Was the Lauren Ambrose funny girl revival gonna be a flop?

[TazTarney]

Do u think it was wise of them to stop production and postpone it? Do u think Ambrose had what it takes to pull off Fanny? Will we ever get a funny girl revival?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Hopefully with Jessie Mueller!

Of course Ryan Murphy currently holds the stage rights as interest for him to do with Lea Michele.

[TazTarney]

Meh Mueller is okay I guess. Michele could sing it but the poor girl can't act. Besides she has been playing fanny on Glee for 6 years. Been there done that.

[Gothampc]

IMO, Lauren Ambrose was too pretty to play Fanny Brice. It may have been successful, but it wouldn't have been true to the source material.

If you have a pretty Fanny, you're left with the question "Why doesn't she become a Zigfield showgirl or an Evelyn Nesbitt type?"

[D2]

Molly Pope. 'nuff said.

[TazTarney]

meh lauren aint that pretty. she could have passed. but more concerning was her vocal skills. fanny brice 8 times a week is no cake.

[AC126748]

Lauren Ambrose is a trained singer. Whatever issues she might have had with the role--all conjecture, since she never actually gave a performance--vocal capability likely wouldn't have been one of them.

[Gothampc]

She would have done a Patti LuPone-Sarah Brightman-Lea Salogna and only done 6 shows a week.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Lots of people are trained singers, doesn't mean they have the stamina to sing Fanny 6 or 8 times a week the way it was written. Even Streisand didn't sing all of "Don't rain on my parade" for some performances.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Lauren Ambrose is friggin beautiful. No way she could have played an ugly duckling. Totally miscast.

[LarryD2]

I find some of these responses genuinely hilarious. Some people around here are so enamored of their own opinions that they will judge a performance that never even happened. Well, your opinion and two bucks will get you a ride on the subway.

The reason this production didn't happen is because they couldn't raise the money. That's the long and the short. And they couldn't raise the money because Lauren Ambrose and Bobby Cannavale, though wonderful, don't sell tickets. This revival was going to require a capitalization of about $12.5 million--that's a lot of money to spend on something less than a sure thing.

Unfortunately, there aren't many talents who are both bonafide box office stars and talented enough for the role. And anyone who plays the role is going to come up against a fair amount of criticism due to NBB: Not Being Barbra.

[henrikegerman]

We will never know.

[haterobics]

"Well, your opinion and two bucks will get you a ride on the subway."

Actually, it won't. The subway is up to $2.50 now.

But if we already know who is going to win the Tony Awards in some categories based on none of the nominees having performed the show one time yet, it does stand to reason we could just as easily know the flops, no?

[Jay Lerner-Z]

OP, in the future, please show the clickees of your threads some respect by using proper unabbreviated words and capitalization. Many thanks.

[theatregeek6]

Well since it never happened we can guarantee not a single bad review.however for a show which never happened grosses would be pretty low

[RippedMan]

Why doesn't Roundabout produce a revival with Mueller? Could be a big hit for them.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Because Ryan Murphy currently holds the stage rights.

[Mr. Nowack]

Honestly, yes, it would have undoubtedly been a flop. The show itself is kind of a clunker (outstanding score notwithstanding) and it had mediocre star appeal at best with that cast.

Now whether or not it would have been good is an entirely different matter.

[haterobics]

"Because Ryan Murphy currently holds the stage rights."

Let's not introduce messy things like facts into the discussion.

[lovebwy]

I only wish I could have seen Miss Pia Zadora and Mr. Adrian Zmed perform Funny Girl at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center.

[JRybka]

I heard that Pia was actually pretty good in a version of it years ago.

[rosscoe(au)]

Having just rewatched the movie, Act one seems song heavy while Act two has a couple of numbers, thats all I came to say.

[trentsketch]

I recently music directed a production with a very beautiful Fanny. We used makeup to exaggerate her features and kept the costumes a little ill-fitting. She passed for the character just fine.

[henrikegerman]

The movie score is quite different than the show, especially Act II.

To state the obvious: an actor who strikes us as physically attractive need not strike us as physically attractive in a particular role (look no further than Charlize Theron in Monster).

Carol Lawrence for instance, who most people would consider a very attractive woman, played Fanny. So did Pia Zadora. So did Lanie Kazan, at the time considered by most to be a very sexy and beautiful woman. I have no idea how well these ladies might have done with the role, but I doubt the answer would have much to do with their being beautiful women out of character.

Much of the flack about Ambrose seemed more to do with her not striking some people as convincingly Jewish. Notwithstanding that Ambrose had no problem convincing audiences and critics that she was Hennie Berger in Awake and Sing. Of course, Hennie Berger and Fanny Brice are not the same woman, but Lauren Ambrose is an actor. And a damn good one.

Then there are those who complain that Ambrose didn't have the star power. This seems to ignore the possibility that the role might have made her, as roles sometimes do for actors, a much bigger star. Many probably voiced the concern, that she isn't a big enough draw, when it was announced that Angela Lansbury would play Mame, and no doubt in spite of her phenomenal success on stage, Lansbury didn't get the movie precisely because she wasn't considered a big enough draw. And we all know how that turned out (which is not to suggest that we know the movie would have been great with her.... we don't - to the contrary, the movie has other problems besides Lucy!).

Bottom line, casting is an art. Perhaps never is that understood better than when it seriously surprises an audience. Seeing someone you wouldn't ordinarily think of for a role shine in it is a thrill. Conversely, all too often people we think will easily shine in roles - including big stars - can turn out to give highly disappointing performances. (count me as one who thought Michelle Williams could have made a superb Sally Bowles and just didn't - of course it goes without saying that that's just my opinion).

The best thing to do is to keep an open mind.

When someone as extremely talented as Lauren Ambrose has an opportunity to play a part like Fanny Brice my immediate reaction is "the jury's out," and it's going to be a hell of a trial. And good on the team for taking a big risk on someone I admire greatly whose unexpected casting might just add to the joy of what just might turn out to be a great performance.

And if that should happen, people will want to see the show.

One final note, I have no reservations about her vocally. It may not be well known, but Ambrose is a wonderful singer.



 

[madbrian]

For those who question her vocal abilities, take a look at the link below.


Ambrose