Review: FUNNY GIRL at The Paramount Theatre

Dear Readers, there are some glorious musicals that just make you smile.  One such classic is “Funny Girl”, the show that made Streisand a star.  It also holds the distinction of not being done to death, I’m sure due to needing a killer lead to fill those shoes.  Then along came that recent Broadway revival in 2022 which first featured the TV and movie star (whom I sadly saw on Broadway), followed by her understudy (who kept stealing the show), and finally that girl from “Glee”.  And now we have the tour, currently playing at The Paramount Theatre.  And it looks like the producers have learned their lesson with the “stunt casting” and just brought in people who can handle the part, such as Hannah Shankman as the irrepressible Fanny Brice, who is making her debut with the tour here in Seattle.  And she has certainly left her mark on the role and on our town.

We’ll gush over Ms. Shankman in a bit but first, for those who’ve been under a rock, the show follows legendary stage performer Fanny Brice (Shankman), a girl who’s not considered to be attractive enough for show business but who breaks her way in due to her incomparable talent.  But she’s not alone in this endeavor as her mother (played by the amazing Melissa Manchester) is there to goad and nag her to stardom, as well as dancer and choreographer Eddie Ryan (Izaiah Montaque Harris) who takes a liking to her.  Once she starts to make it big, she also catches the eye of wealthy playboy Nick Arnstein (understudy Travis Ward-Osborne the night I saw, we’ll get to him in a bit as well), setting the scene for a turbulent and doomed relationship even as her star continues to rise.

First off, I adore this show.  With incredible songs from Jule Styne and Bob Merrill such as “People”, “Don’t Rain on My Parade”, and “Sadie Sadie” to name a few.  This new revival has an updated book from Harvey Firestein which, in my opinion, lends nothing to the show.  Mostly just a reorder of songs and moments it didn’t need.  But the heart of the show is there, when the right cast is there to pull it off. 

Shankman is incredible.  A killer voice, able to belt up into the rafters, and an ability to make Fanny come alive, she totally nails the role.  And her chemistry with Manchester and Harris are awesome.  Manchester disappears into the role of Mrs. Brice.  With a stellar career as a recording artist, we know she’s got the voice, but she shows her she’s got the acting and comedic chops too.  And Harris is astounding especially during his tap number when he blew the audience away.  And I must mention the insanely talented ensemble especially the dancers from “Cornet Man” and “Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat” who brought the house down.

Who didn’t have the chemistry was Ward-Osborne as Nick.  Normally, I’m all for the understudies.  They’re usually just as good, and sometimes better, than the scheduled leads (just look at that understudy for the recent Broadway run of this show).  But Ward-Osborne was just not right for the role.  He has a great voice and dancing ability, but just not the swagger and gravitas needed for the role.  Fanny, as well as the audience, needs to swoon over this suave, debonair, larger than life figure.  But there was no swooning to be had on or off the stage.  And with Nick being such a large part of the show, I felt let down.  I’m sure he’s a great performer, just not in this role.

But casting missteps aside, the show still packs a punch and Shankman delivers that punch beautifully.  And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give “Funny Girl” at the Paramount Theatre a “slightly rainy parade, but a parade nonetheless” YAY-.  No one could live up to Streisand, but Shankman certainly does an admirable job.   

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