Most people would associate Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand, and rightly so, considering she starred in the original Broadway production and subsequent film. In fact it launched her career and won her an Oscar. But in many ways, these productions have became more renowned for iconic Barbra than the actual musical itself.
The true story of Funny Girl comes from Fanny Brice, a Vaudavilian Broadway star who married entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein. In many ways it is the ultimate showbiz story, set in New York pre-World War I where the Ziegfeld Follies ruled the day. As Fanny rose to fame she also had to contend with a tumultuous marriage that involved a husband in prison – not unlike some showbiz marriages of today!
But of course being a musical, there is merriment in the classic songs, such as I’m the Greatest Star, People and the showstopper Don’t Rain on My Parade – again a signature for Streisand.
But let’s forget Streisand, for now. Melbourne audiences are in for a treat, as The Production Company sets the stage for Funny Girl with Australia’s showstopper herself, Caroline O’Connor. In fact there is no one else in Australia more suited to this role than O’Connor, already with roles such as Velma Kelly in Chicago and Anita in West Side Story, winning Green Room Awards along the way, not to mention Helpmanns for End of The Rainbow, Piaf and Anything Goes!
Over the years many have taken on the role of Fanny Brice including Debbie Gibson, Leslie Kritzer, Jill Abramovitz, Sara Sheperd and Sheridan Smith, but a 2014 production in Buenos Aires Argentina, saw Fanny change gender, to be played by male actor Julio Cesar Arturo Valverde Monje!
The story itself even got a rewrite by actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein, but The Production Company’s version stays true to the original.
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