'Funny Girl': Lea Michele is the greatest star

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Lea Michele & Ramin Karimloo. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

FUNNY GIRL
Book by Isobel Lennart
Revised by Harvey Fierstein
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Directed by Michael Mayer
Through September 3, 2023
August Wilson Theatre
245 West 52nd Street
(877-250-2929), funnygirlonbroadway.com

By David NouNou

What a difference a leading lady makes.

From the ridiculous (absurdly miscast) Beanie Feldstein, to the sublime, Lea Michele, Funny Girl has finally received the sensational revival it has always deserved. After the electrifying overture (one of Broadway’s best), and the curtain went up on Beanie Feldstein last year, tedium set in from the onset. Last night, after the electrifying overture and the curtain went up, electricity started crossing the stage in the form of Lea Michele.

The book centers on Brooklyn-born Fanny Brice (Lea Michele) who although wasn’t pretty like a Miss Atlantic City, broke into showbusiness through sheer grit, determination and raw talent. She started in vaudeville at Keeney’s Theatre, where she meets gambler/con artist Nicky Arnstein (Ramin Karimloo), works her way up to be in the Ziegfeld Follies, gets to serenade Nick singing “People,” leaves the Follies to be with Nick, which brings us to the end of Act I and the immortal “Don’t Rain on My Parade”.

It is in Act II where the book becomes mawkish. As Fanny’s stock goes up, Nicky’s goes down. She makes the money; he gets wiped out and ultimately gets thrown in jail for three years for embezzlement. Eventually comes the parting of the ways. With Ms. Feldstein, the second act book was very weak. However, when you have an electrifying Fanny, the flaws of the book were not as noticeable. The score has always been sublime. Whether written as ballads, torch songs or comic relief, the songs that Jule Styne and Robert Merrill wrote tried to showcase Fanny as the great singer/comedian that she was. But as we all know, the songs ultimately showcased Barbra Streisand and now it showcases her most worthy successor, Lea Michele.

After seeing the woefully miscast Funny Girl revival in April 2022, honestly speaking I had no idea at what to expect with Ms. Michele. Admittedly, I saw Barbra Streisand and Sydney Chaplin do Fanny and Nick in 1964 at the Winter Garden Theatre and of course, I was blown away by Ms. Streisand and can’t recall much of Mr. Chaplin.

I can tell you this: You are not going to see another rendition so good for at least another 60 years. Ms. Michele nails the Brooklyn Jewishness that Fanny possessed. She has been given multiple wig changes that if you’ve seen pictures of the actual Fanny Brice, there is a closer resemblance here than even Ms. Streisand could capture. Her singing prowess is Herculean, there are lots of songs for her to sing, and with her big voice, she brings down the house with each one of them, from: “I’m the Greatest Star,” “People,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and the underappreciated “The Music That Makes Me Dance.” Her final dramatic parting of ways with Nick, and pulling herself together to go out on stage is Fanny/Lea intertwined as one, blows the roof off the theatre.

At our April 2022 performance, Ramin Karimloo was out of the show. The second thrill of the night was seeing Mr. Karimloo. Not only does he have a sublime voice for singing; he can act and bring nuances to his character, especially as his fortunes begin to falter, and he is sinking financially, by the end you can see the man crumble. That aside, he is gorgeous (pity the real Nicky Arnstein came nowhere close) and wait until the “Sadie, Sadie” number in Act II, and catch a glimpse of that body sculpted by Michelangelo. Although not sung in the original show, it was written for the movie—the song “You’re a Funny Girl” was sung by Fanny—but here Mr. Karimloo, with his big voice, does a lovely, haunting rendition of it. It was criminal that the Tony committee neglected to nominate him last year in the best musical actor category.

At our performance, Tovah Feldshuh was out that night as Mama Brice and Broadway veteran Liz McCartney ably filled in. Thankfully, Tony nominee Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan, Fanny’s choreographer and confidant, is still in the show, slaying the audience with his great tap number in Act I.

The pairing of Lea Michele and Ramin Karimloo is casting heaven. When it came to the start of Fanny and Nick’s relationship and their love scenes together, what was once absurd and laughable in 2022 is now nothing short of watching spontaneous sizzling combustion on stage. Their chemistry together is palpable and the audience is weak-kneed.

In this version, you can actually enjoy Michael Mayer’s direction, and he brings this show to life with Ayodele Casel’s tap choreography and Ellenore Scott’s choreography. Both are noticeable now and they are dazzlers. They all have a purpose now.

What a shame Funny Girl with Lea Michele, and Ramin Karimloo, won’t qualify for this year’s Tonys, as they would surely have won in every category. Don’t wait another 60 years. See Funny Girl now—and you’ll still be talking about it in 60 years.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 1, 2023
Reviewed at February 28, 2023 performance.