Review: FUNNY GIRL at Orpheum Theatre

Funny Girl

Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Bob Merrill

Book by Isobel Lennart, with a revised book by Harvey Fierstein

Directed by Michael Mayer

Broadway SF

“Hello Gorgeous” says Fanny Brice as she looks into the mirror in her dressing room. She’s the titular ugly duckling turned beloved Vaudeville and Broadway star in this latest revival of 1964’s hit that launched the career of Barbra Streisand. Proving the point that talent rises to the top, Fania Borach, the daughter of saloon owners rose from burlesque revue to the heights of vaudeville, stage, and radio. Similarly, Cuban American actor Katerina McCrimmon, who made her Broadway debut in the revival of Tennessee Williams's The Rose Tattoo, delivers a star-making performance as Brice.

If the producers wanted to emulate the tawdry, cheap feel of the vaudeville environs, then they succeeded. There’s no modern Broadway feel at all here – hi tech, no moving sets, nada. The backdrops are a painted canvas and a bunch of curtains. There’s a few extraneous numbers that didn’t need to be included ("Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat") and "Eddie's Tap" (Izaiah Montaque Harris). The choreography, set design, lighting and costumes are all mediocre.

Which leaves the focus solely on McCrimmon to carry the show and she delivers in spades. She’s magnetic and vibrant, both self-deprecating but sure of her talent. From her first number, "I'm the Greatest Star", through “People” and the first act closer “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” McCrimmon is mesmerizing with her big belting vocals. In the duets ("I Want to Be Seen with You Tonight", "Who Are You Now?) with leading man Nick Arnstein (Stephen Mark Lukas), he might as well not be there.

There’s a few laughs from the ensemble cast, mostly from the three Jewish ladies (Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice, Cindy Chang as Mrs. Meeker, and Eileen T’Kaye as Mrs. Strakosh) ladling out the ethnic humor. Basically, Funny Girl is a Cinderella story gone bad- the gal doesn’t get the guy and there’s no fairytale ending. See this for McCrimmon’s bravura performance.

Funny Girl continues through May 26th. Tickets available at http://www.broadwaysf.com/ or by calling 888-746-1799 opt. 3

Photo credit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

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