FUNNY GIRL on Broadway - Reviews & News Thread — Page 63

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "(this show is going to slow down come the fall)"

The fall seems optimistic based on these reviews, no?

Is it too soon to ask, What's next for the August Wilson Theatre?

My sarcasm aside, I have to be honest in that even though I had misgivings right off the bat about this production (Beanie's casting, the horrible promotional artwork, etc.) I was kind of hoping to be proven wrong - and then members on this board, many of whose opinions I respect started posting their initial displeasure with it - and even with all that I was still hoping to be proven wrong in very much the same way I was proven wrong by Lauren Ambrose in "My Fair Lady", which was another bit of casting I was extremely skeptical about, but whose performance completely enchanted me when I went to see it.

...and yet here we are....

Updated On: 4/25/22 at 12:35 AM

I simply cannot wait to see what Julie does with this role. If all goes well, this could be the start of huge things for her.

Azúcar! said: "These are all bad reviews . Most of them fair."

Actually, they are mixed reviews. Some are flattering to Beanie, some to everything but Beanie, some think the whole production is a mess.

Speaking of which - was Lainie's performance reviewed? I have tried in vain to locate the reviews with no success. I would really love to read them. I have no doubt that she sang the sh*t out of that score.

BrodyFosse123 said: "Speaking of which - was Lainie's performance reviewed? I have tried in vain to locate the reviews with no success. I would really love to read them. I have no doubt that she sang the sh*t out of that score.

"

I knew you would come through Brody!!! Thank you!!!

Many of the reviews seem fair and in line with the mixed feedback from audiences. Honestly, I'm most surprised that anyone liked those ugly costumes.

Highland Guy said: "

"

Roth in that outfit is a metaphor for this whole enterprise

Or even BATGIRL

BrodyFosse123 said: "Or even BATGIRL

"

Yaaaas!!!

blaxx said: "joevitus said: "Shower Singer said: "Lorna Joe said: "Mixed reviews, eh? WICKED got mixed reviews too. I am thrilled for this revival. It will thrive...."

Mixed??? These are pretty much universally bad, but you go and polish that turd with your positivity!"

No, they actually are mixed."

Mixed to negative"

Joe Westerfield, Newsweek: "People who go in with strict, preconceived notions of what Funny Girl or who Fanny should be will probably be disappointed. They usually are. But as someone wiser than me once said, "You curate the experience you want." Certainly the now-familiar songs by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne are there, topped by two certified hits: "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade," but this is no carbon copy of the original. This is a funny Funny Girl, and Beanie Feldstein is a truly funny, funny girl."

Kobi Kassal, Theatrely: "Grandly directed by Mayer, this tinkering of a classic works well on David Zinn's elegant mirrored scenic design, especially when paired with Kevin Adams' lighting and Susan Hilferty's exquisite costume work. Funny Girl is a brilliant work, and with Feldstein, radiates pure theatrical joy. It's a revelation for the stage that is certainly not to be missed. Dare I say one of the most enjoyable revivals of the last decade? Go see what all the People are raving about for yourself."

Rex Reed, Observer: "The production recreates the heart and humor of the Ziegfeld Follies and the razzle-dazzle of Broadway in the 1920s in all of its rude comedy and gaudy glory. Mr. Fierstein adds an edge to the story without diminishing any of its values. New songs have been borrowed from the movie version and other sources, moved around in different acts and inserted for emphasis, and sometimes the whole thing moves too fast to digest. One minute Fanny is the awkward girl from Henry Street in Brooklyn, the next minute she's auditioning for Ziegfeld, and before the applause wears down, she's doing the pregnant bride bit that catapulted her to super-stardom, startling her mother (a sour Jane Lynch) and her poker-playing friends. On the rare occasion when the pace slows, there are luscious, leggy show girls to keep you enthralled, a swirl of spectacular tap dancers led by Jared Grimes to keep your pulse racing, and barrels of confetti that fall on your head like Technicolor rain. The show is three hours long, but Ms. Feldstein makes the minutes fly by with such pleasure that you wish it would never end. And she is bolstered every step of the way by the first completely drop-dead lover-husband version of gambler-racketeer Nick Arnstein in the history of Funny Girl. The dashing, glamorous Ramin Karimloo, so wonderful in Anastasia, is also the first Nick who can sing, dance and render an audience stricken with such awe that new numbers had to be added to enhance his role and showcase his varied talents appropriately. He makes Fanny's fairy tale romanticism breathe with the realism that all things are possible. If this isn't a star in the making, then justice no longer exists in the American theater."

My heart is singing!

Updated On: 4/25/22 at 02:04 AM