Susan Granger’s review of “Funny Girl” (August Wilson Theatre on Broadway)
I knew Fanny Brice. My mother’s close friend was Fanny’s daughter Fran Stark whose husband Ray Stark produced “Funny Girl” with Barbra Streisand. When I met Fanny in the late 1940s, she was best known on radio as “Baby Snooks.”
After Fanny’s death in 1951, Ray Stark wanted to make a movie about his mother-in-law, commissioning several scripts including one by Isobel Lennart. But it wasn’t until Jule Style heard Barbra Streisand sing in a Greenwich Village nightclub that his Broadway musical concept with Bob Merrill came together.
From the beginning, “Funny Girl” was conceived as a star vehicle, written and directed to display then-21 year-old Streisand’s wistful appeal and spectacular ability to embody a song.
The story showcased Fanny in the Ziegfeld Follies because she didn’t look like other glamorous showgirls. Instead, she relied on Jewish humor and her sassy, comedic talent. Fanny’s most famous songs were “Second Hand Rose” and “My Man,” both dropped from this revival.
Instead, Harvey Fierstein sharpened the dialogue and revised the second act to focus on the incompatibility and disintegrating marriage between Fanny and her charming con-man/gambler Nick Arnstein, epitomized by their “Who Are You Now” ballad. Aware of his wife’s sensitivity about her parents, Ray Stark previously glossed over Nick Arnstein’s duplicity.
Which brings me to 28 year-old Beanie Feldstein, most recently seen as Monica Lewinsky in TV’s “Impeachment: American Crime Story.” Ms. Feldstein is a deft character actress, often cast as quirky or eccentric – where her penchant for ‘making comic faces’ might perhaps be more appropriate. She has a sweet, if unremarkable, singing voice, best displayed as she pleads “Don’t Rain on My Parade.”
On the other hand, tenor Ramin Karimloo scores as suave Nicky Arnstein, particularly singing the title song “Funny Girl” and reprising “People.” As Fanny’s friend Eddie, Jared Grimes delivers terrific tap-dancing, choreographed by Ayodele Casel. And Jane Lynch wrings wry laughter as Fanny’s mother.
Director Michael Meyer does the best he can with the cards he’s dealt, but David Zinn’s set, dominated by two staircases and a huge brick tower, is bizarre.
To go or not to go? That is the question. Ruefully, I’d recommend streaming the original 1968 movie on Amazon, Prime Video, Apple iTunes or Vudu.