FUNNY GIRL on Broadway - Reviews & News Thread — Page 75

I caught Funny Girl tonite. I hate to beat a dead horse as I was rooting for Beannie.. but I threw out $179 to uncaring producers so I feel I'm entitled.

Jerimiah James the understudy Nick Arnstein was impressive and dreamy. They should have called it Dreamy Gambling Man. The lead was out with Covid but the understudy was very impressive.



Beannie not so much. She's not very funny which is the first surprise. Cause I thought at least she would bring that. She plays young Fanny like a slow child. Her laugh reminds me of Ernestina Semple in Hello Dolly which would be a better fit for her. Or even Agnes Gooch. But Beannie plays an annoying girl. Not a funny girl.

When she sings "I'm the greatest Star" She doesn't seem convincing she seems delusional. Straight jackets anyone? When Mrs. Strakosh is surprised she makes it to the Ziegfeld Follies, so am I!!!

She doesn't have the acting range either. She runs the gamut of emotions from A to C when A to Z are needed. Even if she had A to G.. it just isn't enough.

At it's core Annoying. Girl .........I mean Funny Girl disappoints

Did the producer or the director not realize she's not particularly likeable? Can't really act so well? Is not funny? These are professionals. No one caught this?

I an angry at this lost opportunity for so many other talented deserving performers. I am angry that the audience is diserviced by this core miscasting. Heck even Pamela Anderson who is doing fine work in Chicago would have been better. And funnier.

The cast of Paradise Square is so talented that you could plunk anyone from there male or female and they would be a better Fanny Brice. (Mind you Paradise Square is a convoluted dull musical but that cast was SUBLIME) but thats another review.

I just don't get this casting.



I want my $179 back. But that is not happening.

Catch A Strange Loop! Fantastic. Even Pamela Anderson in Chicago. Stay away from this dreck.

Updated On: 5/4/22 at 12:20 AM

We saw the Tuesday night show with Beanie fresh from 4 days off playing against understudy Jeremiah James as Nick Arnstein. The reviews and the boards helped us go in with lowered expectations – I’ve never seen so many instructional posts telling people how they need to react to Beanie’s performance. We were non-plussed, this is definitely not a show to run back to, nor one that will be memorable except for the head shrugging Fanny casting choice. This had to be the most unimaginative staging of a musical we’ve seen in a long time. The direction, costumes, sets and choreography (with the exception of the tap dancing) were uninspired. The director did not help Beanie with any of the magic we’ve come to expect from our best directors. Actors enter, head down stage and exit – almost on par with an Encores staging. This production’s idea of a Ziegfeld Follies number reflects poor historical investigation and an even poorer budget. The tap moments were the only times the entire audience let out an organic, spontaneous, unanimous roar. Until Jared Grimes first tap routine the audience was pretty quiet with the exception of pockets of Beanie fans. I will say by the end of the show the audience was more one with appreciation, but this was not a tear the house down LuPone in Gypsy performance or an emotional Light in the Piazza, Violet or The Bands Visit performance. It was all about whether Beanie would get through it, and that she does, but not without showing us how hard she’s working. There were a lot of out of breath moments that carried into her songs. It was very much in keeping with reality shows and social media culture. It’s not about the show and being transported into a character’ world. I think I get what the appeal is about Beanie and her fans, I too might have blinders on and be more forgiving if it was a star I was crazy about and enjoy it just for seeing my favorite star try Broadway. But I have no frame of reference for Beanie’s previous performances. I saw Lady Bird but have no memory of her. I saw Hello Dolly and remembered the Minnie Fay part, but it was barely a cameo. What I saw was young actress with an indistinct, very nasal, and at times screechy voice lean into the comedy of the role which meant she was all in on broad schmaltzy schtick. A majority of the songs in Funny Girl do not propel the plot so we can’t get lost in focusing on lyrics and character delivery. These songs require a singer who can embellish the songs with style and craft and knowing emotion – inner monologues – not karaoke turns. If she had attempted to put her own spin on the songs, we might be having a different conversation, but nothing was changed musically for this new take of giving the comic priority. Aside from the fact she plays too young for the mature Fanny and too old for the young Fanny, she just doesn’t have the acting or singing chops to elevate this “and then I wrote” or “and then I did this” almost 3-hour cavalcade. I was hoping for a new take on the show but what we got was a very safe, lackluster staging of a problematic show with a few great songs – epic songs – without the right performer to deliver what would have been the nights only saving grace. Styne would not be happy.