Lea Michele as Fanny - Funny Girl — Page 7

Can anyone comment more specifically on the new take on “Music That Makes Me Dance”? Both times I saw the production (Feldstein and Aardema) the number was swallowed into the flies upstage and filtered through a dreamscape reverb. It’s a gorgeous Styne torch that just needs, you know, a singer and a spotlight. Since it’s had its button restored, I’m hoping it’s less complicated and as a result richer in impact. Aardema sang it with power but fought staging; it feels diminished seated and relegated to an abstract piece of flown scenery.

Auggie27 said: "Can anyone comment more specifically on the new take on “Music That Makes Me Dance”? Both times I saw the production (Feldstein and Aardema) the number was swallowed into the flies upstage and filtered through a dreamscape reverb. It’s a gorgeous Styne torch that just needs, you know, a singer and a spotlight. Since it’s had its button restored, I’m hoping it’s less complicated and as a result richer in impact. Aardema sang it with power but fought staging; it feels diminished seated and relegated to an abstract piece of flown scenery."

Those parts have been separated now. Instead of seeing Nick up on the stairs towards the end of the song, causing her to get emotional and sing the end of the song softer, in head voice, she now walks downstage and belts it. My date all but levitated from excitement, having been so dismayed at the head voiced ending.

And then, it's the Follies / dream ballet / dreamscape moment covering her costume change.

I wish she could stay on for even 2 more counts of 8 before leaving, to really connect all these dreamscape folks to what she'd thinking. It goes on for awhile to cover, and she's long gone for so long.

In this evening’s performance, Ramin almost dropped the blue egg and a few seconds later Lea broke the glass of sherry when she placed it back on the table. It was sooo funny to watch and of course both actors remained in character the entire time. Love love love theater!

Auggie27 said: ""Those parts have been separated now. Instead of seeing Nick up on the stairs towards the end of the song, causing her to get emotional and sing the end of the song softer, in head voice, she now walks downstage and belts it. My date all but levitated from excitement, having been so dismayed at the head voiced ending."



Well, this is good news indeed, giving it a period. Yet it's intriguing still that an intended Follies numbers -- Styne's pastiche take on "My Man" (and please don't bring up his argument for the film, a different animal, and I get it; on stage, it was in the "My Man" place, as per the OBC recording) -- belongs on the New Amsterdam stage. But perhaps two Follies numbers is too much.

That's the problem with act two: it's too much of everything yet lacking genuine emotional suspense. We grind through a disintegrating marriage without surprises or a reprieve -- say, a "What Do the Simple Folk Do?," which gives Arthur and Guinevere a moment of poignant reconnection before the tragedy -- just a slow march to the last scene. So I understand why the song feels absolutely redundant emotionally. How many ways can she sing about being disappointed in love? It's Who Is My Man Now That the Music That Makes Me Dance Doesn't Let Me Be a Funny Girl.""

I love your last sentence. I haven’t even seen the show — Will on my next trip after seeing comments on Lea’s performance — and I thought they were out of their minds to introduce yet another down song. If they ever did introduce My Man, I’d say to eliminate Who Are You Now AND Funny Girl…do everyone a favor.

Will be interesting to see if there are any confused patrons tonight at Julie's first scheduled alternate performance. Either way, hope they stick around and see Julie's wonderful performance.

QueenAlice said: "I'm not in favor of adding "My Man" simply because it's not a Julie Style song and though it comes at a slightly different moment, "The Music that Makes Me Dance" IS Styne's answer to "My Man." Including them both would be totally redundant in sentiment. But having her sing a reprise of "Funny Girl" also doesn't really make sense, especially after "Music that Makes Me Dance". Not only do the lyrics to "Funny Girl" not specifically echo what Nick says to her in that final scene, the song itself is also self deferential and a sudden step backwards in Fanny's character development when they should be driving to her final catharsis.

They should just cut the reprise of "Funny Girl" and end the show with the reprise of "Don't Rain on My Parade." It would be the cleanest, easiest way to make the show not feel like it has three false endings."

That's it! That's what was bugging me about the addition of "Funny Girl" but I couldn't quite put it into words.

I wish "Don't Rain on My Parade" (Reprise) wasn't cut as it gives Fanny and the show a much stronger finish.

Updated On: 9/8/22 at 11:12 AM

New marquee? Someone on reddit posted this

To Queen Alice's astute point (partly discussed in my post above), the 2nd act is so overstuffed, so clotted with emotional redundancy in its cascade of ballads and reprises, it feels like water treading. Everything grows insular and ruminative, and again, with too much commentary on a collapsing marriage rather than dramatized efforts to rescue it, the show begins to feel narrated.

jkcohen626 said: "Wait, the Parade reprise was cut? or are saying you hope it's not cut?"

Parade reprise was cut for this revival

Aw, I love it even though it looks like it came directly from Kinkos.

RippedMan said: "What's the significance of the yellow rose? Is there a reference in the show? Is there a reason it looks like a hat?"