Official! Lauren Ambrose to Star in FUNNY GIRL!- Page 8

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 12:00pm

Two more interesting versions of "The Music That Makes Me Dance":


Liza:

http://youtu.be/N6CGK6DdHoI


Lorna:

http://youtu.be/LWjzKdB4woc

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 12:02pm

I haven't seen the show in years Bennett, but doesn't it start as a book song than turn into a concert song?
It's a convention used in a lot in musicals, like I AM CHANGING from DREAMGIRLS. The strength and point is how a character is bringing their personal life onto the stage and how they mirror each other (which is a major theme of FUNNY GIRL.
But I get your point.

The intro of MUSIC THAT MAKES ME.... actually does literally follow Fanny's plight:
"I'm a much better comic, than mathmatician, cause I'm better on stage, than at intermission" Updated On: 8/4/11 at 12:02 PM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 12:14pm

Unless I'm having a senior moment, the last thing we see in the movie of "Funny Girl" is Fanny singing "My Man." It's a mezermiring finish.

But while "The Music That Makes Me Dance" is sung by Fanny on stage in the show, it isn't the finale ultimo. Instead, the show ends with Fanny reprising "Don't Rain on My Parade" in her dressing room after her final scene with Nick.

If I'm right, there might be room for both songs in the show (licensing issues notwithstanding). Alternately, "The Music That Makes Me Dance" not having the sheer power of "My Man" may not be as much of an issue given that the songs don't fill the same slot in the narrative.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 12:22pm

A few recent revivals regionally have tweaked the ending so that it ends with "The Music That Makes Me Dance" instead of the reprise of "Parade" which probably gives more of the feel of the climatic finish of the film.

One recent revival at TUTS used both the film songs AND the stage songs. Poor Darcie Roberts had to sing "Music that Makes Me Dance" and about two minutes later plow through "My Man."

"My Man" is still copyright protected, but even if it weren't I doubt the Styne estate would approve its use in the Broadway revival. He was 'miffed' that it was included in the film over his own composition.
Updated On: 8/4/11 at 12:22 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 12:32pm

I'm sure that they'll come up with something. Sher and his team came up with some fresh (and very powerful) interpretations of older material for South Pacific. I'll never forget the staging and re-imagining of the Honey Bun reprise. It was a total surprise and worked so well.

If they can't get My Man (or don't even want to try), I'm hoping they can give the end of this show the power that it needs and deserves. There are plenty of highlight moments in the stage version, but the ending just sort of fizzles for me. And yes, that's by comparison to the movie, but I can't help (as others won't be able to help either) that I saw the movie first.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 1:11pm

I've always loved "The Music That Makes Me Dance". I'd love to see both songs in the show to be honest. Not one after another, mind you. But I don't know what Bart Sher will do. He did include "My Girl Back Home" into the revival of South Pacific, so who know?

I do like ending on the reprise of "Don't Rain On My Parade". To me, it just gives the show a kick back to the finale of act one, and I feel like Fanny can now live her life, despite Nick.

And after watching the video of Lorna Luft, I wonder how she would have fared as Fanny?

Updated On: 8/4/11 at 01:11 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 1:38pm

Its probably worth noting too that "My Man" as Brice originally sang it was a very simple song. It was really rethought and orchestrated for Streisand in a way to make it the kind of power house vocal showstopper that it became in the movie.

I would say it's more likely we will see re-orchestrations of the existing songs or perhaps some interpolations of other STYNE trunk songs before the use of material by other composers directly associated with Brice herself.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 3:54pm

And after watching the video of Lorna Luft, I wonder how she would have fared as Fanny?

She probably would have been great--as good as or better than she was on the first national tour of Guys and Dolls after the 1992 Broadway revival:

http://youtu.be/aDS_v2UuMk4

[uncamark]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 4:37pm

Meanwhile, in case osme of you forgot, there was a planned revival of "Funny Girl" about ten years ago that didn't make it. At the time, the announced Fanny--with the seal of approval of Jule Styne himself--was...

Taylor Dayne.

Yes, the "Tell It to My Heart"/'I'll Always Love You" Taylor Dayne.

I have the feeling that to some of you Lauren Ambrose sounds a helluva lot better at this point, Styne's approval or not.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 4:46pm

I could care less about this revival.


I'll bet when L*a M*****le heard about this, she was attacking the rosebushes with garden shears in no time.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 4:58pm

Oy vey the duh-rama and the duh-rama queeeeenzzzz....

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 5:02pm

Wasn't Sandra Bernhard also being touted for the role at some point? Now there's a gal who isn't pretty.

Someone mentioned a Nick song that was cut and used somewhere, does anyone know of any other cut songs from the original?

MY GIRL BACK HOME was written for SOUTH PACIFIC by the original composers, that's very different.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 5:09pm

There are 56 songs that Styne and Merrill wrote and discarded for Funny Girl.

