I've always enjoyed his work and smiled when I saw his insert in the Playbill.  He, and the rest of the ensemble, did not disappoint.

I was a big fan of the production design and the mirror motif that they had going on.  It echoes FOLLIES and there's even a second act "ghost ballet (?)" sequence that screams it.  The Hampton house was also well done and LOVED the changing seasons.  The patron sitting next to me made a good point though when she said to me "I just feel like the Ziegfeld songs are so cramped on that stage".  Those numbers do feel confined within the brick-wall cone they have centerstage and all the space that is taken up by the stairwells.

LOVED the painted scrim and the overture was just thrilling! There's also a fun pre-show announcement that got the night off on a fun foot.

Alright, you know I'm building up to it...

I loved Beanie.  She really makes the role her own and I sincerely believed that this little lady with a lot of chutzpah was going to make it happen for herself.  She acts the hell out of the part and I believed her trajectory from being young and green to being a stressed out professional actor trying to balance family and her career.  I also disagree with many on this board and think that the chemistry and relationship dynamic between her and Nick made total sense.  Her Fanny thinks she can fix him.  My heart broke for her when she realized at the very end that she can't fix someone who isn't broken.  He is who he is.  

Can she sing it?  Yes and no.  I really liked her interpretations of most all of the songs except for "People" which actually pulled me out of the show because it was so all over the place.  I thought she hit the money notes in the act one finale, and that her vocals were supplemented by her acting choices.

Will the critics like her performance?  I couldn't tell you.  I have a feeling they're going to be split much like those on this board.  I have a hunch the NYT review will spell out how she is going to fare during awards season. 

All in all it was a wonderful night at the theatre.  These songs are in my bones and it did me good to disconnect for 2.5 hours and be present with an awesome score and excellent talent. 

I will be returning on their final Saturday evening performance before opening.  I will report back with my thoughts.

 

 

[YettaTelebenda2]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 2:12am

BarnabyTucker said: "I just caught the Saturday, April 3 evening performance and I am thrilled to report that I loved every minute of it.

I am so happy to hear  this.... I knew it. There are many naysayers who are pulling apart the show and Beanie's "instrument" and her key but most people go to enjoy the show and I think most will also love every minute of it..... 

 

[voiceanthliveth]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 8:44am

The point I was trying to make about the Lupone/Beanie comparison was that Lupone was a world class talent who was assigned  one of he most difficult scores ever written for a female voice. If she had trouble, OK, but it was still a world class talent and voice having trouble with the sustainability of a part.

That's not Beanie.

Frank Sinatra (The premier male vocalist of his time) had trouble with the layered and difficult song "Lush Life" He attempted it numerous time before finally giving up on it.

Frank Sinatra is not Beanie.

 

 

[Jimmyb1969]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 9:01am

Saw the show last night. Also caught the revival in London. Thank god this was not that version - I found London to be sleepy and droll…I remember thinking no need to ever see this on stage again and alas I did exactly what I said I wasn’t going to do last night and I’m glad I did. Again another small production - but with more energy.  I agree the Ziegfeld scenes feel small. They were even smaller in London if you can believe.  You expect a spectacle!
Ok…let me break this down. 
You can tell they’ve been working on act one. It was pretty tight and I agree Beanies vocals are hit and miss. People needs work. Michael needs to rethink the staging on that and Beanie needs reinterpret it vocally. I’m not sure it’s the key as it is her delivery - it’s an important scene and it’s falling flat. She’s hunched over at a table - painful on all fronts.   Beanie does a great job acting in You are Woman and closes act one out with parade in style. It’s just the staging feels small in parade. Claustrophobic. She’s hitting the notes vocally but Michael’s staging is so confined and small it’s impacting the power of the number. She has no where to go.  Michael needs to fix this asap. Let her own that stage more.  And while we’re on the subject of Beanie - once they fix people -  which they need to do asap - they need to work on act two. She has stamina problems vocally in this act and Music That Makes Me Dance needs to be cut - the set works - her performance doesn’t. Ouch! It kills any momentum to the close of the show. People kills the momentum in act one and Music kills it in act two. And unlike People in act one you don’t need Music so cut it. Beanie closes the show out nicely so why torture her and us with that dreadful number. Let her have all her power and strength for a big close.   Standouts  in my opinion are Parade, you are woman and Rat Tat Tat. She chews the stage up in Rat and that’s where you see a glimmer of what this show should be the whole night. Net- net I liked her a lot and so did the audience which is all that matters. 
I’m saving the best for last…so stay tuned:
Costumes were hit or Miss for me and mostly a miss for Beanie. I kept thinking come on dress her better in act two. She’s a star now!

