Official! Lauren Ambrose to Star in FUNNY GIRL!- Page 4

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 4:51pm

And you can make up excuses and reasons for different actors playing different types of roles but when the point of the role is her heritage, you know what? I'm going to stop right there.

Excuse you?!!! And the heritage of the characters in WEST SIDE STORY wasn't important? Guess what? It was. And guess what a Greek, An American of Russian Descent, An Italian-American and an African American played their respective PUERTO RICAN roles just fine.
Updated On: 8/3/11 at 04:51 PM

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 4:53pm

I'm with you, rwlevin. My first thought when I saw the casting announcement was, "Huh?" I adored her in EXIT THE KING and I know that acting-wise, she'll knock this role out of the park, too. But she is physically not right for it.

It's not even so much that Fanny's Jewish, it's that she LOOKS Jewish. I don't recall her religion ever really being an issue in the musical (admittedly, I've only seen the movie, but still). But she looked Jewish, which made her feel unattractive (a feeling that was echoed and exacerbated by her time), and that feeling of unattractiveness informs her entire character.

So even if you don't consider Lea Michele Jewish because it's only on her father's side (which is ridiculous and offensive for reasons I'll get to later), she LOOKS Jewish, which is more appropriate to play Fanny than her religion. I don't mind if they cast someone who isn't even half-Jewish, as long as she has the right ethnic look required for the character.

Moving on: there are millions of Jews around the world who are not religious -- even atheist -- but identify as Jewish because of their heritage, even if they inherited from their father, myself included. It is absolutely an ethnicity (I don't like to say "race" because it implies skin color) as well as a religion. If the Israeli government agrees that one Jewish father (in fact, one Jewish GRANDfather) makes you Jewish, then I don't understand how you can tell me I am not Jewish.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 4:56pm

So I guess if Lauren Ambrose had a schnoz and a lazy eye regardless of her background she would be just fine to play Fanny Brice. It's the fact that she doesn't look ethnic enough for some of you that has you all twisted up not her race or her religious background.
Updated On: 8/3/11 at 04:56 PM

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:00pm

Interesting, given the weight that this board is putting on ethnicity, to note that of the five other actresses considered by Sher, only one (Leslie Kritzer) is Jewish.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:02pm

It should be noted that the "list" of other contenders is only what is being reported.

Of those five, only two of them actually came in to audition. The other main candidates for the role were not listed in that article.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:03pm

Leslie Kritzer was my choice from the first time I heard about a revival.

So I guess if Lauren Ambrose had a schnoz and a lazy eye regardless of her background she would be just fine to play Fanny Brice.

Well, yeah. As I said, it's the fact that the character does not look classically pretty that is important. In her case, her looks came from her Jewish heritage, but it's thr "not beautiful" part that's important.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:16pm

So now here is a question for total speculation, because I doubt its the route Sher is planning on taking.

But in this day and age would it be potentially offensive to use prosthetics or extreme makeup to give Ambrose the more prominently jewish features that defined the actual Fanny Brice and are at some level at the root of the story?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:28pm

I imagine Block and Kritzer both auditioned, I doubt Benanti (who has a show coming out in the Fall), Michele or O'Hara actually went in. I'm not surprised Block wasn't cast, but I am very surprised about Kritzer and what it is about Ambrose (clearly it wasn't a celebrity-casting thing) that made her the winner in this bunch. Something tells me that she must have been quite special in the audition room.
Is it February yet? I can't wait to see how this whole thing plays off.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:30pm

Why were you all not pissed at Kevin Kline for playing Cyrano? "NO! He is not right! He does not have the nose for the job!"

Or Donna Murphy as Fosca? "How could someone that looks like that understand the pain Fosca feels?"

I think it is smart to stay away from the Barbra mold for this, and I trust Sher.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:30pm

For the purposes of spirited, intellectual debate, I'm going to answer Michael Bennett's question, because I think it's an interesting question worth asking.

Personally, I would rather they just hire an actress who actually looks the part instead of hire a pretty actress and use makeup to drastically alter her appearance. I don't know if I'd call it offensive, though. Just disappointing. I'm more offended that Sher seems to be completely disregarding her appearance as an integral part of her story, so if they attempt to "ugly her up," at least they're trying to stay somewhat true to the character.

There's a much bigger issue on both sides, though. On one side: Shouldn't any talented actor be able to portray any demanding role? Why discriminate on either side, especially if there are makeup techniques that can make anybody the right "type"?

On the other side: Does that mean it's okay for a white man to play Othello as long as you paint him dark? Or it's okay to cast Jonathan Pryce and tape his eyes? Historically, minority actors have often been excluded from many roles, so is it right to give the few roles that were written specifically for them to white actors?

