It has been nearly 60 years since a major national tour of the Broadway hit "Funny Girl" traveled across the nation, so fans of the musical that helped make Barbra Streisand a star have a chance to get reacquainted with the show and its many hit songs in a colorful production that is visiting Florida this month, with stops in Sarasota, Fort Myers and West Palm Beach.
The musical depicts the early years of Fanny Brice, who is fiercely determined to break into show business even though no one seems to recognize how special she is. Fanny says she has unique talents that stand out, like "a bagel on a plate of onion rolls." Friends of her loving mother aren't sure she has what it takes, especially with her looks, and a burlesque producer won't give her a chance.
But one song - "I'm the Greatest Star" - is her ticket to discovery, and before you know it, Fanny is starring in the Ziegfeld Follies and falling in love with the handsome, charming ne'er do well gambler Nick Arnstein.
For the show to truly work, audiences have to believe that the young wannabe we first meet possesses all those skills. In the tour that opened Tuesday night at Sarasota's Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Hannah Shankman displays a lot of appeal, including a strong voice that can be joyful or mournful depending on the moment. But there's some kind of special sparkle missing, that "it" thing that can make you gasp in appreciation at key moments.
Shankman has comic abilities, but many moments seem calculated or over-rehearsed, missing spontaneity, though it was evident as she tangled with a fake mustache that wouldn't stay on during the funny song "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat."
But it surely is a pleasure to hear her singing "I'm the Greatest Star," "Cornet Man," "People," "Don't Rain on My Parade" and her aching version of "The Music That Makes Me Dance."
And she makes you feel a connection between her and Sean Seamus Thompson, the understudy for the role Nick (usually played by Stephen Mark Lukas), who cuts a dashing figure, no matter the character's highs or lows from gambling losses. He's suave during "You Are Woman, I Am Man," and he makes you understand Nick's torn emotions about feeling emasculated by living in the shadow of his famous wife.
The cast also includes singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester as Fanny's loving and supportive mother, Rose, who runs a saloon and spends time gossiping with her friends, mostly about Fanny. There's no trace of the voice that fans came to know from her hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s as she speaks and sings with a strong Brooklyn accent. She gets to perform a fun duet with Izaiah Montaque Harris as the dancer and choreographer Eddie Ryan to "Who Taught Her Everything She Knows?" in which they lament how they have been pushed to the background despite their years of support and encouragement.
Harris is a real standout as he delivers a performance that grows naturally and includes an impressive and rapid-fire tap routine, choreographed by Ayodele Casel.
The production, directed by Michael Mayer (with choreography by Ellenore Scott), has an old-fashioned allure with some relatively simple sets by David Zinn and beautiful period costumes by Susan Hilferty.
Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein has revised the original book by Isobel Lennart, expanding the role of Rose Brice, but causal observers of the musical won't notice many differences.
It is fun to spend time again with Fanny Brice, but it would be even better to see exactly what made her such a beloved star of her time.
Music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, book by Isobel Lennart and revised by Harvey Fierstein. Directed by Michael Mayer. Reviewed Jan. 14 at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail. Through Jan. 19. Tickets $50-$150. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org. Runs Jan. 21-26 at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, 13350 FSW Parkway, Fort Myers. $50-$125. 800-440-7469; bbmannpah.com; Jan. 28-Feb. 2 Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Tickets are $50-$171. 561-832-7469; kravis.org
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