Set is efficient. The open and closing side walls unintentionally make the stage seem very small which takes away in the Ziegfeld and parade scenes. The house in act two is perfect. 

The lighting is beautiful. Music man needed this lighting director.

 The cast and orchestra felt small to me. There were missed notes in the overture but they got better. 

Jane kept things moving and was a bright light. We needed her. And Jared brought the house down with his two numbers and had a very nice character arc. Both will get nominations. 

But the night for me, belonged to Ramin. His vocals are perfection. His acting and character arc spot on. He’s handsome and winning and the glue this production needed and he will definitely be nominated for a Tony along with the lighting. You expect those vocals from a leading man and he delivered and then some. 

Overall it’s a good night at the theatre and my guess is they’ll fix People and tighten act two and Beanie will be in fine form by opening night. No she is not the best singer in the world but she delivers when she needs to and does a nice job. A few more weeks of rehearsal will benefit her and her confidence will kick in once michael makes fixes and she makes those problematic scenes her own. A good director can help her and you need to guide her michael. Go bigger! The audience wants that…this isn’t London! Channel your inner Florenz!

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 9:19am

The night I saw the show, the audience was loving  everything that was happening onstage. The person next to me, was not having any of it. They said Beanie needs to be replaced immediately.  

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 9:24am

So this is where things are?

"'People' kills the momentum in act one and 'Music' kills it in act two. And unlike 'People' in act one you don’t need Music so cut it."  Jimmyb1969

"People" is a liability?  And "Music That Makes Me Dance," Fanny's eleven o'clock spot, needs to go?  

Whatever the strengths of this production, and I accept that there are many, these comments alone are quite an indicator of challenges in the next two weeks.   

[inception]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 9:44am

Maybe no one will notice if they cut those songs?  If she's having troubles, maybe they could cut all her songs and turn it into more of a play.

 

Obviously I'm joking.

 

Auggie27 said: "So this is where things are?

"'People' kills the momentum in act one and 'Music' kills it in act two. And unlike 'People' in act one you don’t need Music so cut it."

"People" is a liability? And "Music That Makes Me Dance," Fanny's eleven o'clock spot, needs to go?

Whatever the strengths of this production, and I accept that there are many, these comments alone are quite an indicator. "

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 10:12am

I agree, the way “Music That Makes Me Dance” is done in this revival, it can be cut and not missed.  Shortly after, she sings “Funny Girl”, which though done subtle with no roof blowing belting, it does work better alone. It merges into the “Don’t Rain..”(Reprise), so you get that curtain closing belting finalé.  

[pdjennings]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 11:00am

I have to say that I completely don’t understand ANY of the negativity about Beanie. We saw this yesterday and thought she was amazing. Absolutely perfect comic timing and her voice seemed wonderful to us. The 2pm audience certainly seemed to adore her — they were applauding and cheering like crazy after her every solo. 

[JayElle]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 11:03am

NYCBTL wrote in part. " I didn’t get the connection between Fanny and Nicky. Did not feel any love between them. You just didn’t convince me that Nicky would fall for her. This is a major problem."

Saw it 4/3 mat.  Had 2 more tkts in April.   Refunded them.  

I get the point that her "not so pretty" appearance keeps her back in love and fame.  And it's conceivable Nick wants a "baby got back."  Opposites can attract.  But the chemistry just didn't seem there. No, she's not a Barbra voice, but I guess they chose her for her comedic skill and not her voice. Her vocal ability didn't bother me, but some of the scenes were blah.

I did like the curtain call where the cast held their arms out thinking she was coming from the back, but she pops out from the side.  Presumed intentional. The audience was overwhelming in its praise especially for Beanie.  

And then there is always some a/hole patron. On center orch row F aisle, woman throwing her arms around wildly like she was conducting each song.  Patron next to her moved.  The ones behind her weren't that happy.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 11:16am

I did like the curtain call where the cast held their arms out thinking she was coming from the back, but she pops out from the side. Presumed intentional. The audience was overwhelming in its praise especially for Beanie.

Yes, the curtain call bit IS intentional.  It was done at their first preview curtain call and has been done after every performance.

It’s starts at the 4:30 mark on this video of their first preview curtain call: 

 

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 12:14pm

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

 

I prefer Lisa Simpson's CUTE NOSE.  Just sayin'"

 

[voiceanthliveth]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 12:59pm

I completely agree. Why not cut "People" and the superfluous "The Music that makes me dance". We could add "My Man" but she wouldn't be able to sing that too so we can just close out on Fanny tap dancing away (Like how the current "The Music Man" now ends) But she's not a great tapper....

Let me think....

