Funny Girl revival?

[thegreatwhisper]

Posted: 3/30/21 at 10:10pm

Lady Gaga is *rumored* to be playing Fanny Brice in the *rumored* revival of Funny Girl. It's a little too early to ask this, but, how do you guys feel about this? Shoshana Bean did fanny beautifully a couple years ago and it is her dream role so I'd love if she got the role.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/30/21 at 10:15pm

There’s a bunch of threads on this. You have to understand that this show is the ultimate star vehicle, as in it needs a STAR for it to succeed. Shoshana is amazing but in order for a show this size to be profitable, it needs to sell every seat at every show at top dollar.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/30/21 at 10:51pm

thegreatwhisper said: "Lady Gaga is *rumored* to be playing Fanny Brice in the *rumored* revival of Funny Girl. It's a little too early to ask this, but, how do you guys feel about this? Shoshana Bean did fanny beautifully a couple years ago and it is her dream role so I'd love if she got the role."

Shoshana isn't a star or known outside Broadway. If Gaga does play her then of course every seat will be sold out every single night. But, it's simply a rumor at this point. 

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 3/30/21 at 11:19pm

I really could see this being a 2022-2023 season revival. Lady Gaga, Rosie O'Donnell, with like a Cheyenne Jackson.

I don't know too many names that could "sell" the show. (As I've said before I'd like to see Lea Michele as Fanny. But I think her star has faded). I think it's going to have to be a "Hollywood" type about the title to sell tickets. 

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 3/31/21 at 5:55am

The score of Funny Girl is one of my all-time favorites- up there with My Fair Lady, Sunday in the Park and West Side Story. Lady Gaga has the star power to pull this off- actually, she has the star power to do anything she wants to do after that Oscar nomination and phenomenal career which is still going strong and has momentum even still. But, doing eight shows a week in a BWAY theater does not seem like a great idea for her at this point, when she packs them in at Vegas and venues like Madison Square Garden. I only see this happening if this is a passion project for Gaga- which I doubt - so I chalk this up to wishful thinking- which I share, but realistically know will probably never happen. A huge star already proven is not the answer for Funny Girl- you need a newcomer who needs to prove herself- and has the talent an charisma to pull this off- which, as Streisand proved- only comes along once- maybe- in a generation or more. FG has not mounted a revival- as we all know- and that might just be how it remains- glorious though the score is.

[binau]

Posted: 3/31/21 at 7:07am

On her documentary she appeared to have health issues that to my mind would make an 8-show performance week challenging. This in combination with likely massive demand that will outstrip supply in small Broadway theatres suggests to me that a staged televised production or concert is probably going to be more practically achievable and prosperous? 

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 4/1/21 at 2:10pm

I feel great about it.
With only one slight reservation: is she up for the comedy?

[nealb1]

Posted: 4/1/21 at 3:32pm

This rumor first started 2 & 1/2 years ago, right before Lady Gaga's remake of "A Star Is Born" was released. As if to suggest that because she now played one Barbra role, she'll be doing another Barbra role? So absurd.

The old expression is correct. If it doesn't make sense, it's not true.

[David10086]

Posted: 4/4/21 at 3:17pm

nealb1 said: "This rumor first started 2 & 1/2 years ago, right before Lady Gaga's remake of "A Star Is Born" was released. As if to suggest that because she now played one Barbra role, she'll be doing another Barbra role? So absurd.

The old expression is correct. If it doesn't make sense, it's not true."

 

Rosie O'Donnell has been keeping 'this rumor' alive, as Rosie is part of the revival. 

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/4/21 at 6:01pm

henrikegerman said: "I feel great about it.
With only one slight reservation: is she up for the comedy?"

Yes.  Gaga can do comedy:

 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 4/4/21 at 6:06pm

Even if she only did 6 shows a week, like Hello Dolly, the show would sell like crazy. And then stick in a Broadway famous person for the other two.

[Tag]

Posted: 4/4/21 at 7:02pm

This is the Idina-led revival.  Gaga has nothing to do with it.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 4/4/21 at 9:06pm

nealb1 said: "This rumor first started 2 & 1/2 years ago, right before Lady Gaga's remake of "A Star Is Born" was released. As if to suggest that because she now played one Barbra role, she'll be doing another Barbra role? So absurd. The old expression is correct. If it doesn't make sense, it's not true."

what is so absurd about it? Lady Gaga would sing the hell out of the score and it would do boffo numbers.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/4/21 at 10:32pm

Tag said: "This is the Idina-led revival. Gaga has nothing to do with it."

