BWW Reviews: Hillbarn Theatre's FUNNY GIRL is Fabulous, Now Through 9/21

"Hello gorgeous." The Hillbarn Theatre in San Mateo kicked off its 2014-2015 season with the sensational Funny Girl. Based on the life of Fanny Brice, Funny Girl originally starred Barbra Streisand in the icon role of the famous vaudeville and Ziegfeld Follies legend. It was a part that catapulted her into stardom and made Streisand a household name. Hillbarn Theatre showed a lot of chutzpah in putting on a show so closely associated with a major star, but this is their "Season of Awakening," therefore daring, dreams and self-discovery are most definitely in the air. Debuting Executive Artistic Director Dan Demers wraps it all up with this quote from Mark Twain (by way of Demers' mother): The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why," which certainly could be a quote about Ms. Brice.

Hodges & Hodges (Nick and Linda) were at the Hillbarn Theatre to take in the show, which plays now through September 21, 2014.

Linda: I love Barbra Streisand so I was crossing my fingers that this would be a good production and I wasn't disappointed. Equity actress Melissa WolfKlain (though clearly not a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls) was a marvelous Fanny, belting out the familiar melodies (lyrics by Bob Merrill; music by Jule Styne) in true Streisand style, yet truly making the role her own through her acting.

Nick: Melissa WolfKlain was so comical as Fanny Brice. I loved her in "You Are Woman, I am Man." Laugh out loud funny. She was all around great and kept it up throughout the show. I really thought she got to show her acting chops during the more serious scenes of the show. And you know I had only ever seen the movie version before so it was really interesting to see the difference between the two.

Linda: The ethnic New York neighborhood of Henry Street added depth to the story. That's where we meet Fanny's mother played by the hugely talented Tracy Chiappone. What a marvelous character actress - and wow, can she sing. She was the perfect Jewish mother. She had a great duet with Justin Travis Buchs who played Fanny's friend and fellow show person, Eddie Ryan. The song "Who Taught Her Everything, truly showcased both of their considerable talent.

Nick: Buchs as Eddie Ryan was sharp casting. "Rat-tat-tat-tat" was a great number for him. He really got to shine there. You could tell that he was truly in every moment of the show. So many facial expressions (almost as many as Fanny!) and he was very entertaining.

Linda: Eddie made a good best friend for Brice, even though he wanted more. But once Fanny saw the dashing Nicky Arnstein (played by the very dashing William Giammona) with his white ruffled shirt and debonair ways, Eddy was doomed to the friend zone for life.

Nick: Along with our leads the cast was well-rounded with great characters including Maureen O'Neill as the hilarious Mrs. Strakosh, Dennis M. Lickteig as the demanding yet kind Florenz Ziegfeld, Steven Ennis and his amazing voice as a Ziegfeld Tenor/Featured Man to name a few. They were all wonderful and the dance numbers were fantastic. Dance Captains Christine Baker and Jessica Maxey should be proud of themselves and the cast should as well.

Linda: Scenic Designer Kuo-Hao Lo did a great job creating all the different locations needed for this show in a smallish space. With towering, multi-functioning cubes, Lo was able to effortlessly create all the iconic scenes in an extremely inventive way. Lighting by Don Coluzzi created nuance, while Alan Chang's sound design was flawless.

Nick: Okay, we need to talk about some slight costume problems. A few of the male actors had on jackets and clothes that were obviously too big for them. It didn't take away from the performance but it was a distraction and not the kind of thing you want an audience be aware of.

Linda: I noticed that, too. But aside from that I thought costume designer Lisa Cross created a wonderful character arc for Fanny through her costumes. Fanny starts out as a young girl, then you can see her coming into her own with the style and richness of her clothing. The show also covers many years and Cross captures the fashion changes in a way that really enhances the storytelling. We have to also give a nod to the wigs done by Dee Morrissey. Fantastic job!

Nick: The chemistry between WolfKlain (Fanny) and Giammona (Nick) was wonderful. Fanny is so star struck by Nick's handsomeness that she fails to see that he's equally star struck with her talent. But it's when Fanny's rising fame begins to eclipse Nick's that things start to fall apart.

Linda: The book by Isobel Lennart certainly captures their rocky relation well, but dates itself a negative way when she has Fanny say about herself that she's very stupid.

Nick: I noticed that too, but Fanny's reprise of the powerful and self-affirming, "Don't Rain on My Parade" at the end of the show tells us that she wasn't going to let any man, even one she loved so much, hold her back.

Linda: Which brings us back to Hillbarn's theme "Season of Awakening." I see big things in this little theatre's future! No one is going to rain on their parade.

Nick: Hodges & Hodges highly recommend Funny Girl. It's a great show and one that will be enjoyed by the whole family.

FUNNY GIRL
Book by Isobel Lennart
Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Music by Jule Styne
Directed by Dan Demers
Now through September 21st
Hillbarn Theatre www.hillbarntheatre.org
Photo courtesy of Mark & Tracy Photography

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