Interview: Katerina McCrimmon Talks About Playing Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL National Tour

Katerina McCrimmon isn’t letting anyone rain on her parade. The Miami 26-year-old, who made her Broadway debut in 2019 as an understudy for Marisa Tomei’s daughter in the revival of Tennessee Williams's The Rose Tattoo, is now playing the infamous Fanny Brice in the national tour of Funny Girl. 

McCrimmon took some time out from her schedule before the tour hits Costa Mesa to talk with BroadwayWorld about the rigorous demands of playing Fanny, what it’s like to work with the iconic Melissa Manchester, and how her high school boyfriend’s mom predicted she would land the role someday. 

Hi Katerina! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me! I just want to say: I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos of your singing, and my daughter, who’s a 9-year-old aspiring musical theater actress, now loves you. You’re her new idol. So thank you. 

That is so sweet. I love that. 

Speaking of that, how old were you when you first saw Funny Girl?

So… The first time I saw the movie—because, you know, nobody really does the musical until now—was when I was about 16. My high school boyfriend at the time, his mom told me that I would play Fanny Brice one day. 

Oh my gosh, wow!

Yes! My husband’s boyfriend’s mom—she is who I have to thank for that [Laughs]. She sat me down and made me watch the movie. Because I was like, ‘Who is that? What is that?’ I didn’t know. And she was like, ‘You need to get educated.

What did you think when you first watched it? Was it, “I could never?” Or, “That sounds amazing!”

I was like, Yeah, I see it. I definitely see it.

So you were obviously a musical theater kid from a young age. 

I could sing the minute I gained consciousness. It has always been in me. And, I always knew I loved storytelling; I just didn’t know that there was a medium for both together until I was about 8 or 9 and saw my first musical.  

Tell me about that.

It was called Madeline’s Christmas. . . . I saw all these girls my age on stage doing exactly what I wanted to do. I was with my mom. It was a field trip and she was sitting next to me as a chaperone, and I was like, That is it. That is what I need to do.  I’m very lucky in that I always knew that this was what I was put on Earth to do. 

That’s so amazing. And so then you just got right into it? 

Yes. And I haven’t stopped.

So… Funny Girl isn’t your first Broadway role, but it’s your biggest Broadway role, right? 

Yeah. So I made my Broadway debut in 2019 when I understudied the daughter of Marisa Tomei’s character in The Rose Tattoo. So I got to work with her, which was amazing. 

You were still in college at the time, right? 

[Laughs] I was! 

What was that like? 

I was going to Florida State at the time. This was 2019 so I had no idea what was about to happen. But basically, they actually called me. Roundabout Theatre Company was trying to get in touch with me to see me for the role. And I was like, How did they find me? I am literally going to school in Florida. What is going on? 

So I flew to New York with four days notice for this audition, and I came in and I did the audition and on the spot they told me that they wanted me to cover the role. Which DOES NOT HAPPEN, now that I’ve been in the industry for a few years! They never tell you on the  spot that you got it. It takes some time. So it was Kismet. It was really serendipitous and special. And that’s how I made my Broadway debut. 

The casting director, Jim Carnahan, who funny enough, cast me in Funny Girl, was like, “You’re still in school, right? You think you can miss a semester? It’s not a long run.” [Laughs]  I was still enrolled in school, technically, and I did some online classes to stay enrolled. And when I finished the run on Broadway, I came back to school to finish my degree, and then the pandemic hit. So I didn’t have much of a senior year. But it’s fine,

So with Funny Girl, did the same kind of thing happen? Did they contact you for the role? 

They asked me to submit a self-tape. Since the pandemic, things have really changed. Almost everything is a self-tape first. So basically you tape yourself in your home or in your studio or wherever you can, and you sing some of the songs. 

Then, about a month later, they had me in for a callback in person. It was crazy. There were maybe 25 people in the room. There were all these producers, the creative team and the casting team. I had to sing “I’m the Greatest Star.” I had to sing, “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” I had to sing, “People.” I had to do two scenes. They brought me to the piano and they tested my range for things. It was a super long callback. It was thorough. Because, you know, you have to make sure that the person you cast for Fanny Brice can do it, right? It’s a huge undertaking. 

There’s been some controversy when it comes to casting Fanny Brice—whether it’s about her ethnic background or comparing her to Barbara Streisand. Was that stressful for you to step into that? 

