Sheridan Smith in Talks to Lead FUNNY GIRL at Menier Chocolate Factory

According to the Daily Mail, Sheridan Smith is in negotiations to star as 'Fanny Brice' in FUNNY GIRL at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Southwark. She met with director Michael Mayer today. No word yet on the final decision, but it seems if Smith is out, the musical will go back in storage for the time being.

Barbra Streisand originated the role on Broadway in 1964 and received a Tony nomination; she took the show to London in 1966, and FUNNY GIRL hasn't been back since. A Broadway revival, potentially starring Lea Michele -- or even Kelly Clarkson -- has been in the works since last year.

The original Broadway musical FUNNY GIRL had a book by Isobel Lennart, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The semi-biographical plot was based on the life and career of Broadway, film star and comedienne Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nick Arnstein.

The musical was produced by Ray Stark, who was Brice's son-in-law via his marriage to her daughter Frances, and starred Barbra Streisand. The production was nominated for eight Tony Awards. The 1968 screen adaptation of FUNNY GIRL, directed by William Wyler, paired Streisand with Omar Sharif in the role of Arnstein. The film won Streisand the Academy Award for Best Actress, an honor she shared with Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter, as well as the Golden Globe. The film, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and several other awards, was the top grossing film of 1968.

Smith won an Olivier for her role in Trevor Nunn's FLARE PATH at Theatre Royal Haymarket and has also appeared in the West End in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, HEDDA GABLER, LEGALLY BLONDE, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, BUGSY MALONE and BRIDGET JONES' DIARY. The actress will soon be seen on the big screen in THE HUNTSMAN.

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