Fanny finds fame — and Nick Arnstein
With a revised book by Harvey Fierstein, the Jule Styne/Bob Merrill FUNNY GIRL musical is a fantastic affair. Hallmarks of the Broadway at the Eccles staging are superb actors, precise dancing, and excellent stagecraft.
With Le Barbra creating — and becoming synonymous with — the role on stage and in film, FUNNY GIRL is surely the top classic musical for gays, with “Hello, gorgeous” a wildly popular queer catchline. If not, your Gay Card is null and void.
The show catapulted Streisand to fame. She was also acclaimed for an earlier lead role in I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE, but never looked back to theater. As the diva has explained, “For me, being a star means being a movie star.”
The firecracker Hannah Shankman is not intimidated taking on the iconic role. From humor to heartbreak, she hits every note as the 1920s vaudeville singer-comedian. Shankman is effervescent as she hits emotional highs in striking performances of songs like “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” along with the finale song, “The Music That Makes Me Dance.” Belting like nobody’s business, she quickly endears.
Songs sliced from the movie — “Cornet Man,” “Who Are You Now?” and the aforementioned “The Music That Makes Me Dance” — Shankman also delivers with aplomb; these are cabaret standards. While the most popular stage/film songs are nearly untouchable by anyone but Streisand (until this revival, 60 years after the show’s debut).
Just don’t look for “Oh, my man I love him so / He’ll never know / All my life is just despair / But I don’t care.” Along with “I’d Rather Be Blue,” “My Man” was added to the film adaptation, despite not being Jule Styne/Bob Merrill compositions.
With curly-haired Greek-god handsomeness, the out actor Stephen Mark Lukas is a charismatic Nick Arnstein (what a beautiful, beautiful name), too quickly flashing a chiseled chest. He dazzles the audience with a blend of often-overlooked horny bravado and genuine romantic feeling, completely appropriate for the role. And let’s face it: Arnstein is a dullard as written, with the script providing too little to work with, nearly a “Where’s Waldo?” character.
Managing genuine chemistry, he genuinely seduces in “You Are Woman, I Am Man” (“Isn’t this the height of nonchalance? / Furnishing a bed in restaurants / Well, a bit of dinner hurt, but guess who is gonna be dessert”).
After understudying the role on Broadway, Lukas, with a sublime singing voice and a handsome command on stage, is savory — becoming an ideal musical-theater leading man.
Despite an overly heavy Brooklynese accent, recording artist Melissa “Midnight at the Oasis” Manchester adds to her theater résumé and clearly enjoys playing the kibitzing Mrs. Brice (“If a girl isn’t pretty, like a Miss Atlantic City / All she gets from life is pity and a pat”). Ironically, she was even considered an option for the part of Fanny in a revival at one point years ago. She does not disappoint. Her one-liners, facial expressions, and overall demeanor add to FUNNY GIRL’s comedy.
Choreographers Ellenore Scott and Ayodele Casel must have cracked a whip working the ensemble dancers. Because the dancing is off-the-charts impressive. In a heightened dance role, Izaiah Montaque Harris is a well-oiled, tap-dancing machine as Fanny’s guy pal Eddie Ryan.
Also, with the producers supplying their own audio, the sound in the huge auditorium is crystal clear.
There ain’t nothin’ like an old-school musical. A large orchestra, a story with characters we care about, flashy costumes, fantastic singing — FUNNY GIRL has it all. There’d be no discord transferring this production back to Broadway, in a heartbeat.
►Eccles Theatre, Oct. 8-13, saltlakecountyarts.org
