Shoshana Bean to Star in Funny Girl

I'm surprised there hasn't been any reaction to this on the boards. Couldn't find an existing thread.



http://www.playbill.com/article/shoshana-bean-to-star-in-funny-girl

LOL. North Shore Music Theatre is definitely NOT summer stock. Its a well regarded regional theatre about 35 min north of Boston. It also happens to be one of the highest paying theatres in Massachusetts for actors. Its a large theatre-in-the-round space with 1500 seats.

Bean will be brilliant in this.

Excited to hear more about this production!

I'm sure Shoshana will be adding plenty of runs.

I so want to see a Broadway revival of this show



Seems only audiences do as the confirmed and highly anticipated Bartlett Sher directed 2011 Broadway-bound revival starring Lauren Ambrose and Bobby Cannavale was quickly canceled due to lack of investors. Seems no producer feels confident the show can bring an audience.



http://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/11/05/theater/producer-explains-the-scrapping-of-funny-girl.html?referer=&_r=0

Plenty of money would be raised in a minute if it starred Idina. Lea has no charm and would be awful in the role of Fanny Brice. Besides, Glee is so yesterday and unlike Matthew Morrison, she doesn't have a big a following..

I don't think Shoshana is the draw some people thinks she is. I saw her in Beaches (out of town tryout??) at Drury Lane Theater in Chicago suburbs last summer. It was a Saturday night and the entire right orchestra was empty and the center/left orchestra was also not filled up.

She's got a stupid insane voice. I remember hearing her sing with Jason Robert Brown at 54 Below. She sang some of the Bridges songs before they became what they are. I'm surprised she doesn't work in NYC more. But maybe that's a choice.

I always thought summer stock was a situation where you basically had a rep cast come in for the summer, and they would rehearse one show during the day while performing another show at night, doing many different plays for about a week each of performances. I don't think this really exists much any more.



North Shore is a regional theatre that is on par with La Mirada, Sacramento Music Circus, Music Theatre West etc.

Caroline O'Connor is also doing Funny Girl for a short run in Australia (not for the first time?), for those who care. They're casting the leads a bit older than usual I guess (not that I'm an expert on Funny Girl casting).

http://www.theproductioncompany.com.au/funny-girl/

I actually came to Shoshana through way of her unbelievably great album O'Farrell Street. Maybe she isn't a bigger draw because she isn't singularly focused on theater? I think her musicality is off the charts. Since I've now moved away from NYC, this is the first time I'm booking a place ticket to see a production.

"I actually came to Shoshana through way of her unbelievably great album O'Farrell Street. Maybe she isn't a bigger draw because she isn't singularly focused on theater? I think her musicality is off the charts. Since I've now moved away from NYC, this is the first time I'm booking a place ticket to see a production."



I don't know if she's a draw to a lot of people but if this was more accessible for me, I'd totally go see it. And though I wish she'd do more theatre in NY, unlike other actors who try to do pop/rock albums, hers are actually pretty good. There are at least a few songs I like on each of her albums.