‘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.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Lea Michele. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Tovah Feldshuh & Jared Grimes. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Lea Michele. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Lea Michele. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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

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‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein & 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
August Wilson Theatre
245 West 52nd Street
(877-250-2929), www.funnygirlonbroadway.com

By David NouNou

There is a reason why Funny Girl hasn’t been revived since its opening in 1964 and her name is Barbra Streisand. Everything about the show was tailor made for Ms. Streisand’s talents, phenomenal voice range and the ability to electrify an audience. By the time she finished her first number in Act I, “I’m the Greatest Star,”  she knew it, we believed it, and it became her anthem.

Funny Girl, along with Hello, Dolly! and later that year, Fiddler on the Roof, were among the last of the big, splashy musicals that were book-heavy. Of the three, Funny Girl has the weakest book and Harvey Fierstein hasn’t improved it any. The book centers on Brooklyn-born Fanny Brice who, although wasn’t pretty like a Miss Atlantic City, broke into show business through sheer grit, determination and raw talent. She started in vaudeville at Keeney’s Theatre, where she meets gambler/con artist Nicky Arnstein, works her way up to be in the Ziegfeld Follies, gets to serenade Nick singing “People,” and leaves the Follies to be with Nick, bringing 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 and lugubrious. 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. The book is weak, but the score is 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.

Now, how can anyone fill such a tall order? Simply put, you can’t. Beanie Feldstein as Fanny gives it a valiant effort but she comes up short for so many reasons. Starting with she lacks the Brooklyn moxie, that energy that comes from struggling from the bottom to reach the top. Her performance doesn’t vary; there is no progression from young Fanny to the adult Fanny. Ms. Feldstein is sweet, energetic, and has a pretty voice but very little range. She doesn’t so much as attack the song as much as the song gets altered to fit her vocal range. Also, she is inconsistent. An example of that is when Nick invites her to dinner when they do the duet “You Are Woman, I Am Man,” there is no romance or sultriness to it; just plain mugging and chewing the scenery, and there is plenty of that. Because Ms. Feldstein has such a cherubic face, it is difficult to see her angry and her fierce bitterness accelerate, so instead you get the kind of performance a high school or college ingenue gives when playing adult roles. Another example of coming up short is the iconic line in the beginning of the show which was slightly altered in the movie: “Hello, Gorgeous.” Ms. Streisand said it like a woman and felt it. Ms. Feldstein uses it as a young ingenue throwaway line, instantly recognizable thanks to Ms. Streisand’s immortalization.

At our performance, Ramin Karimloo was out of the show and Nicky Arnstein was admirably played by Jeremiah James with his devilishly good looks.  If only the real Nick Arnstein had half his looks, it would make sense why Fanny was so crazy for him. Although not a song in the original show, but was written for the movie, the song “You’re a Funny Girl” was sung by Fanny. In this version, Mr. James with his big voice does a lovely, haunting rendition of it.

It’s a great pleasure to see Sophie Lennon from the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, playing Jane Lynch doing Mrs. Brice as an Irish lady, peppering her dialogue with Jewish idioms. Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan, Fanny’s choreographer and confidant, has a great tap dance number in Act I.

For me, it is a great pleasure to see such revivals as the magnificently executed and lavish The Music Man and Funny Girl with its brilliant score coming back to life again and finding new audiences.

Hearing a full orchestra playing the entire original score (including songs omitted from the 1968 film adaptation), and the stupendous overture with all those fine crafted tunes strung together, brought tears to my eyes. What a pity they don’t have overtures anymore.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 29, 2022
Reviewed at April 28, 2022 press performance.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: (left to right): Kurt Csolak, Beanie Feldstein & Justin Prescott. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: (left to right): Peter Francis James, Jane Lynch, Jared Grimes, Beanie Feldstein, Ephie Aardema , Debra Cardona, Martin Moran, Toni DiBuono & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein, Jared Grimes & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: (left to right) Debra Cardona, Toni DiBuono, Jane Lynch & Jared Grimes. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Jared Grimes & Jane Lynch. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Jared Grimes & Beanie Feldstein. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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‘TORCH SONG’: Ward Horton & Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

