Official! Lauren Ambrose to Star in FUNNY GIRL! — Page 2

Ambrose went in for the first time during the second round of callbacks about a month and a half ago.

She may have some classical vocal training, but she's also never done a musical. The odds of her being able to meet the demands of this score eight shows a week without major difficulty are slim to none.

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Ambrose did begin training in her teens, through BU's institute at Tanglewood. I believe she was a voice major in college, as well.

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I think if Ambrose were that accomplished of a classical vocalist, those would the clips we would be seeing on youtube.

But again, being a classical vocalist is sort of irrelevent as to whether she can sustain the vocals of a role that requires Ethel Merman. Wouldn't much matter.

EDIT - Carlos, I have no doubt she will be well rehearsed, but I don't think its being a negative nellie to suggest that this is a killer role to cut your musical theatre teeth on. There aren't many musical theatre divas who could sustain doing FUNNY GIRL nightly for a year, so to be skeptical of Ambrose's lack of musical theatre experience is pragmatic, but not to my ears dismissive. Hopefully she will indeed be another Angela Lansbury and shock with her dexterity in her first leading musical stage role.

Updated On: 8/3/11 at 02:09 PM

Michael Bennett - what interview with her and Sher are you talking about? I don't see one linked in the announcement.

edit - nevermind, I see it now

Updated On: 8/3/11 at 02:15 PM

There's this:
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Lauren-Ambrose-Bartlett-Sher-Talk-FUNNY-GIRL-Casting-20110803

And Bart Sher talks to the NY Times here:
https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/lauren-ambrose-will-be-fanny-brice-in-funny-girl/?ref=theater

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From reading the short interview with Sher, and from seeing her performance style in the clips with her band, I have a feeling that we should be ready for something weird.

It wouldn't surprise me if the keys, orchestrations, and execution of the score overall are completely changed in order to suit Ambrose.

I agree that her take on My Man might not inspire confidence. I think this performance is a much better indicator of what we might expect:
Ambrose

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Exactly, Smaxie. If the score is modified to suit her, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

It's quite exciting, to be honest, seeing just how far out of the box this casting process went.


edit: MadBrian. she sounds much better in that clip. i do agree with all posters that suggest a matinee alternate. as cool as her voice is, it doesn't sound...durable.

Updated On: 8/3/11 at 02:27 PM

If you read the interview about how Ambrose got the role, well, it sounds like something Fanny Brice would do. Considering the actresses who were being considered, she was certainly a bagel on a plate full on onion rolls.

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One of the most exciting casting choices on Broadway in years! I am, quite paradoxically, "glee"ful about it!

Sorry.

Now who should play Nick? And who should be Mama ("Mama Who?") Better start another thread on all that (but I imagine it won't be Eric Balfour - although that's not exactly a bad idea - and Frances Conroy).

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"but there's absolutely nothing "a bit off-balance" about her."

Give her a chance! She's an actress!

Besides, would you really say Claire Fisher wasn't "a bit off-balance"?!?!

Her "My Man" is growing on me, but I wonder if her delivery of it as Fannie will be as tough and bluesy as in the video with her band, more like a female "blues shouter" than the throbbing, vulnerable torch-singing approaches that both Brice and Streisand (in their different ways) took with it.

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But "My Man" isn't in the show, is it? Or is it being added?

Ambrose better do 8 shows a week. It's bad enough having the Sreisand/Brice thing overhead, she does not need a matinee Eve Hharrington/Lainie Kazan in the wings wearing her costumes.