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

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

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.

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 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.....

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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?

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: