Review: FUNNY GIRL at Ahmanson Theatre

FUNNY GIRL is a legendary Broadway musical. The 1964 production was nominated for eight Tonys, introduced classic songs like “People” and “Don’t Rain On My Parade” that became staples of the Great American Songbook, and was adapted for the big screen by William Wyler in 1968, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year, garnering eight Oscar nominations (winning Best Actress for Barbra Streisand — tying with Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter) and spawning a platinum-selling soundtrack.

It’s a gold standard that has endured through the ages. That said, a 2022 revival —the first on Broadway — with Beanie Feldstein showed how hard it is to recapture lightning in a bottle. Thankfully, the production that just hit downtown Los Angeles is a rollicking and heartfelt success.

Telling the true story of Ziegfeld Girl Fanny Brice (Hannah Shankman, trading off with Katerina McCrimmon), from her upbringing in 1910s Brooklyn to her rise as a Broadway star as a protégé of Florenz Ziegfeld (Walter Coppage), a prolific producer of stage shows, to her relationship with Nick Arnstein (Stephen Mark Lukas), a wealthy investor, FUNNY GIRL is more than just funny. Fanny is an ebullient, unsinkable character who perseveres through dramas, romances, and the ups and downs of show business through grit and determination. Told pretty forthrightly that she’s not classically beautiful enough to be a star, she makes inroads with chutzpah and sheer ability. It’s how stardom should go. Chasing beauty, in the end, cannot compete with raw talent.

Opening backstage in the New Amsterdam Theatre in 1924, Fanny is introduced to us straight off with a melancholy, downbeat quality that contrasts well with the irrepressible girl we flash back to for the majority of the show. Shankman is a talented comedienne as well as powerful singer, who does not lack for presence. Melissa Manchester, a pop star in the 1970s and 1980s, plays Fanny’s mother, cheekily and warmly, both trying to prepare her daughter for the realities of life and propping her up when those realities hit. Cindy Chang and Eileen T’Kaye as her nosy comrades are a comedic delight, and Izaiah Montaque Harris as Fanny’s confidant is a dazzling dancer. Speaking of which, dance captain Bryan Charles Moore and assistant dance captain Annaliese Wilbur stage some dazzling footwork throughout, particularly the tap sequences. The “Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat” number with the ensemble is a wowing feast of energy and expertise.

The story falters a bit in the second act when it focuses much more on Nick, who is the blandest of all the characters. The actor, Lukas, is competent, but it’s difficult to give much spark to such a flat role in a book written by Isobel Lennart (and revised by Harvey Fierstein). Even when the story stumbles, though, there is always something to stun. The costumes by Susan Hilferty are magnificent — glittering silver suits with top hats and tails; chorus-girl outfits with headdresses to make Vegas showgirls envious — and the scenic design by David Zinn — from Brooklyn streets to palatial hotel suites to New York dance halls — is colorful and brings Fanny’s world to vivid life. The music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill stand the test of time, delightful and moving in turn. In the end, though, this is Shankman’s show. The entirety of it rests on her shoulders and she proves herself capable with the music, the comedy, the drama, and the pathos.

FUNNY GIRL is performed at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Avenue, through April 28 Tickets are available at (213) 972-4400 or CenterTheatreGroup.org.

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