TORCH SONG
Written by Harvey Fierstein
Directed by Moises Kaufman
Through February 24, 2019
The Helen Hayes Theater
240 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200),www.torchsongbroadway.com

By David NouNou

The original gay fantasia—set in the early 1970s and 1980s and every gay Jewish boy’s dream of being able to have the gorgeous hunk WASP lover and living happily ever after—is back. But as we all well know, that fantasy is not always the case even if we attain the unattainable. Originally known as Torch Song Trilogy, Harvey Fierstein wrote a play with a tailor-made role for himself. It was first produced Off-Off-Broadway, then moved to Off-Broadway at the Actors’ Playhouse, and finally came to Broadway in 1982 at the Little Theater, now the Helen Hayes, where it has landed in a most triumphant revival. Torch Song has come back home to its original theater with a shorter title and all the humor and pathos that made it a groundbreaking gay classic.

Upon second viewing what stands out the most is how pertinent and relevant the subject matter is now, even more so than it was in 1982. Back then, it had a certain voyeurism to gay culture and was titillating to see gay life explored so openly.

Act I entitled “International Stud” is set in a real backroom bar that existed in the ‘70s and ‘80s. We meet Arnold Beckoff or Virginia Hamm (Michael Urie), that being his drag name and a torch singer living in New York City. He encounters Ed (Ward Horton), the unattainable bisexual stud at the bar. He leaves with Ed and his real problems begin.

Act II, entitled “Fugue in a Nursery,” takes place three years later, 1974. Ed is with Laurel (Roxanna Hope Radja) and Arnold is invited by Laurel for a weekend in the country. Arnold is now with a former hustler, now model Alan (Michael Hsu Rosen). Needless to say, all that ensues is a kind of mixed doubles.

Act III “Widows and Children First” is the money-shot act and the most solid of all. It is now 1980 and we get to meet Mrs. Beckoff (Mercedes Ruehl), the role that was originated by Estelle Getty. It is here that we discover how the proverbial apple does not fall far from the tree. We learn about Arnold adopting an orphan, David (Jack DiFalco), and we find out that Ed has left his wife and is staying with Arnold. Most important is the battle royal that ensues between mother and son. Both have lost loved ones and both deal with their losses in different ways. Both demand love and respect on their own terms.

The third act shows how ahead of its time Torch Song really was. What we take for reasonable expectations now of having unattainable relationships and marriage, a family, and respect from loved ones was really once a fantasy. Although we have come a long way, certain dogmas remain constant.

Michael Urie has made the role of Arnold Beckoff his own. He has placed his own stamp and his own original contemporary take on Arnold. Mercedes Ruehl as his mother is electrifying. Their blow-up with each other is theater magic. Moises Kaufman’s direction gives the proceedings a feel of the present, although they are set in the not-so-distant past. The one flaw in this otherwise flawless revival is the casting of Jack DiFalco as the son David (who is supposed to be a 16-year-old teenager). This is the role that introduced the public to a young Matthew Broderick and later to Fisher Stevens; they were teenagers, Mr. DiFalco now is David. He is not a teen and does not even look like one. The head-scratcher here is didn’t anyone in casting or the production team see this as an obstacle? Regardless, Torch Song still holds up more than 36 years later as an epic of LGBTQ life that has a lot to say about sexuality, family, gender roles, love and acceptance to a new generation.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 5, 2018
Reviewed at November 4, 2018 press performance.

‘TORCH SONG’: Mercedes Ruehl & Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: (left to right) Roxanna Hope Radja, Ward Horton, Michael Urie & Michael Hsu Rosen. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Jack DiFalco & Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Michael Urie & Jack DiFalco. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Mercedes Ruehl. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

The post ‘Torch Song’: Superb revival of LGBTQ classic appeared first on StageZine.

