Review: FUNNY GIRL at Kansas City Music Hall
FUNNY GIRL is one of the crown gems of the American Musical Theater. Kansas City audiences will be treated to a first-class production of a show that many theater buffs know about but have never seen.
Tuesday night’s performance starred Leah Platt in the lead role of Fanny Brice. Leah has a gangbuster voice fully displayed as she plows through an excellent score with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill.
Feature: FUNNY GIRL at KANSAS CITY MUSIC HALL
One of the fun parts of reviewing shows in Kansas City is the occasional opportunity to meet and interview some of the talented touring performers who come through with road productions of Broadway shows.
Review: FUNNY GIRL is Gorgeous at the Eccles Theater
The national tour of FUNNY GIRL, currently playing at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, is a gorgeous rendition of a timeless classic that runs the gamut of emotion from self-deprecating comedy to heart-wrenching drama to chill-inducing performance.
Review: FUNNY GIRL at The Paramount Theatre
And now we have the tour, currently playing at The Paramount Theatre. And it looks like the producers have learned their lesson with the “stunt casting” and just brought in people who can handle the part, such as Hannah Shankman as the irrepressible Fanny Brice, who is making her debut with the tour here in Seattle. And she has certainly left her mark on the role and on our town.
Hannah Shankman Will Star as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL National Tour
Hannah Shankman will take over the role of Fanny Brice when the tour opens in Seattle on September 24th, 2024. She joins returning cast members Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice, Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, Izaiah Montaque Harris as Eddie Ryan, Walter Coppage as Florenz Ziegfeld, Leah Platt as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Christine Bunuan as Mrs. Meeker, and David Foley Jr. as Tom Keeney.
Review: FUNNY GIRL at The Kennedy Center
Funny Girl is a solidly entertaining vehicle for a high-profile performance by Katerina McCrimmon as beloved vaudeville performer Fanny Brice. Now playing at the Kennedy Center, this popular musical (from the original stage version starring Barbra Streisand and her Oscar-winning performance in the 1968 hit film –and the recent hit on Broadway starring Lea Michele) is a lively, sassy, and brassy summer musical treat.
Interview: CHOREOGRAPHERS ELLENORE SCOTT & AYODELE CASEL GIVE FUNNY GIRL'S SAGA FLAIR, FUN & FINESSE
VJM: Thank you both for giving of your time to answer my questions. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of two Choreographers being hired for the same Broadway show, not even a revival, that I can think of. How did that come about for both of you?
Ellenore Scott: Funny Girl was my Broadway debut as a choreographer. I was so happy when I got a call from Michael Mayer (the director) asking me to work on this revival with him. He knew I was NOT a tap dancer and was aware of the multiple tap routines in the show and asked if I would be down to share the billing with Ayodele Casel. Ayo is an extraordinary artist so I was thrilled to be by her side as she made her Broadway debut as well. Michael first met me initially at Head Over Heels on Broadway where I was an associate choreographer to Spencer Liff. In 2019, he asked if I would choreograph the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors and we opened the show October 17th, 2019. I have loved working with Michael and feel as though he keeps his people close and I’m grateful he thought of me for this historic revival.
Ayodele Casel: I met Michael Mayer in 2016 when he directed a New York City Center Encores! show I performed in. Later that fall he invited me to perform that piece in a Broadway for Hillary fundraiser he was also directing. We'd kept in touch over the years and in 2019, after seeing a show I’d premiered at The Joyce Theater, he asked if I would be interested in providing the Tap choreography for a revival he was working on. Like Ellenore shared, Michael wanted to work with us both to deliver the full choreographic vision of the show. I believe it was a very progressive vision on his part and I’m really thankful that I was able to make my Broadway debut with this team.
Review: FUNNY GIRL at Ahmanson Theatre
FUNNY GIRL is a gold standard that has endured through the ages and the production that just hit downtown Los Angeles is a rollicking and heartfelt success.
Interview: FUNNY GIRL's Stephen Mark Lukas's the Go-To Nick Arnstein for Six Fanny Brices
The North American tour of Funny Girl lands in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson April 2, 2024, and later at Segerstrom May 28. 2024. Tony Award winner Michael Mayer directs the cast of Melissa Manchester, Katerina McCrimmon, Stephen Mark Lukas, Izaiah Montaque Harris, Walter Coppage. Leah Platt, Cindy Chang, Eileen T’Kaye, David Foley Jr., Vinny Andaloro, Lamont Brown, Kate E. Cook, Julia Grondin, Jackson Grove, Alex Hartman, Dot Kelly, Ryan Lambert, Kathy Liu, Meghan Manning, Bryan Charles Moore, Sami Murphy, Emily Anne Nester, Hannah Shankman, Jordon Taylor, Rodney Thompson, Sean Thompson and Annaliese Wilbur. I had the chance to chat with Stephen (Nick Arnstein to Katerina’s Fanny Brice) over the phone during his stint at the Connor Palace Playhouse Square in Cleveland.