These are extremes, I know, but it's a very short logical jump from what we are discussing with Fanny. I can see both sides of the argument and I honestly don't know what the answer is.

Updated On: 8/3/11 at 05:30 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:40pm

When I think of the real Fanny Brice, I tend to think of the eye-bulging, rubber faced photos of her as Baby Snooks, where her looks are distorted and muggy. But here's a picture of her in 1911, which is the same year when Funny Girl begins.

In my opinion, that face could be anything. I don't look at it and necessarily think "Jewish". Nor is she a meeskite per se. It's just a plain, not especially distinctive face. I won't pretend that Ambrose looks anything like that - she's gorgeous, especially when dolled up. But she can also play plain, disheveled, awkward. We've seen her do it on Six Feet Under and some of her other stage and film work.

The show then proceeds to cover about 10-12 years of Brice's life. The Brice comic persona - the voices, the shtick, the ethnic comedy - probably ends up being a fraction of the total content of Funny Girl (really, two or three onstage numbers). The rest of it, to me, is about a woman who rises to the top of show business success (at a time when women couldn't even vote), but still feels awkward, vulnerable, unworthy and learns to respect herself, even if love proves elusive for her.

Everything I've seen of Ambrose shows me she can play that. And put a wig on her, let her act the role and I think she'll be in period in a way that Barbra's giant up-do's and long manicured nails never were.

Updated On: 8/3/11 at 05:40 PM

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:51pm

Every production of Funny Girl I have seen focuses more on Fanny's idea of what she looks like more than how she actually looks. As Smaxie's photo shows, she wasn't terrible looking, a little plain maybe, but I think she could be quite pretty.

She exaggerated her looks to play the "ethnic roles" she's most known for from the follies, and it is a shame that that is how she is now seen by many.

[supportivemom]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:51pm

I remember when Meryl Streep got cast in "Bridges of Madison County" and so many people were up in arms because she didn't look Italian and had nothing Italian about her. Streep completely embodied the character and I totally bought that she was from Italy!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:53pm

Smaxie -- we have to caveat that picture by saying that it is also a front angle shot clearly meant to soften her features. Brice was very self conscious of the size of her nose and there are almost no photos of her in profile pre-1923 when she famously received a high profile rhinoplasty to greatly reduce it.

Brice was also famous for her fingernails, btw.
Updated On: 8/3/11 at 05:53 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 5:57pm

I hope Ambrose was told in advance that this announcement would bring an immense amount of nastiness from theater queens who, even though they are adamant they want something different than Streisand's performance, are lying through their teeth and want nothing more than an exact replica of the original.


While still being completely different, of course.
Updated On: 8/3/11 at 05:57 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 6:17pm

Regardless or not, let's not lie like we're not all going to get tickets and see the show.

I'm more annoyed by the fact that they were touting going for an "unknown" and then they go with a star.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 6:19pm

Did you actually believe for a second they were going to go with an unknown?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 6:25pm

There's no reason to beat around a burning bush, as Fanny herself might have said: The woman had a nose. A healthy nose.



But, oy! Such dainty fingernails!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 6:35pm

I think smaxie's pic was photoshoped or tintypeshoped.

[rougeduck]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 6:42pm

She is gorgeous in the most conventional christian-american way possible. I smell a prosthetic nose.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 6:44pm

I keep hearing comments like, she is gorgeous, she is stunning. As a 24 year old straight guy I don't see her as either. She is pretty, but she is not a bombshell in any way, especially when she is more "real" and not in glamour shots like the one posted earlier.

[jovie27]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 6:46pm

I can NOT wait for the movie re-make starring Lea Michelle, directed by Barbara.
Updated On: 8/3/11 at 06:46 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 7:12pm

And no one has yet brought up the fact that Ms. Ambrose's incidentals are, indeed, bigger than two lentils:



Mrs. Strakosh, O' Malley and Meeker:

She must shine in ev'ry detail
Like a ring you're buying retail,
Be a standard size that
Fits a standard dress.

Mrs. Strakosh:

When a girl's incidentals
Are no bigger than two lentils...

Mrs. Strakosh, O' Malley and Meeker:

Then to me that doesn't spell success.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 7:22pm

I'm more annoyed by the fact that they were touting going for an "unknown" and then they go with a star.

She's not an unknown, but she's by no means a star.

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/3/11 at 7:32pm

She's absolutely not a star. The vast majority of people will have to google her to know who she is. Regarding her looks, they can be glammed up or frumped down. Not sure how far they go to try to get an authentic Fanny look, but I certain they can get her to be a believable bagel on a plate full of onion rolls.

This is definitely risking casting on a high-profile revival. And I LOVE it. I think she's a terrific actress who has a voice I knew nothing about until a couple of days ago. Bottom line: none of know what to expect. I'm looking forward to this.