Review - If a Girl Isn't Funny

The trouble all started when Jule Styne composed a score for Funny Girl that Fanny Brice could not possibly have sung.

You've heard the story, right? How Mary Martin was originally set to star in the show until she was eventually convinced that audiences might not accept her as a young Jewish girl from The Bronx. Anne Bancroft, certainly an excellent choice to replicate the essence of Fanny Brice in a stage biography, was then lined up to star in My Man, which was intended to be more of a play with songs. But Styne wanted that Tony-nominated kid who stopped I Can Get It For You Wholesale nightly with the very Brice-like comic lament, "Miss Marmelstein," so, inspired by a visit to Barbra Streisand's gig at Bon Soir, he simply started setting Bob Merrill's lyrics to complicated rhythms and wide, high-belting ranges that he knew Bancroft could never master.

Oh sure, the former Anne Sullivan would probably have been great with the specialty material patterned after the Ziegfeld star's repertoire, like "Private Schwartz," "Sadie, Sadie" and "His Love Makes Me Beautiful." And if she had a chance to hit center stage in a follow spot and emote that torchiest of torchers, "My Man," she may have brought down the house with the same kind of pathos that made it the great comic's signature song. But after hearing "People," "The Music That Makes Me Dance" and "Don't Rain on My Parade" Anne Bancroft knew this wasn't the show for her.

And if Fanny Brice herself was reincarnated as a young auditioner for the upcoming Bartlett Sher-directed Broadway revival of Funny Girl, she might find that, without some changes in the score, it's not the show for her either. As a vocalist, Brice had an average range, known to half-talk many of her songs for comic or dramatic effect. What put her name up in lights was a lovable knack for ethnic humor and a heart-grabbing way of pulling emotions out of a lyric with melodic simplicity. In Barbra Streisand, the creators found the possessor of a vibrant musical and emotional pallet with proven comedic skills.

But have you noticed that after last week's announcement of the Bob Boyett-produced mounting, looking to hit town in the spring of 2012, nearly all the speculation about who might be cast in the demanding role has been focused on singers and actor/singers who may be perfectly capable of mastering the score, but whose careers thus far have not included any major comic turns? I say "nearly all" because there are exceptions. And that's not to say that someone untested in broad, Jewish vaudevillian humor cannot turn out a fully realized Fanny, but if we musical theatre lovers are going to be obsessing over the casting of this role for the next year and a half it would be nice to be able to do more than speculate on a candidate's ability to shtick it up.

And then, of course, there's the celebrity factor. We live in an era where over 60% of the tickets sold on Broadway are purchased by infrequent theatre-goers; the kind who traditionally equate the Broadway experience with seeing a recognizable star. So I say let's give 'em one... as Nick Arnstein.

Think of it... Before Streisand's reviews came out, Tony-winner Sydney Chaplin was the original production's more bankable star, drawing squeals and cheers for his matinee idol looks and charisma, just as John Stamos recently did in Bye, Bye, Birdie. Say now... Stamos would make quite the elegant and manly Nick, wouldn't he? He sure proved to be a box office draw despite that production's reviews. And casting a Nick with a proven Broadway fan base might put Boyett and Sher in a better financial position to cast the best possible Fanny; even if tourists from Indiana, or even Westchester, never heard of her.

And let's face it; Nick is not a very demanding role. It's perfect for a big handsome star who thinks it might be fun to do a musical, but doesn't want to stray too far from his comfort zone. Sure, a terrific actor and singer can draw some depth out of the character (think Peter Gallagher in the 2002 Actors' Fund concert staging) but I doubt many would have a problem with songs that were written for an actor with a smaller vocal range than Rosalind Russell. Hell, why not go the non-traditional route? Hey, Denzel Washington! You want to do something groundbreaking?

Of course, whoever does get cast as Fanny Brice will have a heck of a good director working with her, and in the end it will be the person who best fits Bartlett Sher's vision of the role who'll be boasting of her 36 expressions come opening night. And if that means Kelli O'Hara wearing a fake nose and sporting a Jewish accent, hey, maybe it'll work. But in the meantime it might be a good idea to find out if Liev Schreiber can carry a tune.

Click here to follow Michael Dale on Twitter.

" "

-- Marian Seldes

The grosses are out for the week ending 6/13/2010 and we've got them all right here in BroadwayWorld.com's grosses section.

Up for the week was: AMERICAN IDIOT (20.5%), HAIR (16.1%), RED (15.4%), MEMPHIS (13.7%), FELA! (12.5%), COLLECTED STORIES (12.4%), RACE (11.7%), IN THE HEIGHTS (11.5%), MARY POPPINS (10.5%), LEND ME A TENOR (9.8%), NEXT TO NORMAL (9.2%), A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (9.1%), COME FLY AWAY (8.7%), LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (8.5%), NEXT FALL (7.8%), JERSEY BOYS (7.7%), PROMISES, PROMISES (7.5%), SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM (6.8%), BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL (6.4%), SOUTH PACIFIC (5.9%), THE ADDAMS FAMILY (5.7%), ROCK OF AGES (5.1%), MAMMA MIA! (4.5%), WEST SIDE STORY (4.0%), MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET (3.8%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (3.2%), CHICAGO (2.2%), THE LION KING (0.2%),

Down for the week was: FENCES (-0.2%), EVERYDAY RAPTURE (-0.1%),

To post a comment, you must register and login.