You can read about them (and hear a few of them) here:

http://barbra-archives.com/live/60s/funny_girl_broadway_2.html

And the rest of that site's Funny Girl archive is also pretty fantastic.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 5:20pm

uncamark: Jule Styne died in 1994, considerably more than ten years ago. Are you sure Styne gave his seal of approval to Taylor Dayne?

Re. The use of "My Man" in the upcoming revival, as much as I would love to see it interpolated into the score, if Styne was upset with it being used in the film, I agree with Michael Bennett that it is highly unlikely that the estate of Jule Styne would allow it to be used, even if the rights were obtained from the estate of the composer/lyricist. Who did write "My Man"?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 5:23pm

Styne wanted Taylor Dane for the role in the mid 80s; and by the early 90s wanted Sandra Bernhard, who I think would have been really interesting.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 5:26pm

According to Wikipedia, "Mon Homme"/"My Man" was composed by Jacques Charles, Channing Pollack, Albert Willemetz, and Maurice Yvain. But it's nearly a century old- I'd be shocked if it still even had a copyright on it.

What may be the issue is the translation of the lyrics.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 5:27pm

Bernhard would have been excellent in her prime. Now, aside from being too old, she's become a caricature of all the things that once made her thrilling and unique.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 5:35pm

Thanx smax, Lots of info and lots of songs. I did not know ABSENT MINDED ME was written for this show, I love that song.
I'd love to hear Nick's song, people keep complaining that part is underwritten, maybe a song would help. But as in most shows what seems like an underwritten role in the right hands can be a gem. Eddie's dress song also sounds interesting.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 6:03pm

Smaxie--that's a great website!

Does anyone know what these changes were:

It is interesting to note that the show has been revised since 1966. Lyricist Bob Merrill, in fact, contributed changes to the 1996 touring show starring Debbie Gibson. "Before Jule passed away, we rewrote two of the songs and added a completely new song to the score," Merrill told Playbill. "I did a rewrite of the book. I maintained everything that was in the show but tried to strengthen the character development."

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 6:04pm

I think trunk songs might be really interesting to throw into the mix!

Maybe something from "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol," too! LOL (yes, that was Styne and Merrill, and actually "Winter Was Warm" is gorgeous, but unfortunately not right for Funny Girl)

And I absolutely remember the unrealized Broadway revivals with both Taylor Dane and Sandra Bernhardt.

Those weren't just rumors. They were "officially" announced.

And actually, I kinda love Styne's approved choices then. He was thinking out of the box.

They're far different than Streisand, but equally interesting as far as their potential and their unique individuality. I think he would have loved the idea of Lauren Ambrose in the part.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 6:24pm

That website is amazing! This excerpt from the 1964 Village Voice describing the staging of "Music That Makes Me Dance" gives me goosebumps:

===

In Fanny's dressing room, Mrs. Brice and Eddie told Fanny that Nick was in jail. Fanny, alone, began to sing "The Music That Makes Me Dance." After the introductory lyric, Streisand walked stage center and sang the song in front of a curtain, alone on the stage.

An April 9, 1964 edition of The Village Voice described the remarkable staging of "The Music That Makes Me Dance":

Miss Streisand is sitting at her dressing table in a white coat just before curtain time when she is told that her husband has been arrested. A follow-spot pinpoints her face. The lights go out around her. The follow-spot turns lavender. She drops the coat and walks slowly, her face floating in the darkness as she sings, down to the footlights. A curtain whispers down behind her and gradually as the song builds, the spotlight widens until we see all of her, glamorous and vibrant, the heartbroken trouper that theatrical myths are built around.

===

That kind of "spotlight choreography" is exactly the kind of thing Jerome Robbins would do when he was called in to doctor shows (as he was on this one).

At the end of the Dance at the Gym in West Side Story, Robbins had a follow spot come up softly on Tony as he heard Bernardo say Maria's name. Then, as everyone exited, the lights faded on the rest of the stage and the spot narrowed to a pin spot on Tony's face. The gym set disappeared and a blue body spot picked up Tony as he began to sing "Maria," so he was bathed in the blue spot around him and the white pinspot tight on his face--and, boy, would Robbins scream bloody murder if that pinspot jerked to one side for even a fraction of a second.

The body spot/face spot combination kept the audience inside Tony's thoughts, rapt, as he crossed the stage singing "Maria" and Maria's fire escape rattled on. Then, as he finished the song, the white pinspot opened up and--magically--we had traveled with Tony to Maria's building.

That was the Jerry Robbins Touch.

Updated On: 8/4/11 at 06:24 PM

[DAME]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 7:11pm

Very cool site. Thank you so much.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 7:17pm

Amazing site. I love stuff like this. Thanks for linking it up!

[denali.fire]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 9:02pm

"Who are you now" my personal favorite...it resonated a relationship in my life.

Updated On: 8/4/11 at 09:02 PM

[A Director]

Posted: 8/4/11 at 9:44pm

Years ago, someone told me that "People" was originally written for Nicky to sing not Fanny. Then Ms S. decided she wanted to sing the song. Does anyone know if this is true?