Rosie O'Donnell Confirms She Will Play Mrs. Brice in FUNNY GIRL Revival
O'Donnell Says She'll Play the Mother
By: Stephi Wild Jul. 19, 2020
Rosie O'Donnell further confirmed the longstanding rumor that a revival of Funny Girl is coming to Broadway with Rosie in the role of Mrs. Brice, Fanny Brice's mother.
During yesterday's appearance on Stars in the House, Rosie confirmed that the revival is happening when Broadway reopens.
Rosie first teased the news, saying she's not allowed to talk about it but, "I'm going to be doing something on Broadway as soon as the virus is over."
"I'm not supposed to say what I'm doing but, 'hello gorgeous,'" she said, referencing the iconic Funny Girl line.
When Seth joked that she must be cast as Fanny Brice, Rosie revealed, "I'm the mother!"
Watch the full Stars in the House episode here.
As BroadwayWorld previously reported in 2018, the revival is rumored to star Lady Gaga as Fanny Brice, but that was never confirmed. At that time, O'Donnell said that Michael Mayer will direct the revival.
More recent rumors on the internet pointed to the possibility of Idina Menzel leading the production, but those rumors were also never confirmed.
Sonia Friedman Productions, which produced the London production directed by Mayer, currently holds the Broadway rights for Funny Girl.
With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart, Funny Girl was a Broadway smash which skyrocketed Barbra Streisand to stardom. The show follows Fanny Brice, who rose from the Lower East Side of New York to become one of Broadway's biggest stars under producer Florenz Ziegfield. While she was cheered onstage as a great comedienne, offstage she faced a doomed relationship with the man she loved. The score features now-classic songs such as "People", "You Are Woman, I Am Man" and "Don't Rain on My Parade."
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