BREAKING NEWS! ‘NEWSIES’ IS A HIT: Jeremy Jordan (center) and the cast of ‘Newsies: The Musical.’ Photo: Deen van Meer

By David NouNou

Energy abounds aplenty in this new Disney musical, thanks in large part to Alan Menken’s catchy music and Jack Feldman’s poignant lyrics; expert, fast-paced direction by Jeff Calhoun; brilliant choreography courtesy of Christopher Gattelli; and a most fascinating revolving set by Tobin Ost.The only drawback to this otherwise well-done musical is Harvey Fierstein’s middling book. He brings his usual heavy-handed, trite dialogue and often cutesy, groan-inducing lines that are neither stylistic nor realistic to the period, but are merely modern, hip phrases to which the youth of today can relate.

Based on the abysmal 1992 movie of the same name, chronicling real-life events dating back to 1899, the film starred an uncomfortable Christian Bale. In this far superior stage adaptation of the story of striking newsboys known as “newsies”
(boys who sell newspapers to make a hard-earned penny), the show works because of the tough times we live in now.

The immediacy and the intimacy are more prevalent and relevant today. Not only is this musical something to which adults can relate, but it is a Disney show that actually teaches young children important values and life lessons in an entertaining manner. This is a family show in its truest sense.

However, the real Cinderella story here is Jeremy Jordan, playing Jack Kelly, the leader of the newsies, all of whom go on strike against the Pulitzer publishing company for raising the amount of papers the boys have to sell for the same price. Mr. Jordan was in the most boring musical of 2011, the dreadful Bonnie and Clyde. He is now in the smash-hit musical of 2012.

Oh, how the fickle finger of fate can play in the gamble known as Broadway. With his big voice and charismatic charm, Mr. Jordan has a unique way of filling the stage, and for that reason alone, he will become a Broadway staple as a leading man for years to come.

In addition to all the other pleasures, there is also a romantic angle for the adults. Kara Lindsay, a charming ingénue with a lovely singing voice, plays Katherine, the love interest. She is a Turn of the Century version of Lois Lane, a “girl reporter”who writes about the newsies and brings their plight to the public while every other journalist in town refuses to cover the story.

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I FEEL PRETTY: (left to right) Nick Westrate, John Cullum, Gabriel Ebert & Tom McGowan in ‘Casa Valentina.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

CASA VALENTINA
By Harvey Fierstein
Based on the book Casa Susanna by Michel Hurst and Robert Swope
Directed by Joe Mantello
Manhattan Theatre Club
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.casavalentinabroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

Anyone coming to Harvey Fierstein’s Casa Valentina and expecting another version of The Boys in the Band or Love! Valour! Compassion!, where the boys are having another bitchfest or camping in the woods, is in for a surprise. Yes, there are boys (or should we say men?), there is a bitchfest and there is camp, but for totally different reasons. These are not gay men on a weekend get-together, but straight men wanting to let down their hair and don their wigs and just allow their feminine side to take over.

The story is set in 1962, when a straight, married man with children who liked the idea of cross dressing was considered an abomination or worse yet, a homosexual. There is a lot of thought-provoking, untouched territory in this play. This is not about drag queens or gender bending but the inexplicable desire of men wanting to wear women’s clothing, and each one with his own reason. Some are adjusted to the idea and others live in shame as what it would do to them or if the family ever found out. For some, they don’t know why they have the need to do it.

Recently, Broadway has depicted nearly every modern version of what makes up the acronym LGBT, from Hedwig and the Angry Inch (a transgender) to Mothers and Sons (married gay men with children) to last season’s hit musical, Kinky Boots (drag queens).  Now, Harvey Fierstein, one year after penning the Tony-nominated book to Kinky Boots, explores a phenomenon that does not fall into the LGBT category at all:  heterosexual cross dressers.  No, it’s not some sensationalized tabloid story. Here, it is based on a true story of men that were part of a secret society, congregating in a remote Catskills resort, before feminism, Civil Rights and Stonewall, at a time when anyone who was not white, strait-laced, heterosexual and followed traditional gender-role rules in America faced harassment from the establishment, the U.S. government and the police.

