Countdown to Opening Night for FUNNY GIRL at The Fugard Theatre

With only two weeks to go before its first performance, The Fugard Theatre is gearing up to welcome Capetonian audiences to a brand new production of the classic 1964 musical, FUNNY GIRL. Presented by Eric Abraham and The Fugard Theatre, the production will be directed by Matthew Wild, with musical direction by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder and choreography by Louisa Talbot, reuniting the creative team that created THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, CABARET and WEST SIDE STORY.

With a book by Isobel Lennart, music composed by Jule Styne and lyrics written by Bob Merrill, FUNNY GIRL tells the fascinating and bittersweet story of real-life comedienne Fanny Brice, whose vocal talents and comedic ability see her rise from humble beginnings as a vaudeville singer to conquer Broadway as one of the greatest stars of the Ziegfeld Follies. But when she falls in love with sophisticated gambler Nick Arnstein, the stage is set for a tempestuous relationship that threatens to bring down the curtain on Fanny's unparalleled rise to fortune and fame.

With a score that features standards like "People" and "Don't Rain On My Parade," the original production of FUNNY GIRL at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway ran for 1,348 performances and still holds a spot as one of the 100 longest running Broadway productions of all time. That production starred Barbra Streisand's in what turned out to be a breakthrough role for the icon, one that she reprised in the 1968 film, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress as well as the Golden Globe for her performance. The show itself earned nominations for Best Musical at the Tony Awards and Best Picture as the Oscars. The most recent full-scale revival of the show at London's Menier Chocolate Factory in 2015 sold out within a day, prompting a successful West End transfer of the production.

An all-South African cast has been secured for this much anticipated local presentation of FUNNY GIRL. Taking the lead role of Fanny Brice will be Naledi Theatre Award nominee Ashleigh Harvey (DEATH OF A COLONIALIST, BASH), who will be joined by Clyde Berning (THE GREAT GATSBY, HAMLET) as Nick Arnstein. Kate Normington (SISTER ACT, MAMMA MIA!) plays Mrs Brice, Diane Wilson (SHIRLEY VALENTINE, SHOW BOAT) plays Mrs Strakoosh, Michele Maxwell (CABARET, DEATH OF A SALESMAN) plays Mrs Meeker, Mike Huff (SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, SUNSET BOULEVARD) plays Florenz Ziegfeld, Cameron Botha (WEST SIDE STORY, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET) plays Eddie Ryan, Joe Vaz (THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT) plays Tom Keeney and Lucy Tops (THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, CAMP CARRAWAK) plays Emma. Sven-Eric Müller, LJ Neilson, Jenna Robinson-Child, Ambre Chanel Fulton, Sibusiso Mxosana, Daniel Fisher and Tyla Nurden complete the outstanding line-up.

Joining the production team for FUNNY GIRL are Saul Radomsky (set design), Birrie Le Roux (costume design) and Daniel Galloway and Benjamin du Plessis (lighting design).

FUNNY GIRL runs from 18 April 2017 with performances from Tuesdays to Fridays at 20:00, on Saturdays at 16:00 and 20:00 and on Sundays at 16:00. Tickets, ranging from R130 to R350, and are available online from Computicket or by phone on 0861 9158 000. Excellent discounts are available for registered members of the Friends of the Fugard programme when booking through the Fugard's box office on 021 461 4554. As usual, there is safe parking diagonally opposite the Fugard Theatre.

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