Twelve actresses cast as Keeping Scores' Nashville FUNNY GIRLs

A perfect dozen of Nashville's favorite - and best-singing - actresses will claim the role of the iconic Fanny Brice in Keeping Scores Concert's upcoming Funny Girl in Concert, the inaugural production of the continuing concert series to be staged at Franklin's Boiler Room Theatre. The twelve women portraying Fanny Brice at different times in her life - and in the musical's various scenes -include (in alphabetical order): Nancy Allen, Erica Haines Cantrell, Joann Coleman, Lindsay Terrizzi Hess, Catherine Mai Holder, Bonnie Keen, Cori Laemmel, Alex Maddox, Corrie Miller, Sondra Morton, Laura Thomas-Sonn and Heather Trabucco.

Funny Girl in Concert will be presented for three performances at Boiler Room Theatre on April 29-30 and May 1. Joining Nashville's Funny Girls onstage for the concerts are Bakari King as Nicky Arnstein, Annette de la Torre as Mrs. Brice and Bryan Wlas as Eddie Ryan.

Additional cast members include Corey Caldwell (Florenz Ziegfeld), Vicki White (Mrs. Strakosh), Jama Bowen (Mrs. Meeker/Mimsy), Layne Sasser (Mrs. O'Malley), Brandy Rogers (Emma), Todd Rowan (Mr. Keeney/Mr. Renaldi), Lucas Phillips (John/Stage Director) and Will Sevier (the Ziegfeld Tenor).

Jefferson Carson, Devin Clevenger, Thomas Harton, Sarah Margaret Huff, Olivia Lee, Emma Jordan, Darci Wantiez and Chad Webb make up the ensemble. The children's chorus will include Tyler Bond, Joshua Cleveland, Hayden Gill, Addison McFarlin and Kayte Miller.

Directed by Scott Logsdon, Funny Girl in Concert will be choreographed by Laurie Gregoire, with musical direction by Jamey Green.

"This will be the first in a series of musicals in concert presented by Keeping Scores that will focus on shows with outstanding music that are not likely to by fully mounted locally because of size or for having titles that might not be well enough known to warrant a lengthy run," Logsdon explains.

The score of Funny Girl features lyrics by Bob Merrill and music by Jule Styne and a book by Isobel Lennart and introduced such songs that are now considered standards in the American Pop songbook, including "People," "Don't Rain On My Parade" and "I'm The Greatest Star."

Funny Girl in Concert will be presented at the Boiler Room Theatre, April 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, May 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased by calling the BRT box office at (615) 794-7744.

photos by Rick Malkin