Funny Girl at DPAC Is a Bucket-List American Classic
This article was published by Triangle Review on 16 November 2023.
The First National Tour of the 2022 Broadway Revival of Funny Girl, playing now through Sunday, Nov. 12th, at the Durham Performing Arts Center, features an updated book by Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies, Kinky Boots). The 1964 Broadway premiere of Funny Girl, which features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and a book by Isobel Lennart, is loosely based on the life and career of Broadway and film star and comedienne Fanny Brice (1895-1951) and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein (1879-1965).
The 1968 movie-musical version of the Broadway musical, directed by William Wyler and starring Barbra Streisand as Fanny and Omar Sharif as Nicky, became the highest-grossing U.S. film of the year; earned eight Academy Award® nominations and won the 1968 Best Actress Oscar® for Streisand.
In 2004, the songs "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade" were ranked at #13 and #46, respectively, on the list of American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Songs. In 2005, the line "Hello, gorgeous" -- a hallmark of the musical -- was ranked #81 in the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes. And in 2006, the film was ranked #16 on the list of AFI's 100 Years of Musicals. In 2016, the film version of Funny Girl was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
In short, Funny Girl is a bucket-list American classic, and you should see it for that reason alone. But the reason that you should see it right now at the Durham Performing Arts Center is: you absolutely do not want to miss Katerina McCrimmon's performance as leading lady Fanny Brice. McCrimmon emanates the timelessly charismatic, endearingly witty, and imperfectly beautiful Brice with such precision that it seems she may be possessed by the early-20th-century actress.
Katerina McCrimmon can deliver the required New York accent without looking like she's trying to do so. She can dance, including more-than-adequate tap. She can slapstick, and she can act. But -- man, oh man -- can she sing! I can't even describe the enjoyment my companion and I (and everyone else in the audience, it seemed) got out of listening to that woman. (I imagine it's akin to the feeling people had when they heard Barbra Streisand sing for the first time.)
Another highlight is Izaiah Montaque Harris' performance as Eddie Ryan, Fanny's long-time friend and supporter who is also a choreographer for a popular performing company in New York. Eddie delivers his dialogue with affectionate conviction, and he has a nice singing voice. But the reason you need to see Eddie is because that man can DANCE. Ryan performs solo tap dance numbers that could rival Bill "Bojangles" Robinson;; and, like Robinson, Ryan's tapping feet render percussive solos that go with their orchestral accompaniment like peanut butter and jelly. Tap choreography director Ayodele Casel certainly leaves her mark on this production.
Though I found the intense vibrato of his singing voice sometimes overbearing, Stephen Mark Lukas plays philandering gambler Nick Arnstein, Fanny's love interest, with aplomb, particularly given the flat nature of his character. Walter Coppage's portrayal of Follies Theater magnate Florenz Ziegfeld. Jr. as an entitled but nonetheless endearing curmudgeon of a boss is just delightful; his velvety voice made me want to hear it on the radio.
All of the performers -- there are over 40! -- are multitalented sights to behold, particularly during their full-scale, large-group song-and-dance numbers. Audience members can't help but feel transported to actual performances at the famous Ziegfeld Follies, thanks to the collaborative conglomeration of choreographer Ellenore Scott and associate choreographer Jeffrey Gugliotti's choreographic oversight, Kevin Adams' spot-on lighting design, Susan Hilferty's extensive and playful costume designs, and Chris Walker and Michael Rafter's exacting orchestrations and music supervision.
David Zinn's scenic design -- as he takes the audience from Brooklyn's Henry Street to downtown New York to Cleveland Union Depot to Montecarlo -- is like watching a movie in 3-D, and every scene is clear and sparkly. You can't say that about most stage productions.
Director Michael Mayer and stage manager Jovon E. Shuck have their hands full with this production of Funny Girl, but they can clearly handle the weight. They deserve the house to be full for every remaining performance. And YOU deserve to see it!
