Okay, I’ll preface this with a warning that this review (of sorts) is gonna be filled with energetic opinions. I don’t want to ruffle any feathers so please know I love this show and am just sharing my thoughts. I wish it a long lovely run!! This is gonna be LONG and filled with nitpicking. We've waited a long time for this revival and it is heavily funded. I think we all deserve to share our thoughts!
I saw todays matinee (5/1) with Julie and Jeremiah. Julie has a voice that is just magnificent. Her growth from begin to end of the show is so clear and enjoyable to see. I am so glad she’s getting this praise. She's truly, funny. She’s managed to channel Barbra in the moments that the audience begs for it without delivering a desperate reproduction. It’s all very natural. I could go on about the wonder that is Julie Benko.
The show runs 2 hours and fifty minutes. It really should not. There are about four dance breaks that are to be frank, boring. ‘Temporary arrangement’ was one of the least necessary numbers I’ve seen on stage. It almost made Nick out to be some villain like the big bad wolf. Just weird and boring. The scenery and costumes of this scene also read WAY too 1980’s. The dance break in Henry Street and Sadie, Sadie are sort of juvenile and dry. A lot of repetition of choreography and lyrics that add nothing to the scene. The entire ensemble does not need to be in the mansion scene at the top of Act 2. The memories sequence after Music that makes me dance was so long...All I could think of was that SMASH scene where Marilyn is singing Don't forget me surrounded by figures of her past. I think Fanny actually leaves the stage half way through.
Costumes. Some of these costumes are shocking. Some in a good way and some in a bad way. I don’t know what hairline budget they supplied Hilferty with but it wasn’t enough to really wow. I enjoyed the ultra 20's looks Fanny wore. Her entrance coat is magnificent but the Edith Piaf cosplay under it is not. Her sailor style outfit is ADORABLE. Her Cornet man outfit is hard to look at. Not sure why she's channeling Julie Jordan in her Henry street celebration garb. Fanny Brice was a woman of wealth and glamour even at the start of her career. Even if the musical portrays her as of less means that reality she would have been wearing something with a bit of silk satin involved. As many have mentioned the Ziegfeld Follies costumes are really just a let down. Very cirque de soleil. The Sadie, Sadie costumes just screamed high school production of The Music Man or Hello, Dolly! The Rat-a-tat-tat outfits look like Sexy Tin Man/Elizabeth Hurley in Austin Powers. The addition of bagels to private Schwartz's belt is just not necessary. Teetering into distasteful lol. Also would have loved for the gals to have all been in full length army clothes so that the Schwartz reveal made more sense.
Set. Where is it? I assume the absence of major set pieces is due to the scale of the AWT stage confines but there was certainly something else that could have been done. I didn’t mind the center column which opened and closed to reveal different environments but again, when what is revealed is a chair and a table…its disappointing. The staircases are used about once. Those aged mirror panels don't make a lot of sense either.
The presence of Nick in the show is not built up enough. I’ll blame this on the book and less on the actors who may play the role at any given performance. We never really see that giant, illusive, charismatic personality Nick is meant to posses. He sort of just walks in and that’s that. Also back to costumes. His suits look like they’re from a Walmart. They’re so poorly fitted, he just looks bleh the whole show. Fabrics look cheap and he doesn't even enter in the cape and hat which he absolutely should arrive in. He just should!
Similar to Nick, Florenz is introduced way too causally. This was a titan of theatre. The films addition of the hoopla surrounding his telegram did an incredible job of displaying his importance. As a result of this underwhelming introduction, his scenes are flat and add very little. He also is never seen with any entourage around him which makes him seem even more unimportant. His costumes are almost great. Where are the peaked lapels, the tailcoats, the GLAMOUR!!
Jane Lynch and Jared Grimes are jewels. They understand the material, they play off one another and the audience fixes their posture when they see them arrive in a scene. I’m so happy they are a part of this production. Someone please let me know if I am wrong but in this production it is never discussed that Rosie runs a saloon except for when Fanny randomly mentions it to Nick at one point? There is plenty of time for this to be elaborated early on but it isn't.
Heres some extra Nitpicking.
-The poker scene at the beginning between the ladies is meant to be comedically serious. I wish the stage would have been dark with a dim light above Rosie and the gang hunched over a table interogating one another..."You're bluffing Mrs. Strakosh... I THINK YOU'RE BLUFFING!!" Can you picture what I am describing?
-Fanny standing on a ladder for half of 'Greatest Star' is frustrating. In this moment she is showing everything that she has. Are we to believe she would be wasting this precious time standing around? She's putting it all on display. I assume this direction/choreo is meant to save breath.
-FANNYS HAIR in 'You are Woman...'. It was the same issue I had with the wig Sheridan Smith wore in the London production. It is just so not glamorous. Plus the gown looks like a cheap ode to Babs as Dolly Levi.
-Who are you now was so peculiar. Not bad but just not very magical or
Impactful. All I could focus on was the giant brick column between Fanny and Nick.
-Nicks version of 'Funny Girl' destroys the audiences anticipation of this number. He also never calls her funny right before Fanny sings it in the finale. He calls her funny in a scene meant to be three years prior.
-I noticed a few of the ensemble had uncovered tattoos. Couldn't stop staring.
-Never learn who Emma is. She isn't introduced as someone of importance in Fannys life. Just have to assume she's Fannys right hand man. Her costume is also way too similar to Rosies.
-Numbers that should have been removed in my opinion are Temporary arrangement, Funny Girl (Nicks version), Who are you now (or at least cut down), What do happy people do.
With all of that said. There are really special moments in this production. People was MAGNIFICENT. DROMP was so fun. It was like I was hearing it for the very first time. I could truly feel and understand how Fanny was feeling in that moment. The tap dancing was to die for. The orchestra is top notch. It’s Funny Girl. We love it, we critique it, we can’t stop thinking about it. The color palette is magnificent. Music that makes me dance was so special. If I didn't mention something, its because I loved it. There is plenty to enjoy but I wouldn't spend anything over $150 for my next ticket.
Updated On: 5/2/22 at 10:10 PM