I know a lot of people have a lot of high expectations for the role. I think that’s because Barbara Streisand put such a huge stamp on it. She made the role. Without her, there would be no Funny Girl, no Fanny Brice. The show is so loosely based on her life—it’s really just a star vehicle, more than anything. And Barbara just made it almost impossible for anyone who came after her to fill her shoes, because people want Barbara. 

But I was never really afraid because I knew I wasn’t going to try to copy her or emulate her. I hadn’t seen the movie since I was a teenager. When I got the audition request I just approached it like any actor would any role. I didn’t think, “They’re going to compare me to her,” I thought, ‘I’m just going to approach it as an actor would;  I’m going to look at the scenes, I’m going to study the scenes.’ That’s what I did, and I think it worked in my favor because I wasn’t trying to be her and I don’t have her in my head. 

What has been the most challenging part of the role?  

I think it’s the stamina. Luckily, I’ve been gifted with chords of steel. [Laughs] I don’t know where it comes from, but it’s just a gift and I’m not questioning it. That being said, my spirit is quite tired doing the show. It’s a lot to ask of one little body—I’m only 5’2 and a half. It’s a lot to ask! 

I don’t really leave the stage very often and it’s a 2 ½ hour show. But I think more than anything—emotionally, spiritually, physically—it’s keeping up with the show. It does take a toll because you have to be funny. You also have to be vulnerable. You also have to experience heartbreak. It’s a lot to ask of a body. I can feel it wearing me down a bit. Luckily we have a one-week break after Costa Mesa. 

What are you going to do on that week off?

I’ll go to Miami and visit my family for a couple of days and then I’ll go to New York for a couple of days and be in my apartment. I just haven’t been in my own apartment in so long!

I can see how that would feel good, just to do nothing all day. 

Yeah, exactly. 

So how has it been working with Melissa Manchester? 

It’s been so cool! My mom, when she found out Melissa was going to play my mother in the show she started crying. Because she grew up listening to her music. She told me stories about her singing ‘Don’t Cry Out Loud” in her room. After she moved from Cuba she lived in this huge household with her family, and her cousins would knock on her door and be like, “Shut up!” because she would be singing “Don’t Cry Out Loud” in her room. 

So it is really exciting to share with her my stories with Melissa. And for my mom to get meet my stage mom—that was a really special moment. 

I wondered if they got to meet, and what that was like.

They talk a lot online actually! They really love each other. My mom is always checking up on her. They’ve become friends. 

Funny Girl is an older show. Do you think the themes of the show are as true today as they were when it was written? 

You know, I do. Obviously, there are certain things that have changed since it was written in the 60s. But I still think it resonates with the audience because I hear them reacting. And I think the themes are very powerful: It’s quite a feminist story. Essentially, you witness Fanny learn to choose herself as a woman and it’s really powerful, those last 5 minutes of the show, you see her rise like a Phoenix from the ashes. It’s incredible, and I think it still resonates completely. 

What do you want the next generation of theater lovers—the people who haven’t seen the show and who don’t know about it—what do you want them to know about Funny Girl?  

I think what they should know is that they’re witnessing something historical. Because the show hasn’t been done in 60 years. It’s really exciting. We get to share this story, this music, with young people who maybe haven’t grown up with the movie or don’t know what to expect. 

If you could snap your fingers after Funny Girl and land a dream role—what would that be for you?

I actually think I would like to originate a role. I’m working on a bilingual musical right now—it’s in English and in Spanish. It’s called “Azul,” like the color blue. It’s written by these fabulous women—two from Argentina, one from Turkey. It’s a beautiful story and I think if it went to Broadway it would be a smash. I’ve been working on that since about 2022 and they’ve been working on it for seven years prior to that. It’s been a long journey. 

I’ll have keep an eye out for that one!

Yeah, we’re hoping for the best with it. It would be a dream, to see it come to Broadway. 

Last question: To that kid’s mom who predicted that you would become Fanny Brice… Tell me how you told her that you actually did.  

Oh my gosh, so I actually mentioned it in an article and she screen-shot the article and texted it to me. She was like, “Is this still your number? I saw this and I can’t believe it! I’m so happy for you that I’m crying!” She couldn’t believe it. I arranged for her to get tickets and she came to see me in Orlando and we hugged. It was a really special moment.  

FUNNY GIRL is playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts May 28 through June 9. Tickets are available at www.scfta.org/events/2024/funny-girl.

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