Mr. Fierstein, who knows a thing or two about depicting the many facets of androgyny on the Broadway stage, adapts this provocative drama from the 2005 book Casa Susanna, a photo-filled chronicle of a haven for cross-dressing heterosexual men in the 1950s and 1960s, originally called the Chevalier d’Eon resort in Hunter, NY.

George (Patrick Page), whose female alter ego is Valentina, owns the Chevalier d’Eon with wife, Rita (Mare Winningham).  As the story unfolds, George/Valentina and Rita prepare for another summer weekend at the resort while facing the reality that they cannot keep up with the mortgage and the place may fold by fall.  There is also another crisis looming, and without divulging too much of the plot, there are threats against the very existence of the resort and its clientele, and they may soon have to go public and declare that no member is a homosexual or risk everything personally and legally in their lives.

Much of the first act introduces us to the many men who wish to “pass” as women:  Newcomer Jonathan/Miranda (Gabriel Ebert); the rotund, Oscar Wilde-quoting Bessie (Tom McGowan); and the heterosexual cross-dressing activist Charlotte (Reed Birney), the one George is counting on for a loan to bail out the place from foreclosure.  Charlotte tells everyone that, in order to legitimize the place and keep the police away, all must agree to let this paradise of privacy become a nonprofit “sorority” and sign an affidavit banning homosexuals entirely from Chevalier d’Eon.  At first, this makes sense to the men since all are straight, but what if just one of the “girls” is not?  Would it be ethical to exclude anyone?

Rounding out the ensemble are the elegant, wisecracking Gloria (Nick Westrate); and the two older “ladies” of the club, Terry (John Cullum) and Amy (Larry Pine), a respected judge nearing retirement.

There are many stories here, making up the various subplots, but the most compelling here include the challenges that show the strength of George and Rita’s marriage, and how a rundown but idyllic paradise that has served as a haven for these women for years can be overturned by a threat and blackmail in the course of an evening.

Structurally, this is Mr. Fierstein’s most solid drama to date, but problems abound in some of the dialogue choices, which are not always true to the era in which the story is set.  Did people say things like “newbie” and “I’ve got your back” in the early 1960s?  In the first act, the banter is crackling and effervescent, but by the second, things descend into the melodramatic.

However, it is truly fascinating to watch the way Mr. Fierstein depicts how themes of gender roles and societal expectations oppressed people in mid-20th century America, and just how much things have changed since then. With the abundance of such rich material, one can’t help but wonder if Mr. Fierstein approached it all the right way.

What is truly captivating is the manner in which director Joe Mantello helps extract the season’s most distinct and richly textured performances from the cast.  Mare Winningham’s Rita and Patrick Page’s George/Valentina both create a natural, realistic portrayal of a troubled but loving married couple, and is particularly noteworthy. Other highlights include Tom McGowan’s jolly, wisecracking Bessie and Reed Birney’s determined, elegant Charlotte, a crusader who is also quite chic and can “pass” for a real lady.

Some of the most haunting interpretations here are by the elder “ladies,” Terry and Amy, played respectively by stage veterans John Cullum and Larry Pine.  Visually, this is a handsomely packaged production, from Scott Pask’s gorgeous sets to Rita Ryack’s appealing period costumes and hair, wig and make-up design by Jason P. Hayes.

Unfortunately, Mr. Fierstein spends a bit too much of the show having the “girls” deliver half-baked punch lines and puns, often reeking of the moldy, contrived sentimentality that was a problem in his earlier works.  In Casa Valentina, it is a pity there is not more straightforward dialogue because it is necessary to underscore the magnitude and historical significance of the characters’ unfulfilled desires and the hostile society of the bygone times in which they lived. Did Mr. Fierstein have to insert all those tired jokes that are in all his shows? Couldn’t he have let the seriousness of the subject matter just speak for itself?

UNCONVENTIONAL WIFE & HUSBAND: Mare Winningham & Patrick Page in ‘Casa Valentina.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

Nominated for 4 Tony Awards including: Best Drama, Best Dramatic Supporting Actor; Reed Bierney, Best Dramatic Supporting Actress; Mare Winningham and Costumes.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 27, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on April 26, 2014

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