Interview: Finally Fanny- Shoshana Bean Gets Ready to Play Her Dream Role in FUNNY GIRL!

It's a role that she's been waiting her whole life to perform. Now Shoshana Bean is getting her chance.

Beginning June 7, the Broadway veteran will take on the iconic Fanny Brice in North Shore Music Theatre's production of FUNNY GIRL. Joining her will be Bradley Dean (Nick Arnstein), Susan Cella (Mrs. Brice), Rick Faugno (Eddie Ryan), Brittney Morello (Emma, u/s Fanny Brice), Sandy Rosenberg (Mrs Strakosh, u/s Mrs. Brice), and James Van Treuren (Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr.)

Bean just began rehearsals this week in Boston, but before that she checked in with BroadwayWorld to chat about her preparations so far. Check out the full interview below!

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How did this all come about for you?

I don't know...a lifetime of praying and wishing and hoping? [Laughs] Really they just reached out one day about interest and availability, and I was like, "Yes and yes." It just was perfect timing. My schedule was open and they were doing it. I'm not getting any younger!

Have you started rehearsals yet?

Again, I've been rehearsing my whole life.... [Laughs] But I technically go to Boston on Wednesday.

So it's fair to assume that this is a dream role of yours?

Yes! Yes it is absolutely the dream role, for sure.

Have you started developing who your Fanny Brice is? She's such a complex character.

I mean I started by doing research on the actual person. In doing so I found frighteningly a lot of similarities in the people that we are and the way we live our lives and the mistakes we've made and the choices we've made. My biggest goal is trying to inhabit a lot of her characteristics- more physical characteristics and comedy style and that kind of stuff. I've never had to interpret someone else and be an impersonator, so this is huge and new for me. Usually I develop my own character... obviously I've never played an actual person before. That's a big element for me- this is going to be a challenge and I really want to try to bring some human aspects of her to the table.

But more than anything, I think my job at this point is to be brave enough to bring myself to the table too, because we have so many similarities and I can relate to some of her circumstances and experiences. It's gonna be a combo platter of honoring the actual woman and then just bringing myself to it as well. It's been interesting to do a deep dive into the actual woman. You know, we've all seen the movie so many times and we've all heard the soundtrack so many times that the challenge becomes not being a Barbra mimic. Actually, if you're going to mimic anyone, you should go back and figure out who this person really was.

Yeah, I imagine not being Barbra Streisand is a whole monster of a challenge in itself.

It is, only because I was raised on it! How do you say "Hello, gorgeous" any type of way other than she said it? So that is definitely something that I'm scared about because I don't want to do a repeat performance of something that already exists. And I certainly don't want to do an interpretation of a performance that already exits either.

So I think the only way to avoid that for me is to immerse myself into the actual woman of Fanny Brice. There is a different accent- the way that she spoke in real life is different from the way that she spoke on stage. Her onstage character had a very Yiddish influence, which is not how she was raised or where she came from. She kind of adopted it for her stage persona, but it wasn't how she spoke in real life. So there's a whole dichotomy between the more "street" jewish girl that wound up being her character onstage versus the very classy and well-spoken woman that she was in real life. That was interesting for me to realize... that she was a different woman onstage and off.

And of course with this role you have to bring a certain amount of comedic chops. Are you excited to get to stretch those muscles a little bit?

I think I'm more scared about it. I think that me being funny is more just my own rhythm of things. So to be funny using someone else's rhythm or to be purposefully funny is different for me. The title is "Funny Girl!" The bar is already set! Be funny! Make me laugh! So I think the challenge has been more of trying to merge the two of us: what's authentically me and what's authentically her? I'm trying to meet somewhere in the middle so I'm not just doing an impersonation. It may not land today, you know? That may not be funny today. But to have to do a role that's intentionally funny...? I lose sleep at night [Laughs].

Obviously you're very acquainted with the show. Is there a part of the script or a song specifically that you can't wait to get your hands on?

Yeah, "The Music That Makes Me Dance." That's the one. It's been a favorite of mine for a long time and it's lesser-known and not done as often. Everyone thinks of "My Man," you know? But it's kind of meatier and juicier than that in a way, so I'm very excited.

You just came back from spending some time in Europe, right?

Oh my god, I had the time of my life. It was extraordinary. I went on tour with Postmodern Jukebox and so we were pretty much in a different city every day. I was out there for 27 days and we hit 21 cities. It was amazing! I just put on my running sneakers and made sure to see as much of every city every day and actually, thank god I have FUNNY GIRL, because I'd be really sad to be home. I had such a good time and Europe is an amazing place. It has so much history and amazing modern developments that are far beyond where we are at. It's a fascinating place to be. Beyond beautiful.

So, looking ahead at FUNNY GIRL, what are you just most excited about?

I will admit with a little bit of shame, full disclosure... I don't love the rehearsal process. I am a result-oriented person. Some people love the process. I hate the process. I want to get to the part where we know what we're doing and we're killing the game and we're on stage every night making them cry. That's what I live for. I usually have to exercise an extreme amount of patience in the process, especially with this one because I want to take such care in crafting this character and this show. It's so important to me.

But I guess I'm just looking forward to understanding the art from beginning to end as a character. How does she progress? How is her relationship with Nicky? I'm just looking forward to seeing that through from beginning to middle to end. And when you get down to it, really being able to sing that score every night for two weeks is really like the thing I did not know if I would get in this lifetime. And not every performer gets that. They don't write scores like that anymore, you know what I mean? They're writing magnificence scores... I'm not doubting anything that exists today or anything that has yet to be written, but a score like that... a genuine classic and bold powerful, timeless, score... that's going to be the highlight for me, for sure.

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Bean's independent solo releases have topped the iTunes R&B and Blues charts in the US and UK in peak positions 5, 3 and #1 with the release of her latest EP Shadows to Light. Shoshana is a veteran of the Broadway stage having debuted in the original cast of Hairspray and starred as the very first replacement for Elphaba, the green-skinned witch, in Wicked. Most recently she appeared in the pre-Broadway production of the new musical Beaches as CeeCee Bloom, and inked a deal with ABC Signature for a new musical pilot she co-created and for which she will compose the music. She has sold out solo concerts around the globe and performed alongside Brian McKnight, Bebe Winans and sang back up for Michael Jackson for his 30th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. Shoshana arranged vocals for Jennifer Lopez's American Idol performance of "I Luh Ya Papi" and her music has been featured in television shows on NBC, MTV, Oxygen and Showtime.

Tickets for FUNNY GIRL are priced from $54 - $79. Performances are June 7 - 19, Tue - Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. Kids 18 and under save 50% at all evening performances. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit www.nsmt.org, or visit the box office in person at 62 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA.

Photo Credit: Christopher Boudewyns

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