Idina Menzel will be 50 years old this year. 
Streisand was 21 in the original 1964 Broadway production.
Lady Gaga just turned 35.  

 

[Loopin’theloop]

Posted: 4/5/21 at 6:59pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Tag said: "This is the Idina-led revival. Gaga has nothing to do with it."

Idina Menzel will be 50 years old this year.
Streisand was 21 in the original 1964 Broadwayproduction.
Lady Gaga just turned 35.

"

Congratulations you can type people’s ages. 

[nealb1]

Posted: 4/6/21 at 10:48am

David10086, yes I remember 2 & 1/2 years ago when Rosie said that.  

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 6/24/21 at 10:13pm

Well, Rosie was at it again.

On Stars in the House last night she gave an update to Funny Girl.

She mentioned how people's projects and timing has shifted due to COVID, of course. She's working on a new TV series and Idina has other projects. But, anything is possible. 

Also interesting to note, she said Michael Mayer was supposedly the director. 

Michale Mayer directing Funny Girl, starring Idina Menzel and Rosie O'Donnell is not exactly the vision I had for a long awaited revival. But we shall see! The reality is, this may and probably will not pan out for a lot of reasons I guess. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/24/21 at 10:17pm

^Might be worth noting that Michael Mayer directed the recent London revival, which had multiple extended runs over the course of several years. 

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 6/25/21 at 3:03am

She would be great in a film remake (yes, I know heresy).  In fact she would be great in a stage version, but I just don't see her doing it.  I mean why?  She's got a film career now, after all.  

[fosterfan2]

Posted: 6/25/21 at 5:50pm

I know this sounds stupid,but I'm assuming you mean Idina?

[Owen22]

Posted: 6/25/21 at 6:42pm

JBroadway said: "^Might be worth noting that Michael Mayer directed the recent London revival, which had multiple extended runs over the course of several years."

Which was not very good. It look like Community Theater!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/25/21 at 6:55pm

Owen22 said: "JBroadway said: "^Might be worth noting that Michael Mayer directed the recent London revival, which had multiple extended runs over the course of several years."

Which was not very good. It look like Community Theater!"

 

Is that a widely-held belief? I actually don't know. I saw the show at the Menier, and my big issue with the staging was that Mayer seemed to have staged the whole production with the West End end transfer in mind, instead of staging it for the space he was actually in. So everything felt like a cramped, shrunk-down version. I always assumed that the revival would have played much better at the Savoy and beyond, but I don't really remember anyone's comments about it. Most of the discussion surrounded Sheridan Smith (for better or for worse), which is to be expected with any production of Funny Girl - it's not the sort of show where the director needs to shine through in a noticeable way.

But in any case, I just thought it was worth mentioning because the phrasing of BCfitasafiddle's comment made it sound like they weren't aware that Mayer had just directed the show. I might have misinterpreted the post (and if so, I apologize to BCfitasafiddle!), but I figured it was worth throwing out there just in case. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 6/25/21 at 6:57pm

I watched the taped version of the Mayer version and didn’t like it either. It felt very dark and dim.

But I recently (like 3 years ago) watched the original with Barbra and was blown away. Just so great.

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 6/25/21 at 7:11pm

Sierra Boggess as Fanny Brice!   Or is it Sierra Boggess as Barbra Steisand as Fanny Brice?

 

 

[Owen22]

Posted: 6/25/21 at 10:45pm

JBroadway said: "Owen22 said: "JBroadway said: "^Might be worth noting that Michael Mayer directed the recent London revival, which had multiple extended runs over the course of several years."

Which was not very good. It look like Community Theater!"



Is that a widely-held belief? I actually don't know. I saw the show at the Menier, and my big issue with the staging was that Mayer seemed to have staged the whole production with the West End end transfer in mind, instead of staging it for the space he was actually in. So everything felt like a cramped, shrunk-down version. I always assumed that the revival would have played much better at the Savoy and beyond, but I don't really remember anyone's comments about it.Most of the discussion surrounded Sheridan Smith (for better or for worse), which is to be expected with any production of Funny Girl - it's not the sort of show where the director needs to shine through in a noticeable way.

But in any case, I just thought it was worth mentioning because the phrasing of BCfitasafiddle's comment made it sound like they weren't aware that Mayer had just directed the show. I might have misinterpreted the post (and if so, I apologize to BCfitasafiddle!), but I figured it was worth throwing out there just in case."

I saw it at the Menier as well, never in the West End.