[Up In One]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 2:08pm

voiceanthliveth said: "I completely agree. Why not cut "People" and the superfluous "The Music that makes me dance". We could add "My Man" but she wouldn't be able to sing that too so we can just close out on Fanny tap dancing away (Like how the current "The Music Man" now ends) But she's not a great tapper....

Let me think...."

This isn't such a far flung idea if this team is being true to their casting choices and wanting to highlight the comedienne similarities between Fanny and Beanie. People was considered superfluous in the original production and the directors wanted it cut but Streisand had already recorded a single of it and it was destined to become a pop hit moneymaker for Styne.  Why not move it to the curtain call where Beanie can embrace the love-in between she and her fans? Music That Makes Me Dance was cut from the film so most wont miss it. If they have added Funny Girl to that spot of the show and I think I heard its a duet with Nicki it makes a lot of sense to play that up. Its late in the marathon, she needs her vocal strength for the reprise at the end and we can all go home 4 minutes earlier. She can wreck People as a curtain call number and no one would care at that point, it might even be endearing. I bet the audience would even sing along ala a Mama Mia Remix. I in no way endorse this casting and hope they prove me wrong but lets make the best of it before I have to sit through it on May 3rd. 

 

[BarnabyTucker]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 3:01pm

I've been thinking a lot about who else I would have wanted to see as Mrs. Brice and I've arrived at Debra Messing.  Of course she's booked right now, but I think she would have offered a performance that's out of her comfort zone and that would've been a cross of old school comedienne and a mother looking out for her daughter. 

The thing is that Jane Lynch isn't disappointing.  She gets the job done but it's the same shtick we've come to expect from her.  Perhaps my biggest gripe is that her performance wasn't dramatically interesting.  Kay Medford gave a layered and nuanced performance that made the most of the little material she was given.  Jane Lynch...is just kind of there? 

[BarnabyTucker]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 3:04pm

ALSO what about Susie Essman?  There's no shortage of Jewish-American comediennes who would have made a meal of the role. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 3:14pm

I'm sorry, how can anyone watch the cc and not see it was rehearsed/planned. Im not saying it isn't cute.....but c'mon....

 

 

[joevitus]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 3:32pm

Auggie27 said: "So this is where things are?

"'People' kills the momentum in act one and 'Music' kills it in act two. And unlike 'People' in act one you don’t need Music so cut it." Jimmyb1969

"People" is a liability? And "Music That Makes Me Dance," Fanny's eleven o'clock spot, needs to go?

Whatever the strengths of this production, and I accept that there are many, these comments alone are quite an indicator of challenges in the next two weeks."

In point of fact, "People" has always been a liability. Great song. Stuck in the show against almost all logic because Styne knew it would be a national hit. It caused an incredible amount of problems in the rehearsal/previews for the original production and proved very difficult to stage. For a while in previews, it was bombing. It's arguably a dead moment in the movie. as well. So it's no shock what Jimmy says here. It's one more example of how this show is not great, is not a classic. It's a star vehicle with some strong songs and a fantastic overture. 

Frankly, although I think she's miscast and hasn't the voice for it,  all the responses here make me think the notion that Beanie might indeed get a Tony nomination isn't as farfetched as it initially seems. A lot will depend on the reviews once the show opens.

But even with the majority here who have seen the show and hated her vocals, they still liked her and go on and about how how strong she is otherwise--if you think about how empty the part is, as it was crafted just to show off the performing skills of one unique star, this is quite an accomplishment. There's no real character in that script, but Beanie is apparently creating a fully-fledged one.

And again, just here among a tough crowd, responses to the vocals range from "she can do this" to "she really can't do this" and even one initial strongly positive reaction followed by later reexamination away from the apparent magic of Beanie's performance. Granted, "Vocals spotty--but she's magnificent otherwise" is a very weird response to a lead in a musical. But weird as it is, that's what's happening. This seems to be a very unique case.

Thus a nomination/win isn't outside of the realm of possibility. I am not saying it will happen. Not saying she will win. And when the suggestion was first brought up, I found is as impossible/laughable, as others do. But considering how strongly people are reacting to the performance and enjoying it in spite of their reservations on the vocals, I mean...maybe?

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 4:39pm

With all the posts about people who almost played Fanny over the years, I thought I remembered one...but didn't want to post until I could verify. From the January 29, 1983 issue of Billboard:

"Styne is talking to Melissa Manchester about a revival of FUNNY GIRL, and Streisand -- as have several stars -- has shown interest in taking GYPSY on the road..."

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 5:15pm

Pia Zadora should have led an early 90s Broadway revival.  Here’s her “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from the 1991 Long Beach Civic Center production of FUNNY GIRL: