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Your home for information about the touring broadway productions in north america, ‘funny girl’ north american tour announces 2023-2024 route and full cast.

The producers of Funny Girl , the sensational musical comedy revival, have announced full casting and the 2023-2024 tour route for the North American Tour.

The tour will officially open at Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI, from September 9-16, 2023, before continuing on to more than 30 cities coast-to-coast, including recently announced engagements in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

The full touring production cast will include ensemble members Vinny Andaloro , Lamont Brown , Kate E. Cook , Julia Grondin , Jackson Grove , Jorge Guerra , Dot Kelly , Alex Hartman , Ryan Lambert , Kathy Liu , Zoey Lytle , Meghan Manning , Bryan Charles Moore , Sami Murphy , Hannah Shankman , Jordon Taylor , Sean Thompson , and Annaliese Wilbur (see bios below).

They will join the previously announced principals, featuring Grammy Award®-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice and rising star Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice, Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, Izaiah Montaque Harris as Eddie Ryan, Walter Coppage as Florenz Ziegfeld, Leah Platt as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Christine Bunuan as Mrs. Meeker, Eileen T’Kaye as Mrs. Strakosh, and David Foley Jr. as Tom Keeney.

The “vivacious and delightfully glitzy” (Vogue) Broadway revival features iconic songs, including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.” Breaking box office records week after week and receiving unanimous raves on Broadway, this bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice. As a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage, everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway. The Observer describes the revival as “sparkling and explosively entertaining!”

Funny Girl is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and features the classic score by Tony, Grammy, and Academy® Award winner Jule Styne and lyrics by Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Bob Merrill , (comprising additional songs from Styne & Merrill). The original book by Isobel Lennart , from an original story by Miss Lennart , is revised by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots, Newsies).

Funny Girl features choreography by Ellenore Scott ( Falsettos ); tap choreography by Ayodele Casel ; scenic design by Tony Award winner David Zinn ( SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical ); costume design by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty ( Wicked ); lighting design by Tony Award winner Kevin Adams ( Hedwig and the Angry Inch ); sound design by Tony Award winner Brian Ronan ( Beautiful: The Carole King Musical ) and Cody Spencer ; hair and wig design by Campbell Young Associates ; music supervision by Emmy Award winner Michael Rafter ; casting by Jim Carnahan , CSA, and Jason Thinger ; orchestrations by Chris Walker ; dance, vocal, and incidental music arrangements by Alan Williams , and additional arrangements by David Dabbon and Carmel Dean . The associate director is Johanna McKeon ; the associate choreographer is Jeffrey Gugliotti ; the assistant director is Torya Beard ; the assistant tap choreographer is Dre Torres .

The Funny Girl tour stage management team is led by production stage manager Jovon Shuck and is supported by Stage Manager Stacey Taylor and assistant stage manager Mariah Young . The company management team is led by company manager Justin Sweeney with assistant company manager Ryan Mayfield . The tour music director/conductor is Elaine Davidson .

The Funny Girl tour is produced by NETworks Presentations in special arrangement with Sonia Friedman Productions , Scott Landis and David Babani .

Biographies

VINNY ANDALORO ( Swing ) is thrilled to be a part of this iconic show! National Tours: Cats . Regional: Ogunquit, NSMT, The LEX. BFA, The Boston Conservatory. Endless thanks to The Collective Talent. “Love to my amazing family, friends, mentors, and incredible partner, Jackson.” IG @vinny__andaloro

LAMONT BROWN ( Ensemble, u/s Eddie ). National Tour: Means Girls 1st National Tour, White Christmas , 42nd Street (Andy Lee), Riverdance (Radio City), After Midnight Regional: Chasing Rainbows (PaperMill), New 42nd Street (Ordway/Drury Lane) Film/Tv: Wutang: An American Saga , Y our Attention Please. Hudson Artists Agency @LamontBrownNyc

KATE E. COOK ( Ensemble, u/s Emma ). National tour debut! Select credits: Chicago , Camelot , Little Shop of Horrors , Mamma Mia! , Holiday Inn , Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion , Guys and Dolls , The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes . Love to my husband and crazy family! Enjoy! http://www.kateellacook.com @kate.ella

JULIA GRONDIN ( Ensemble ) graduated with a BFA in Commercial Dance from Pace University. Theatrical credits: Escape to Margaritaville (National tour), Trading Places (Regional) . Commercial work: Knicks City Dancers. Off-Broadway: The Empire Strips Back . Thanks to my amazing family and MSA Agency! @juliagrondin

JACKSON GROVE ( Ensemble, Tenor ) is thrilled to be making his National Tour debut in Funny Girl . Regional: Sacramento Music Circus, Pittsburgh CLO, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Ordway. Boston Conservatory Grad. Love and gratitude to Mom & Dad, CTG, and the Funny Girl team.

JORGE GUERRA ( Ensemble,u/s Eddie ). (he/him) National tour debut! Understanding the life-altering impact of arts accessibility, Jorge donated to MADD Rhythms, which shares the tap dance art form with underserved communities in Chicago. Mucho amor to my community, my Royal Family, and mi vida, Oz. IG: @jorgeguerra15

DOT KELLY ( Ensemble ). National Tour debut! Credits: Singin’ in the Rain (Ogunquit PH), White Christmas , Christmas in the Air , Your Monster , Cupid for Christmas (Hulu), Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC). Shenandoah University BFA & MS grad. Hampton, VA raised & former Miss Virginia 2019/20. Gratitude to my parents, @ResoluteArtistsAgency, and Matt. @realdotkelly

ALEX HARTMAN ( Ensemble, u/s Emma ) is honored to be making her Broadway National Tour debut in Funny Girl . Select credits include: ACT of Connecticut, Riverside Theatre, Transcendence Theatre Company, and Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre. Endless gratitude to CESD, my family, friends and incredibly supportive wife, Kayley. @alexjhartman

RYAN LAMBERT ( Ensemble, u/s Nick Arnstein ). National Tour debut! Regional: The Muny, Arena Stage, Goodspeed, The Fulton, The Lex, MSMT, NSMT, and MTW. Oklahoma City University, Bachelors of Music in Music Theatre. Love to My Parents, Lauren, Jordan, and the Mo. www.ryan-lambert.com @ryanjlambert

KATHY LIU ( Ensemble ) is a Bay Area native and graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA program. National tour debut! Credits: Cabaret (Goodspeed), Watch Night workshop (Perelman PAC), JChen Project, Dickinson (AppleTV). Much love to my family and friends for their support! Rep: MTA @kathyliu_

ZOEY LYTLE ( Swing/Asst. Dance Captain ). Recent: My Fair Lady national tour and Tales from Margaritaville inaugural cast. Off-Broadway: The Non-Essentials . Select regional: Sophie ( MAMMA MIA! ), Hunyak ( Chicago ), Jean ( American Psycho ). SJSU Dance and Broadway Dance Center alum. Thanks to God, Anne Steele Agency, and my wonderful parents. @zoeylytle

MEGHAN MANNING ( Ensemble ). Metropolitan Opera ( Merry Widow , Traviata ). Cabaret , Grease , Oscars, Grammys, VMAS, Marvel’s Hawkeye (Black Widow / Rogers), Mrs. Maisel . Backup The Weeknd, Halsey, Panic! At The Disco. Endless thanks Mom, Dad, Bridget for unwavering support. I’m a real theater girlie now! @momanni

BRYAN CHARLES MOORE ( Swing, Dance Captain ) is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota and currently calls the DC area home. Tours: Radio City Christmas Spectacular , White Christmas . Regional: Signature, Arena Stage, Ogunquit Playhouse, Ordway, TUTS. Thanks to my team at the Luedtke Agency, and love to my husband Steven. IG:@bryancmoore

SAMI MURPHY ( Ensemble ), NJ native, is thrilled to join this revival! Tours: My Fair Lady , CoComelon! Regional: Footloose , Mamma Mia! , 42nd Street , Cinderella. Huge thanks to PMA, and to Mom, Dad, family, church, mentors, & Kyle for their continued love & support. samimurphy.com @samimurph34

HANNAH SHANKMAN ( u/s Fanny Brice, u/s Mrs. Strakosh, u/s Mrs. Meeker ). Broadway: Hair , Wicked , Side Show , Les Misérables . National Tour/West End: The Band’s Visit , Rent , Hair, Les Misérables . Regional: La Jolla Playhouse, The Kennedy Center, Williamstown, Syracuse Stage. TV/Film: “The Last Five Years,” “The Oscars.” For Shane & Charlie. Thanks to her family, Carnahan, FG team, & Daniel Hoff! @hannahbshank TikTok/Insta.

JORDON TAYLOR ( Ensemble ). National Tour debut! Credits: Singin’ in the Rain (Ogunquit Playhouse), A Chorus Line (Drury Lane Theatre), & The Cher Show (Gateway Playhouse). Chicago College of Performing Arts BFA graduate. Many thanks to her family, friends, and @HudsonArtistsAgency for their support! @jordontaylor18

SEAN THOMPSON ( Ensemble, u/s Nick Arnstein, u/s Ziegfeld, u/s Keeney ). Broadway: Sunset Boulevard (Joe Gillis u/s). First National Tour : Love Never Dies (Raoul). Off-Broadway: Penelope (Barius). Television: The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC); An Evening with Lerner and Loewe (PBS). Recently at Tuacahn: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Phoebus), Tarzan (Clayton). @oneseanthompson

ANNALIESE WILBUR (Swing ). Broadway National tour debut! Boston Conservatory ‘23 grad (shoutout BoCo Tap Club)! Special hugs to family, friends, and Dustin & Marc with Daniel Hoff Agency. Big kisses for Harley. @annaliese.wilbur

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Funny Girl Announces Principal Casting for North American Tour

The touring production introduces rising star Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice.

The producers of Funny Girl have announced principal casting for the revival’s North American Tour.

The cast will feature Grammy Award winner Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice and introduce Katerina McCrimmon in the starring role of Fanny Brice. They will be joined by Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, Izaiah Montaque Harris as Eddie Ryan, Walter Coppage as Florenz Ziegfeld, Leah Platt as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Christine Bunuan as Mrs. Meeker, Eileen T’Kaye as Mrs. Strakosh, and David Foley Jr. as Tom Keeney. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Manchester, a 50-year veteran of the music industry, is best known for songs such as “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” “You Should Hear How She Talks About You,” and “Through the Eyes of Love” ( Ice Castles ). In her national tour debut, McCrimmon steps into the role of Fanny Brice on the heels of becoming a YoungArts Winner in Theater and a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. The Funny Girl tour will officially open at Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, September 9-16, before continuing on to more than 30 cities coast-to-coast .

Funny Girl is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer and features a classic score by Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award winner Jule Styne and lyrics by Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Bob Merrill. The original book by Isobel Lennart is revised by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein.

Funny Girl, led by Lea Michele in the title role, is running on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre through September 3.

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Funny Girl National Tour Announces Principal Casting

Melissa Manchester and Katerina McCrimmon

Off the heels of a highly acclaimed Broadway revival, Funny Girl has announced principal casting for the North American Tour. The cast will feature Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter, Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice, and introduce Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice. They will be joined by Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, Izaiah Montaque Harris as Eddie Ryan, Walter Coppage as Florenz Ziegfeld, Leah Platt as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Christine Bunuan as Mrs. Meeker, Eileen T’Kaye as Mrs. Strakosh, and David Foley Jr. as Tom Keeney. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Manchester has been an icon in the music industry since the 1970s, best known for celebrated songs such as "Don't Cry Out Loud," “You Should Hear How She Talks About You,” and “Through The Eyes Of Love” (Ice Castles). In her national tour debut, McCrimmon steps into the role of Fanny Brice, on the heels of becoming a YoungArts Winner in Theater and a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

“Fans have adored Melissa throughout her 50-year musical career, and Katerina is a star in the making who embodies the rising stardom of Fanny. We could not be more thrilled to have this dynamic and talented duo lead the Funny Girl tour," said director and Tony® Award winner Michael Mayer.

The tour will officially open at Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI, from September 9-16, 2023, before continuing on to more than 30 cities coast-to-coast, including Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Philadelphia.

The Broadway revival features iconic songs, including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.” Breaking box office records week after week and receiving unanimous raves on Broadway, this bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice. As a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage, everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway. The Observer describes the revival as “sparkling and explosively entertaining!”

Funny Girl is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer and features the classic score by Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award winner Jule Styne and lyrics by Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Bob Merrill. The original book by Isobel Lennart, from an original story by Miss Lennart, is revised by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein.

Funny Girl features choreography by Ellenore Scott; tap choreography by Ayodele Casel; scenic design by Tony Award winner David Zinn; costume design by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty; lighting design by Tony Award winner Kevin Adams; sound design by Tony Award winner Brian Ronanand Cody Spencer; hair and wig design by Campbell Young Associates; music supervision by Emmy Award winner Michael Rafter; casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA, and Jason Thinger; orchestrations by Chris Walker; dance, vocal, and incidental music arrangements by Alan Williams, and additional arrangements by David Dabbon and Carmel Dean. The associate director is Johanna McKeon; the associate choreographer is Jeffrey Gugliotti; the assistant director is Torya Beard; the assistant tap choreographer is Dre Torres.

The Funny Girl tour stage management team is led by production stage manager Jovon Shuck and is supported by Stage Manager Stacey Taylor and assistant stage manager Mariah Young. The company management team is led by company manager Justin Sweeney with assistant company manager Ryan Mayfield. The tour music director/conductor is Elaine Davidson.

The Funny Girl tour is produced by NETworks Presentations in special arrangement with Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Landis and David Babani.

The Broadway production of FUNNY GIRL began performances at the August Wilson Theatre on March 22, 2022, with the official opening on April 24, 2022, where it will continue its record-breaking run through September 3, 2023. Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis, and David Babani together with Gemini Theatrical, Accidental Jacket, and Sony Masterworks Broadway released Funny Girl– New Broadway Cast Recording, which is now available wherever you stream music. Produced by David Caddick and David Lai and featuring the classic score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, the album is co-produced by Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis, David Babani, Michael Mayer, Brian Gillet, Huck Walton, Sean Keller, and Marc Levine. The album is executively produced by Evan McGill and the associate producers are Joanna Drowos, Abby Green, and PickleStar Theatricals.

Originally from South Florida, Jordanna Brody graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Theatre Education and Performance in 2019. Her experience teaching, performing, directing, and working behind the scenes informs her perspective on theatre in every way. She is passionate about uplifting marginalized voices and innovative theatrical experiences.

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The Funny Girl Tour: A Timeless Comedy and Heartwarming Journey

Get ready to laugh, cry, and fall in love all over again as the Funny Girl Tour takes center stage! This iconic production, beloved by audiences for generations, is hitting the road once more, bringing the timeless story of Fanny Brice to life. With humor that will have you in stitches and a heartwarming tale of perseverance, this tour promises an unforgettable theatrical experience. Join us as we follow Fanny's journey from Brooklyn's music halls to Broadway's grandest stages. With show-stopping numbers and a talented cast, "Funny Girl" is a must-see event that will leave you singing, dancing, and cheering for the star in all of us.

Don't miss your chance to be part of the magic – grab your Funny Girl Tour tickets and prepare for a night of unforgettable entertainment!

Funny Girl Ahmanson Theatre Los Angeles, California

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Katerina McCrimmon to Star as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL North American Tour

The cast will also feature Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter, Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice, Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, and more.

The principal cast been revealed for the North American Tour of Funny Girl . The cast will feature Grammy-Award® winning singer-songwriter, Melissa Manchesteras as Mrs. Brice, and introduce Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice. They will be joined by Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, Izaiah Montaque Harris as Eddie Ryan, Walter Coppage as Florenz Ziegfeld, Leah Platt as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Christine Bunuan as Mrs. Meeker, Eileen T’Kaye as Mrs. Strakosh, and David Foley Jr. as Tom Keeney. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The tour will officially open at Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI, from September 9-16, 2023, before continuing on to more than 30 cities coast-to-coast, including Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Philadelphia.

FUNNY GIRL is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and features the classic score by Tony, Grammy, and Academy® Award winner Jule Styne and lyrics by Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Bob Merrill, (comprising additional songs from Styne & Merrill). The original book by Isobel Lennart, from an original story by Miss Lennart, is revised by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots, Newsies).

FUNNY GIRL features choreography by Ellenore Scott (Falsettos); tap choreography by Ayodele Casel; scenic design by Tony Award winner David Zinn (SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical); costume design by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty (Wicked); lighting design by Tony Award winner Kevin Adams (Hedwig and the Angry Inch); sound design by Tony Award winner Brian Ronan (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and Cody Spencer; hair and wig design by Campbell Young Associates; music supervision by Emmy Award winner Michael Rafter; casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA, and Jason Thinger; orchestrations by Chris Walker; dance, vocal, and incidental music arrangements by Alan Williams, and additional arrangements by David Dabbon and Carmel Dean. The associate director is Johanna McKeon; the associate choreographer is Jeffrey Gugliotti; the assistant director is Torya Beard; the assistant tap choreographer is Dre Torres.

The FUNNY GIRL tour stage management team is led by production stage manager Jovon Shuck and is supported by Stage Manager Stacey Taylor and assistant stage manager Mariah Young. The company management team is led by company manager Justin Sweeney with assistant company manager Ryan Mayfield. The tour music director/conductor is Elaine Davidson.

The Funny Girl tour is produced by NETworks Presentations in special arrangement with Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Landis and David Babani.

The Broadway production of Funny Girl began performances at the August Wilson Theatre on March 22, 2022, with the official opening on April 24, 2022, where it will continue its record-breaking run through September 3, 2023. Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis, and David Babani together with Gemini Theatrical, Accidental Jacket, and Sony Masterworks Broadway released Funny Girl – New Broadway Cast Recording, which is now available wherever you stream music. Produced by David Caddick and David Lai and featuring the classic score by Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics), the album is co-produced by Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis, David Babani, Michael Mayer, Brian Gillet, Huck Walton, Sean Keller, and Marc Levine. The album is executively produced byEvan McGill and the associate producers are Joanna Drowos, Abby Green, and PickleStar Theatricals.

CAST BIOGRAPHIES:

KATERINA McCRIMMON

(Fanny Brice) is a proud Cuban-American from Miami, and she's thrilled to be playing Fanny in this dazzling production. Broadway: The Rose Tattoo (Roundabout Theatre Company). Other NY Theater: The Light in the Piazza (New York City Center Encores!). Regional: AZUL (The Eugene O'Neill Center), Ride the Cyclone (McCarter Theatre Center), Ah, Wilderness! (Hartford Stage). Katerina is a YoungArts Winner in Theater, a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and received her BM in Musical Theatre from Florida State University.

MELISSA MANCHESTER

(Mrs. Brice) returns to the theatrical stage to celebrate a versatile 50-year career. With 19 Billboard charted hits including “Midnight Blue” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” the GRAMMY-Award winning singer/songwriter was the first artist to have two Oscar-nominated songs in the same year, received the NARAS Governor’s Award and is in the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Hall of Fame. National tours: Song & Dance (Emma), Music Of The Night (Lead). Film: For The Boys (Corrine). TV: Blossom (Maddy Russo). Her 25th album, RE:VIEW, is due to release in 2024.

STEPHEN MARK LUKAS

(Nick Arnstein) is thrilled to bring Funny Girl to audiences across North America after understudying the role in the Broadway revival. Broadway: Funny Girl, The Book of Mormon. Regional: Beauty and the Beast (Gaston), Damn Yankees (Joe Hardy), Oklahoma! (Curly), South Pacific (Lt. Cable), Camelot (Lancelot), and Guys & Dolls (Sky Masterson). TV: Gossip Girl and FBI: Most Wanted.

IZAIAH MONTAQUE HARRIS

(Eddie Ryan). Since being put in tap classes taught by his mother as a child, he has learned to shine from Chicago to NY. Recent highlights: NY City Center’s Artists at the Center, Riverdance, The Tap Dance Kid, After Midnight (Tap Mathematician). BTA Award for Outstanding Actor, Jeff Award for Best Ensemble, Jacob’s Pillow Alumni, MADD Rhythms.

WALTER COPPAGE

(Florenz Ziegfeld). Select theatre credits include: The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, The Curious Incident..., Radio Golf, The Royale, A Christmas Carol, Pride & Prejudice, Fences, To Kill A Mockingbird, Master Harold And The Boys, Hamlet, The Mountaintop, Water By The Spoonful, The Clean House, Ruined, Our Town, The Miracle Worker. Select TV credits include: Somebody Somewhere, Chicago Med, Leverage: Redemption, Black Mafia Family, The Chi, 61st St, The Shining Girls, Detroiters, Sprung. Select film credits include: All Creatures Here Below, Jayhawkers.

(Emma/Mrs. Nadler). Leah most recently performed across the country as Tzeitel in the first national tour of Fiddler on the Roof. Recent credits include: Which Way to the Stage (Signature Theatre); Frozen (Disney Cruise Line); The Prom (White Plains PAC); The Marvelous Wonderettes (The Palace Theater). She is a graduate of Northwestern University.

CHRISTINE BUNUAN

(Mrs. Meeker). National tours include: Miss Saigon (Gigi,) and …Spelling Bee. Chicago Theatre credits include: Goodman, Paramount, Northlight, Marriott Lincolnshire, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Chicago, Shakespeare, Silk Road Rising, TimeLine, and more.

EILEEN T’KAYE

(Mrs. Strakosh). Recent credits include A Doll’s House, Part 2(Anne Marie, ICT), and Sisters in Law (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, World Premiere-Phoenix Theatre). Other regional include: Coney Island Christmas and A Funny Thing Happened… (Geffen Playhouse); Wing on Wing and The Rehearsal (Disney Hall); Collected Stories (CV Rep); Doubt and Other Desert Cities (ICT); The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (La Mirada); The Fantasticks (Reprise!). Eileen is also an award-winning producer and Founding Producing Director of Boston Court Pasadena.

DAVID FOLEY, JR.

(Tom Keeney). Select New York/touring credits: The Phantom of the Opera (Reyer, Firmin), Forbidden Broadway, and the title ogre in Shrek The Musical. Favorite regional: Oz (L. Frank Baum, freeFall Theatre Company), Finding Nemo: The Musical (Marlin, WDW), and Guys in Dolls (Nathan, Kevin Kline Award nomination, Best Actor). TV/Film: The Flight Before Christmas (Hallmark), Broadcasting Christmas (Lifetime). 2023 MAC Award nominee (Manhattan Association of Cabarets, Best Male Performer).

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Funny Girl to Launch North American Tour in September

Broadway's Funny Girl will be saying "hello, gorgeous" to audiences across America. A North American tour of the revival, directed by Michael Mayer, will launch in September with its officially opening at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island from September 9 through September 16. It will then continue to more than 30 cities, including Atlanta and Detroit. Additional tour cities and casting will be announced at a later date.

“We are immensely proud of this revival of Funny Girl ,” producers Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis and David Babani said in a joint statement. “It’s been 27 years since Funny Girl last toured the country, and we are excited to introduce this classic musical to a new generation of theatergoers.”

Funny Girl features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill and a book by Isobel Lennart. Harvey Fierstein revised the book for this revival. The musical follows Fanny Brice, who rose from the Lower East Side of New York to become one of Broadway's biggest stars under producer Florenz Ziegfield. While she was cheered on stage as a great comedian, offstage she faced a doomed relationship with the man she loved.

The production features choreography by Ellenore Scott, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kevin Adams, sound design by Brian Ronan, hair and wig design by Campbell Young Associates, orchestrations by Chris Walker, music direction and supervision by Michael Rafter, orchestrations by Chris Walker, dance, vocal and incidental music arrangements by Alan Williams and additional arrangements by David Dabbon and Carmel Dean.

The Broadway production, starring Lea Michele , is playing at the August Wilson Theatre, where it opened on April 24, 2022.

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Funny Girl takes its parade and an astounding new Fanny Brice on tour

Newcomer Katerina McCrimmon is poised to be the greatest star

Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine , The Hollywood Reporter , and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight , is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen.

Is there any Broadway show that carries as much baggage for its leading lady as Funny Girl?

It took over 50 years for a revival to get to New York, in part because the role of Fanny Brice is so synonymous with the woman it was written for and built around — the singular Barbra Streisand . In 2022, it finally returned to Broadway and stuttered with Beanie Feldstein as its leading lady until a messy turn of events led to Lea Michele swooping in to save box office returns.

But I’m happy to report that the touring revival of that production is an opportunity to leave all that offstage drama squarely in the past, and say “hello, gorgeous” to a riveting musical with a showstopping leading lady.

Matthew Murphy

Funny Girl tells the story of Fanny Brice (Katerina McCrimmon), the legendary performer and comic who rose to fame at the turn-of-the-century as a star in the Ziegfeld Follies. It follows Fanny from her early days, dreaming of her big break, to her stardom, but it is constructed around her romance with gambler Nick Arnstein (Stephen Mark Lukas).

The show lives and dies by the actress at its center, and filling the shoes of Barbra Streisand is no small order. Lucky for us, Katerina McCrimmon might just be the next greatest star. Fanny requires her own brand of triple threat — a singer who can belt like nobody’s business, but who is equally adept as a comic and dramatic actress. McCrimmon not only fits the bill, she exceeds it. Her Fanny is a brash dreamer when we first meet her, mugging for her audiences and using her sense of humor to cover her own insecurities.

We watch her mature in real time, as she meets and falls in love with Nick, a guy who dazzles with his ruffled shirt but has heartbreak written all over him. McCrimmon plays her love scenes with a dizzying blend of horny chutzpah and genuine romantic feeling. She brings the audience in on Fanny’s wonderment at Nick’s attentions, then turns our laughs to a swoon. Her ability to ping between those two extremes is executed as nimbly as one of Fanny’s pals, Eddie Ryan’s (Izaiah Montaque Harris) tap routines.

On stage, Fanny is a powerhouse, but in her personal life, she’s a hothouse flower who blooms under Nick’s attention — and McCrimmon blends these two aspects of Fanny’s public and private life with grace. She’s equally adept at making us laugh and cry.

But her true power is in her once-in-a-generation voice. The vocal potency of McCrimmon’s belt whips the audience into a downright frenzy. When she opens her broad mouth on classics like “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade," a tidal wave of sound emerges to drown the audience with its aural richness and force. But the real magic of her voice isn’t merely that it’s arresting or dynamic, it’s the ways in which she threads the emotion of the material through her astounding instrument to pack a wallop that will leave a mark for days.

It must be said that Funny Girl is still not a perfect show by any stretch of the imagination. Despite being a charming rogue, Nick Arnstein is a dull character, and it's a role that requires the sheer magnetism of someone like the film’s Omar Sharif to make Nick’s appeal evident. Lukas makes an admirable effort, and he’s easy on the eyes, but there’s just not much there to work with. At least he has an easy chemistry with McCrimmon. But if you cut both of Nick’s songs from Act II, it would not matter.

Indeed, the musical’s Achilles heel is its second act. Harvey Fierstein has given revising Isobel Lennart’s book the old college try, but there’s only so much to salvage in the muddled back-half of the show. Thankfully, the finale still lands thanks to McCrimmon's one-two punch of closing musical numbers, but most of the rest of it is forgettable — and it’s a problem that has plagued Funny Girl since it first opened. It plays better on screen where it can zip by in a cinematic third act, rather than having to sustain the weight of the second half of a stage musical.

The show in its totality is a love letter to the big, old-fashioned Broadway musical. David Zinn’s set design, all framed with a flashy vaudeville-esque proscenium arch, is a grand playing field, even if the staging does push the action into strangely tight spaces and leaves too much empty space. Susan Hilferty’s costumes are that of Broadway dreams, as glitzy and eye-catching as the Follies were at the height of their glory.

Melissa Manchester is a stand-out as Mrs. Brice, Fanny’s mother, and she wisely avoids the pitfall of making a caricature of the “Jewish mother” while still finding plenty of opportunities for wise-cracking. The ensemble provides a dazzling backdrop to the action.

But much of that is tertiary when the show so fully belongs to its titular heroine — and what a gift it is to have an actress of McCrimmon’s talents in the role. It’s easy to forget and forgive the musical’s faults when McCrimmon commands the stage so completely. In her hands, its story of one woman’s resilience and heartbreak is devastating and inspiring all at once.

Funny Girl has always charmed me, but it has never deeply moved me. Until now. McCrimmon made me weep to the point that I was still furiously swiping away tears for several minutes after the curtain call. People who get to see McCrimmon’s star-making performance, now, they are the luckiest people in the world. Grade: A-

Who’s the Greatest Star? A Timeline of Casting Funny Girl.

Hello, gorgeous, take two. On July 11, Lea Michele was announced as the next Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl , following Beanie Feldstein’s expected, and then sudden, exit . Depending on whom you ask, this casting choice was either inevitable, something that should have been avoided at all cost, or a combination of both. Michele is best known for her time on Glee playing Rachel Berry, a high-school theater kid and starlet on the rise who idolizes Barbra Streisand so much she reneges on her nose-job plans after listening to the song “Barbra Streisand.” On season five of Glee , Rachel fulfills her lifelong dream and is cast in a Broadway production of Funny Girl . Now, in a death blow to those of us hoping Glee couldn’t predict the future, Michele has followed suit.

Her casting, seemingly written in the stars — if Ryan Murphy wrote the stars, that is — is not without controversy. The handling of Feldstein’s departure has reportedly been … contentious . Michele has been accused of alleged mistreatment of Black cast members on Glee . There’s been subtle Instagram shade, expected and unexpected backlash, and behind-the-scenes drama that’s still unfolding. It’s all kind of a mess. So how did we get here? Well, the story is kind of long and full of suspense . Strap in because we’re doing a full-fledged timeline.

April 14, 1969 Our story truly begins back in 1969, when Barbra Streisand ties with Katharine Hepburn to win the Oscar for Best Actress at the 41st Annual Academy Awards . Streisand originated the role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl on Broadway in 1964 but lost the Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical to Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly! The musical was a gigantic step in her career, taking her from little-known cabaret singer to Broadway superstar, and her performance in the film catapulted her to the upper echelon of fame, reifying the role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl as hers. Because of it, Streisand goes on to a long and illustrious career. Fanny, meanwhile, stays in a vault — an idol to young Jewish girls who love musical theater everywhere but far away from Broadway, where any actress playing the role fears being compared to Barbra.

1995 Thirty-one years later, an 8-year-old girl named Lea Michele makes her Broadway debut in Les Miserables as a replacement in the role of Young Cosette, which she performs until 1998.

June 24, 1996 While a young Michele is still on Broadway singing “Castle on a Cloud,” a young Beanie Feldstein is having her third birthday party. As she later tells Seth Meyers , it was Funny Girl themed.

October 1, 1996 A Funny Girl tour begins its time on the road in Pittsburgh with pop star Debbie Gibson in the starring role. It is the first Funny Girl production of note since the show closed on Broadway. The specter of Streisand hangs over the show like the Sword of Damocles, though the team tries not to show it. Director Sammy Bayes tells Playbill , “A lot of actresses try to do Fanny Brice by going through Barbra Streisand. But this is Miss Deborah Gibson, and it’s got to be her Fanny Brice, from her point of view.” Gibson herself says, “I love and admire Barbra Streisand enormously, but I’m not intimidated. I know I’m right for this role.”

November 26, 1996 Two months later, the show is hemorrhaging. Playbill reports that there is a seven-week span without booked shows. Broadway is no longer in the picture. The message is clear: This part still belongs to Streisand.

December 11, 2006 Spring Awakening premieres on Broadway. The show is a rock musical based on Frank Wedekind’s original play about the sexual repression of German teens. Michele stars as Wendla, a young German girl whose mother refuses to teach her about sex and who ultimately dies of a botched abortion. Her notices are good. Charles Isherwood writes in the New York Times that, since the show’s off-Broadway premiere, “the performances of the actors in the central roles of the anguished teenagers” — including “Ms. Michele as the inquisitive Wendla” — “have become deeper and sharper.” The show goes on to win Best Musical at the Tony Awards, though Michele is not nominated. The popularity of the show catapults Michele to new stardom.

May 19, 2009 Glee premieres in a first look with Michele in the lead role as a Jewish aspiring musical-theater superstar named Rachel Berry. Glee co-creator Ian Brennan refers to Rachel as “all ego” and “a fantastic little fireball of a starlet who’s spectacularly talented and utterly tone deaf to how she comes across to people.” The show is almost instantly a success when it debuts the next fall.

December 9, 2009 The Glee season-one mid-season finale, “Sectionals,” airs, and Michele performs “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” one of the biggest numbers from Funny Girl . “I loved seeing Rachel finally get the chance to unleash her inner Streisand with ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade,’” writes James Ponziewak for Time . “As we see here, as much of a pill as she can be, her ability to whip out a performance she’s been working on since age four is an asset.” A mini-Streisand is born.

June 8, 2010 Producer Bob Boyett announces that he intends to produce a Funny Girl revival with director Bartlett Sher, reports Playbill . The revival is announced to be opening in 2011, and Michele is on the list of potential leads. “I think Lea is wonderful, she’s great, and she would certainly be on anybody’s list,” Boyett says.

June 13, 2010 At the 64th Annual Tony Awards, Michele performs “Don’t Rain on My Parade” as part of a Glee segment. The audience includes Beyoncé and Jay-Z, whom Michele directly sings to and who are only slightly amused.

August 2, 2011 It is reported by Playbill that Six Feet Under star Lauren Ambrose is in talks to be in the production. Sorry, Lea.

November 7, 2011 The Ambrose production is canceled. Sorry, Lauren. (But don’t feel too bad for her — she’ll get her golden-age starring moment before the decade is up .)

May 9, 2013 Over in Glee- land, Rachel is at a callback for Funny Girl , singing “To Love You More,” by Celine Dion, in the season-four finale.

October 3, 2013 Rachel is cast in Funny Girl .

March 4, 2014 Michele tells BroadwayWorld that Murphy has acquired the rights to Funny Girl and that they are in talks to bring Michele as Fanny to the stage.

April 22, 2014 Over in Glee -land, Rachel opens Funny Girl on Broadway to rave reviews .

May 9, 2014 Murphy discusses having the rights to Funny Girl with Entertainment Weekly . In his telling, “ Funny Girl starring Lea Michele” is much less of a certainty than it was when Michele gave that interview two months back. “Right now, we’re just sort of testing the waters with different people,” says Murphy. He adds that Michele “and I have made no mistake of our mutual love for that property, so if it could come together at a time that she’d be willing to make that commitment to go back to Broadway — which I don’t know that she is right now — it would have to be the right director and the right leading man.”

May 22, 2014 Michele says on Watch What Happens Live , “We’ve had some really exciting first meetings with a really fabulous director that we think would be really wonderful.” But, she adds, “doing that show would take so much energy, and coming right off of the sixth season of Glee , I definitely am going to tour my album a little bit this summer, but definitely next summer … And I have to work on my second record, so when we have the time, we would love to do it.”

October 26, 2015 Murphy says it’s not gonna happen. “We had talked about it for sure,” Murphy says at a Glee panel with Entertainment Weekly . “But then I feel like we so [did] many of those songs and so many of those scenes [on Glee ] that in a weird way, I feel like we did it in some way.” But we never got to see Lea Michele fumbling on roller skates, Ryan Murphy! What about that?

November 20, 2015 A production of Funny Girl starring Sheridan Smith opens in London and goes to the West End. It notably has a revised book by Harvey Fierstein.

March 20, 2015 The Glee series finale airs. The once-mighty Queen of Buzz is now put out to pasture without much second thought. It is considered almost universally true that Glee got bad.

April 26, 2017 Two years later, Michele goes on Watch What Happens Live to promote her album . When prompted to reveal her dream role, she still says it’s Funny Girl , and this is treated as a given.

November 10, 2017 Greta Gerwig’s film Lady Bird premieres, introducing much of the world to Beanie Feldstein, who plays Lady Bird’s best friend, Julie. Feldstein is also starring in Hello, Dolly! with Bette Midler on Broadway. In a Vulture piece titled “Who Is Beanie Feldstein and Why Is She Suddenly Everywhere?” Jackson McHenry writes, “Of course, since she is on Broadway, yes, Beanie can sing.” Of course.

June 2, 2020 Glee -era controversy comes to the surface for Michele. After she posts on social media in support of Black Lives Matter, her former Glee co-star Samantha Ware tweets that Michele harassed her on set and says she once threatened to “shit in her wig.” “Girl, you wouldn’t let me sit at the table with the other cast members cause ‘I didn’t belong there,’” claims Glee guest star Dabier in a post. “Fuck you Lea.” Other Glee cast members, including Amber Riley and Alex Newell, post GIFs that imply they enjoy and agree with what is being said. The same day, Michele loses a HelloFresh sponsorship.

June 3, 2020 Michele responds to the controversy with a strong non-apology apology. “While I don’t remember ever making this specific statement and I have never judged others by their background or color of their skin, that’s not really the point,” writes Michele. “What matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people. Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me just being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused.”

August 11, 2021 Feldstein is officially cast in Funny Girl . Other actresses, including Lady Gaga and Idina Menzel , had been rumored to star between the end of Michele and Murphy’s production and the announcement of Feldstein’s casting, but this is the first official news. Even after the controversy, Michele is so strongly associated with the role that she trends on Twitter .

August 16, 2021 Michele comments on Feldstein’s Insta post about getting the role, “Yes! YOU are the greatest star! This is going to be epic!!” she writes. Her comment is considered news .

October 13, 2021 Feldstein goes on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM radio show and discusses the fact that she is getting compared with Michele. “I didn’t know that any of this was happening, by the way,” she tells Cohen. “All of a sudden people started explaining it to me, and I was like, ‘What?’ Like … I didn’t understand.” Then Feldstein says, “I don’t know the woman whatsoever.”

April 24, 2022 A few months later, Funny Girl opens on Broadway, 58 years after the original production’s opening night. It is universally panned, and Feldstein receives the harshest critiques. “In song after song, Feldstein’s voice lets her down. Piercing and unpleasant when it gets any higher than her chest, fading and pitchy when it descends even a few steps, it’s simply not a sound you expect to hear on Broadway,” writes New York Magazine theater critic Helen Shaw . Many of the reviews mention the dreaded truth: It’s still Streisand’s show. Many wonder what Michele thinks of the reviews .

June 15, 2022 A social-media post by Funny Girl on Broadway announces Feldstein is departing Funny Girl on September 25. Reasons why are not given, but it is not uncommon for stars on Broadway to have limited runs. Rumors begin to circulate that Michele will be the replacement, though the official company does not confirm.

July 10, 2022 Feldstein announces on social media she will be leaving Funny Girl early; her final performance will be July 31. “Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated,” she states, causing speculation around what “different direction” she was referring to.

July 11, 2022 Michele is officially announced as Fanny in Funny Girl starting September 6 . The choice is not without its detractors, including Ware . Get ready for her love, ’cause she’s a comer.

August 9, 2022 Jane Lynch, who has played Mrs. Brice in the current Broadway production, is announced to be leaving the show earlier than expected. Her last scheduled performance will be on August 14, before her former Glee co-star takes over for Feldstein. When Michele was announced, it was also announced that Tovah Feldshuh would join her as Mrs. Brice, so the former Gleeks were never intended to perform together. Before Feldshuh joins Michele on September 6, Mrs. Brice will be played by Lynch’s current standby Liz McCartney. “You know, it was just a really strong idea to have Feldshuh and Lea premiere together,” said Lynch to Deadline on July 12. “I’m so glad she’s getting the opportunity in real life to do the show and not just on Glee. ” Why is she leaving early? According to a release, Lynch always had a vacation scheduled starting on the 14th, and was already planning on departing the show September 1 to be at the Creative Arts Emmys, where she is nominated for her work on Only Murders in the Building . “Rather than return for one week of performances, the producers have agreed to adjust her final performance to Sunday, August 14,” reads the press release.

September 6, 2022 Michele debuts as Fanny in Funny Girl on Broadway. Bootlegs galore — including audio recordings, at least one livestream, and a multitude of illegally filmed TikToks — go viral. Michele accrues six standing ovations over the course of the production, according to Variety . The internet’s long-running joke about Michele being illiterate gets the audience to laugh at the line “I haven’t read so many books.” Still, Michele has fulfilled not only her own dream but Rachel’s as well. “Don’t Rain on My Parade” has made it from the Glee club’s sectionals to the Broadway stage.

September 10, 2022 Michele announces that she won’t be performing as Fanny Brice for the Saturday performance of Funny Girl , as she began developing early symptoms of COVID. “Due to production’s safety protocols I’m not allowed to perform for today’s shows,” Michele writes. “Julie is going to crush it today as Fanny.” She shared she will be taking another COVID test soon to see if she can perform tomorrow night. Gleeks were quick to point out that this announcement truly proved that life imitates art; Michele as Rachel Berry in “The Back-up Plan” pretended to be sick during her Funny Girl run in order to film a TV pilot in Los Angeles.

September 17, 2022 While Michele is in quarantine until she returns to Funny Girl on September 20, she’s not letting anyone rain on her parade. She dueted a parody video of her performance for “Don’t Rain On My Parade” in her first-ever Tik Tok.

March 2, 2022 Michele, alongside Feldshuh, Nicky Arnstein portrayer Ramin Karimloo, and Funny Girl ’s sole Tony nominee, Jared Grimes, extend their runs through September 3, when the show will close. With the extension, Michele will have been playing the role for just three days short of a year. But even once it’s closed, we will still have the cavalcade of talk-show appearances Michele has made in her year in the role .

This post has been updated.

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‘Funny Girl’ will embark on a North American tour

Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Landis, David Babani and NETworks Presentations have announced a North American tour of "Funny Girl," scheduled to launch in fall 2023. The tour will officially open on Sept. 9 at Rhode Island's Providence Performing Arts Center.

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Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Landis, David Babani and NETworks Presentations have announced a North American tour of “Funny Girl,” scheduled to launch in fall 2023. The tour will officially open on Sept. 9 at Rhode Island’s Providence Performing Arts Center. A full list of cities and tour dates will be announced.

Currently running on Broadway, the revival is directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Ellenore Scott, with tap choreography by Ayodele Casel. The production features scenic design by David Zinn; costume design by Susan Hilferty; lighting design by Kevin Adams; sound design by Brian Ronan; hair/wig design by Campbell Young Associates; music direction and supervision by Michael Rafter; casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA and Jason Thinger; orchestrations by Chris Walker; dance, vocal and incidental music arrangements by Alan William; and additional arrangements by David Dabbon and Carmel Dean.

Casting for the tour has yet to be announced.

With a score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, “Funny Girl” features an original book by Isobel Lennart revised by Harvey Fierstein. The musical follows the path of real-life comedian Fanny Brice on her road to stardom.

The Broadway revival began performances on March 22, 2022, at the August Wilson Theatre. As previously announced , a cast album is currently available digitally and will be released on CD on Jan. 20.

In a statement, producers Friedman, Landis and Baban said, “It’s been 27 years since ‘Funny Girl’ last toured the country and we are excited to introduce this classic musical to a new generation of theatergoers.”

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Review: A dazzling Katerina McCrimmon makes for an authentic Fanny Brice in ‘Funny Girl’

Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice in the national tour of "Funny Girl."

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There’s a new Fanny Brice in town, and the question on everyone’s mind is can she live up to the role immortalized by Barbra Streisand?

The best thing about Katerina McCrimmon’s dazzling performance is that she makes the character her own. What else could she do? This touring production of the 2022 Broadway revival, directed by Michael Mayer, has its own history to contend with.

A miscast Beanie Feldstein launched the Broadway return of “Funny Girl,” and even those of us predisposed to love her couldn’t help leaving the show shaking our heads in bafflement. Rescue eventually came in the nuclear package of Lea Michele , who seized the part of Fanny Brice as though it had been unfairly denied her ever since she had been singing songs from the show on “Glee.” It was a perfect confluence of talent, type and tenacity, and Michele delivered one of the most sensational Broadway performances of the 21st century — a replacement who more than atoned for the revival’s original sin of not casting her in the first place.

Jackson Grove, Katerina McCrimmon and Rodney Thompson in the national touring company of "Funny Girl."

No one could expect lightning to strike in exactly the same way. This touring production, which opened at the Ahmanson Theatre on Wednesday, wisely opts to go in a completely different direction.

McCrimmon is a powerhouse singer, don’t get me wrong. She brings the house down in Fanny’s poleaxing first-act numbers, “I’m the Greatest Star,” “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” from the golden age score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill. (Despite some ill-calibrated acoustics, the overture alone seemed to have a euphoric effect on Ahmanson patrons with long memories.)

But the distinguishing feature of McCrimmon’s performance is that it brings us closer to the real Fanny Brice, the vaudeville comedian who struck it big in the Ziegfeld Follies. Streisand and Michele were swathed in preternatural glamour. Fanny is made to feel like chopped liver in the looks department, but the star radiance of these performers couldn’t help poking through the character’s humble beginnings.

McCrimmon’s Fanny, by contrast, has the hectic air of a jobbing performer, a scrapper more than a sure thing, one who learned to talk as fast as humanly possible before the door slams in her face. What sets her apart is the authenticity of her humor. She knows how ludicrous she appears on stage in a lineup of leggy girls. But it’s her wisecracks — with their racy, self-deprecating wildness — that allow her to shine on her own terms.

The national touring company production of "Funny Girl."

The emphasis on “Funny Girl” tends to be on nailing the vintage New York Jewish milieu. Harvey Fierstein’s revision of Isobel Lennart’s book relocates Fanny’s origins to Brooklyn from the Lower East Side, but it’s all the same world. Melissa Manchester, a game trouper, brings her flamboyant Bronx pedigree to the role of Mrs. Brice. (It’s clear where Fanny has gotten her “oy vey” and “fakakta” exhalations from.) Projections of tenements give David Zinn’s fleet scenic design that old-timey Big Apple flavor.

But it’s the seamlessness between Fanny’s professional and personal life that McCrimmon captures to perfection. Consistency of character might not seem like such a spectacular theatrical virtue, but it’s what makes this Fanny not just unique but historically credible. McCrimmon’s portrayal resists the Broadway myth to find mortal radiance instead.

Feldstein, to her credit, was a more adept physical comedian. Fanny’s vaudeville turns lack the pop they had on Broadway. The vigor and vibrancy have faded on the road, but the backstage business is just right.

Izaiah Montaque Harris in the national tour of "Funny Girl."

Smitten yet too sensitive to insist, Eddie Ryan (Izaiah Montaque Harris, tap dancing his way into our affections) takes Fanny under his wing, becoming her dance captain and lovelorn confidant. Florenz Ziegfeld (Walter Coppage) is accustomed to ruling his Follies with an iron fist but he comes to recognize that strong-willed Fanny is a jackpot worth indulging. The other dancers can’t help getting a kick out of the kook who’s boosting box office for everyone.

When McCrimmon’s Fanny is wooed by the elegant, smooth-talking, alluringly shady Nick Arnstein (Stephen Mark Lukas), she never loses Fanny Brice’s protective comic armor. No, the romance between this Fanny and Nick isn’t as sultry as it was when Michele’s Fanny and Ramin Karimloo’s Nick melted into each other at the August Wilson Theatre in New York. But what Lukas’ Nick sees in McCrimmon’s Fanny — a bright, lovable, hilariously original woman — redounds to his credit.

Katerina McCrimmon and Stephen Mark Lukas in the national tour of "Funny Girl."

Lukas’ portrayal deepens as the marriage between Nick and Fanny disintegrates. He can’t stand the idea of living in her shadow — which is no surprise from the guy who puts the moves on her while singing “You Are Woman, I Am Man.” But this Nick is ultimately as sympathetic as the show’s heroine — and just as much of a casualty of a world in which success costs everything you cherish most outside of your own survival.

The ending of “Funny Girl” this time around brought to mind the final moments of Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children,” when the protagonist picks up her wagon in the face of all her losses and heads back into battle to sell her wares. Fanny is a more endearing figure of indomitable endurance but no less determined.

Show business won’t stave off her loneliness — she can’t take the adoring audience home with her, as she wistfully muses — but it’s how she presses on. The spotlight is where she thrives. As Fanny acknowledges in “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” she’s “better on stage than at intermission.” And McCrimmon, whose voice grows more majestic and multi-hued as the musical’s emotion ramps up, delivers this aching anthem with heartrending virtuosity.

This revival of “Funny Girl” revives the glory of musicals past, when songs seemed to spring out of their characters’ souls. Understanding that “people who need people are the luckiest people of all,” Fanny generously gives herself and theatergoers what we both have been desperately longing for.

‘Funny Girl’

Where: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Ends April 28 Tickets: Start at $40 Contact: centertheatregroup.org or (213) 628-2772 Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes

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Charles McNulty is the theater critic of the Los Angeles Times. He received his doctorate in dramaturgy and dramatic criticism from the Yale School of Drama.

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Katerina M c Crimmon

FANNY BRICE

KATERINA McCRIMMON ( Fanny Brice ) is originally from Miami, FL and she’s thrilled to be playing Fanny in this gorgeous production. Broadway: The Rose Tattoo (Roundabout Theater Company). Other NY Theater: The Light in the Piazza (City Center Encores!). Regional: AZUL (Eugene O’Neill Center), Ride the Cyclone (McCarter Theatre Center), Ah, Wilderness! (Hartford Stage). Katerina is a YoungArts Winner in Theater, a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and received her BM in Musical Theatre from Florida State University. Love to Mom, Dad, Abuela, Brett, Steve, and Matias for their endless support. Los amo tanto. @breathekaterina

Melissa Manchester

MELISSA MANCHESTER (Mrs.Brice) returns to the theatrical stage to celebrate a versatile 50-year career. With 19 Billboard charted hits including “Midnight Blue” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” the GRAMMY-Award winning singer/songwriter was the first artist to have two Oscar-nominated songs in the same year, received the NARAS Governor’s Award and is in the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Hall of Fame. National tours: Song & Dance (Emma), Music Of The Night (Lead). Film: For The Boys (Corrine). TV: Blossom (Maddy Russo). Her 25th album, RE:VIEW, is due to release in 2024. melissamanchester.com

Stephen Mark Lukas

NICK ARNSTEIN

STEPHEN MARK LUKAS ( Nick Arnstein ) is thrilled to bring Funny Girl to audiences across North America after understudying the role in the Broadway revival. Broadway: Funny Girl, The Book of Mormon . Regional: Beauty and the Beast (Gaston), Damn Yankees (Joe Hardy), Oklahoma! (Curly), South Pacific (Lt. Cable), Camelot (Lancelot), and Guys & Dolls (Sky Masterson). TV: Gossip Girl and FBI: Most Wanted . Love and gratitude to my family, Brian, HCKR and the Funny Girl team. Instagram: @smlukas

Izaiah Montaque Harris

IZAIAH MONTAQUE HARRIS ( Eddie Ryan ). First Broadway National Tour! Since being put in tap classes taught by his mother as a child, he has learned to shine from Chicago to NY. Recent highlights: NY City Center’s Artists at the Center, Riverdance, The Tap Dance Kid , After Midnight (Tap Mathematician). BTA Award for Outstanding Actor, Jeff Award for Best Ensemble, Jacob’s Pillow Alumni, MADD Rhythms. Sending love, light, and many thanks to his family, friends, and Ayodele Casel. @izaiahharris

BARBARA TIRRELL

MRS. BRICE At Some Performances

Barbara Tirrell was most recently a standby for the roles of Mrs. Brice, Mrs. Strakosh and Mrs. Meeker in the Broadway production of Funny Girl starring Lea Michele. She can be seen as Masha in the upcoming feature film Queen of Knives . She can also be seen in the recurring role of Mrs. Murray in the HBO series “Pretty Little Liars, Original Sin”. Other Broadway/National Tour credits: Wicked (Madame Morrible) , Fiddler on the Roof (Shandel, u/s Golde & Yente), Annie (Sophie & Mrs. Pugh, u/s Hannigan); Off-Broadway: A Man of No Importance (Mitzi Newhouse Theatre), Night of the Hunter ( Vineyard Theatre workshop), No Way to Treat a Lady (Atlantic Theatre workshop). Regional: The Kennedy Center, Guthrie Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, Pioneer Theatre Company, Casa Manana, Coconut Grove Playhouse. TV/FILM: “FBI”, “Bull”, “Broad City”, POP TV’s “Nightcap” (recurring role of Sonya), MCU’s “Jessica Jones” (role of Sal Blaskowski), HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” (recurring role of Edith Mauer), “The Seagull” (role of Olga directed by Michael Mayer), HBO’s “Vinyl” (recurring role of Gert), “Law & Order”, “Law & Order SVU”. As always, this is for my Micky.

Walter Coppage

FLORENZ ZIEGFELD

WALTER COPPAGE (Florenz Ziegfeld). Theatre: The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, The Curious Incident …, Radio Golf, The Royale , A Christmas Carol , Pride & Prejudice , Fences , To Kill A Mockingbird, Master Harold And The Boys , Hamlet , The Mountaintop , Water By The Spoonful , The Clean House , Ruined , Our Town , The Miracle Worker. TV: Somebody Somewhere , Chicago Med , Leverage: Redemption , Black Mafia Family , The Chi , 61st St , The Shining Girls , Detroiters , Sprung . Film: All Creatures Here Below , Jayhawkers

EMMA/MRS. NADLER, U/S FANNY, U/S MEEKER

LEAH PLATT ( Emma/Mrs. Nadler, u/s Fanny, u/s Meeker ) is thrilled to join the Funny Girl family! Leah most recently performed across the country as Tzeitel in the first national tour of Fiddler on the Roof. Recent credits: Which Way to the Stage (Signature Theatre); Frozen (Disney Cruise Line); The Prom (White Plains PAC); The Marvelous Wonderettes (The Palace Theater). Proud graduate of Northwestern University and even prouder to have the most supportive family! LeahPlatt.com @leahsplatt

Cindy Chang

MRS. MEEKER, U/S MRS. BRICE/MRS. STRAKOSH

CINDY CHANG ( Mrs. Meeker, u/s Mrs. Strakosh, u/s Mrs. Brice ) is thrilled to join the Funny Girl national tour! Regional: The Brothers Paranormal (Tasanee); Brownsville Song b-side for Tray (Merrell); Avenue Q (Christmas Eve); Annie Get Your Gun (Ensemble); Asphalt Beach (Sister Joy Luck); Yeoman of the Guard (Kate), The Beautiful Helen of Troy (Chloe). Film: Family Weekend, Alex/October, Rain Beau’s End, Baby on Board, Yellow Dress, Technically Marvin, Silent River. TV: HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” (Soon Hee Meeh), NBC’s “Chicago Fire” (Mari, recurring), Amazon Prime’s “Electric Dreams,” NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” BA Speech Communication/Prelaw from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Special thanks to Gray Talent Group and to my husband!

Eileen T’Kaye

MRS. STRAKOSH, U/S MRS. BRICE

EILEEN T’KAYE ( Mrs. Strakosh, u/s Mrs. Brice ). Recent credits: A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Anne Marie, ICT) and Sisters in Law (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, World Premiere-Phoenix Theatre). Other regional: Coney Island Christmas and A Funny Thing Happened… (Geffen Playhouse); Wing on Wing and The Rehearsal (Disney Hall); Collected Stories (CV Rep); Doubt and Other Desert Cities (ICT); The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (La Mirada); The Fantasticks (Reprise!). Eileen is also an award-winning producer and Founding Producing Director of Boston Court Pasadena. For my David.

David Foley, Jr.

DAVID FOLEY, JR. ( Tom Keeney ). Select New York/touring credits: The Phantom of the Opera (Reyer, Firmin), Forbidden Broadway , and the title ogre in Shrek The Musical . Favorite regional: Oz (L. Frank Baum, freeFall Theatre Company), Finding Nemo: The Musical (Marlin, WDW), and Guys and Dolls (Nathan, Kevin Kline Award nomination, Best Actor). TV/Film: The Flight Before Christmas (Hallmark), Broadcasting Christmas (Lifetime). 2023 MAC Award nominee (Manhattan Association of Cabarets, Best Male Performer). All my love Kerry & Davey! IG @itsdavidfoleyjr

Vinny Andaloro

Lamont Brown

ENSEMBLE, U/S EDDIE RYAN

LAMONT BROWN ( Ensemble, u/s Eddie Ryan ). Nat’l Tour: Mean Girls 1st Nat’l, White Christmas , 42nd Street (Andy Lee), Riverdance (Radio City), After Midnight. Selected Credits: Hercules (Workshop), Chasing Rainbows (PaperMill), 42nd Street (Goodspeed/Ordway/Drury Lane). Film/Tv: Wutang: An American Saga . Agency: @hudsonartistsagency @LamontBrownNyc

Kate E. Cook

ENSEMBLE, U/S EMMA

Julia Grondin

Jackson Grove

ENSEMBLE, TENOR

Alex Hartman

ALEX HARTMAN ( Ensemble, u/s Emma ) is honored to be making her Broadway National Tour debut in Funny Girl. Select credits include: ACT of Connecticut, Riverside Theatre, Transcendence Theatre Company, and Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre. Endless gratitude to CESD, my family, friends and incredibly supportive wife, Kayley. IG: @alexjhartman

Ryan Lambert

ENSEMBLE, U/S NICK ARNSTEIN

Meghan Manning

Bryan Charles Moore

SWING, DANCE CAPTAIN, U/S FLORENZ ZIEGFELD, U/S TOM KEENEY

BRYAN CHARLES MOORE ( Swing, Dance Captain, u/s Florenz Ziegfeld, u/s Tom Keeney ) is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota and currently calls the DC area home. Tours: Radio City Christmas Spectacular , White Christmas . Regional: Signature, Arena Stage, Ogunquit Playhouse, Ordway, TUTS. Thanks to my team at the Luedtke Agency, and love to my husband Steven. IG: @bryancmoore

Sami Murphy

Emily Anne Nester

Emily Anne Nester ( Swing ) is thrilled to be making her National Tour debut! Regional credits: 42nd Street (Ensemble u/s Anytime Annie), Kinky Boots (Ensemble), Wizard of Oz (Ensemble) at Music Theater Wichita. Huge thank you to her family, and friends for their love and support, and special thanks to @ resoluteartistsagency ! IG: @ emilyannenester

Hannah Shankman

U/S FANNY BRICE, U/S MRS. STRAKOSH, U/S MRS. MEEKER

Jordon Taylor

Rodney Thompson

Ensemble, u/s Eddie Ryan

RODNEY THOMPSON (Ensemble, u/s Eddie Ryan) . National tour debut! Regional credits: The Color Purple (Adam, MUNY); Rock of Ages, Ragtime, Jersey Boys, 42nd Street, Kinky Boots and more at Music Theatre Wichita; Grease at Lyric Theatre OK. He is a recent Oklahoma City University Dance Performance Alum. Huge thanks to CESD and the Funny Girl team! @itzlilrodney

Sean Thompson

ENSEMBLE, U/S TOM KEENEY, U/S NICK ARNSTEIN, U/S FLORENZ ZIEGFELD

SEAN THOMPSON ( Ensemble, u/s Tom Keeney, u/s Nick Arnstein, u/s Florenz Ziegfeld ). Broadway: Sunset Boulevard (Joe Gillis u/s). Tours: Love Never Dies (Raoul); The Sound of Music (Captain u/s). Off-Broadway: Penelope (Barius, original cast album). TV: “The Walking Dead: Dead City” (AMC); “An Evening with Lerner and Loewe”(PBS). Regional favorites: Hunchback (Phoebus), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Prince Eric), Cabaret (Cliff). @oneseanthompson

Annaliese Wilbur

SWING, ASSISTANT DANCE CAPTAIN

ANNALIESE WILBUR (Swing, Assistant Dance Captain ). Broadway National tour debut! Boston Conservatory ‘23 grad (shoutout BoCo Tap Club)! Special hugs to family, friends, and Dustin & Marc with Daniel Hoff Agency. Big kisses for Harley. IG: @annaliese.wilbur

Michael Mayer

Michael Mayer ( Director ) Theatre credits include: the hit revival of Little Shop of Horrors starring Jonathan Groff at the Westside Theatre; Adam Driver and Keri Russell in Burn This, Head Over Heels (featuring the songs of The Go-Go’s), Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award, best musical revival, also National Tour), Spring Awakening (Tony Award/Best Musical and Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Director; also London, National Tour, Vienna, Tokyo, and Seoul productions); Green Day’s American Idiot (also co-author, Drama Desk Award for Best Director; also US, UK and Asia tours); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award/Best Musical also London and National Tour), Side Man (Tony Award/Best Play also London and Kennedy Center Productions), A View from the Bridge (Tony Award/Best Revival), Michael Moore’s The Terms of My Surrender, Everyday Rapture , You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown , and Triumph of Love ; off-Broadway credits include Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 21 Chump Street (BAM), Chess (Kennedy Center), Love, Love, Love (Roundabout), Brooklynite (Also co-author, Vineyard), Whorl Inside A Loop (with Dick Scanlan, Second Stage), 10 Million Miles (Atlantic): Angels in America . London: a record-breaking West End run of Funny Girl and UK tour. Tokyo: As You Like It (Toho Theatre).

Film: A Home at the End of the World (Excellence in filmmaking, National Board of Review, GLAAD nomination), Flicka, The Seagull. He was featured in the documentary Broadway Idiot.

Television credits include: “SMASH” (Pilot, producing director: Season One), two seasons of “Alpha House” (Amazon), Executive Producer on 27 Dresses and for the HBO film WIG.

He made his Metropolitan Opera debut with a celebrated new production of Rigoletto, followed by world premiere co-production (with the English National Opera) of Nico Muhly’s Marnie, and a new production of La Traviata, which broke box office records.

Additional Awards and fellowships: the inaugural Daryl Roth Creative Spirit, Drama League, Jefferson, Ovation, Alan Schneider, and Carbonell awards; Fox Foundation Fellowship, Two Drama League Fellowships, TCG/NEA Directing Fellowship. He serves on the Boards of New York Stage and Film and the Arthur Miller Foundation.

Recent work includes Swept Away at Berkeley Rep and Single All the Way for Netflix.

Ellenore Scott

Choreography

Ellenore Scott ( Choreography ) is a New York–based choreographer and content creator. Scott most recently choreographed the viral Ratatouille: The Musical with Seaview Productions and the Off-Broadway Revival of Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theater. Upcoming projects include the Off-Broadway premiere of Fairycakes where she will serve as choreographer and associate director. Scott also served as the associate choreographer for Head Over Heels and King Kong on Broadway, and she was the assistant choreographer for the Broadway revivals of Cats and Falsettos . She choreographed Kate Hamill’s Off-Broadway’s production of Pride and Prejudice at Cherry Lane Theatre and Jeremy O. Harris’ Black Exhibition at The Bushwick Starr. Scott is the Artistic Director of ELSCO Dance, a New York City contemporary dance company. As a performer she was a finalist and an All-Star on the hit television show “So You Think You Can Dance.” She performed on numerous television shows ( Glee, Smash, The Ellen Show, The Blacklist, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to name a few) and danced with Janet Jackson. Instagram: @ellenorescott

Ayodele Casel

Tap Choreography

Ayodele Casel ( Tap Choreography ), “a tap dancer and choreographer of extraordinary depth” (The New York Times) and one of The New York Times’ “Biggest Breakout Stars of 2019”, most recently premiered “Chasing Magic” a dance film encapsulating the wonder of collaboration and artistry. Ayodele premiered her one-woman show “While I Have The Floor” at the Spoleto Arts Festival to rave reviews. A frequent New York City Center collaborator, she served as choreographer for Carole King and Maurice Sendak’s musical “Really Rosie” for its Encores! Off Center under the direction of Leigh Silverman, a soloist for Jeanine Tesori’s “Jamboree”, a soloist at Fall For Dance, and was the inaugural artist for their “On The Move” series. Ayodele was also a 2019-2020 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and Artist in Residence at Harvard University. Born in The Bronx and raised in Puerto Rico, Ayodele began her professional training at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her origins in theater and love for storytelling and tap dance have significantly contributed to the narrative nature of her work, which is rooted in the expression of identity, culture, language, and communication. Ayodele is Artist in Residence at Little Island, a new outdoor performance park on the Hudson and is on the Artist Council for NY Pops Up!, a New York State lead initiative to jumpstart live performances in NYC. Ayodele is also a featured tap dancer honoring the art form of tap on a 2021 US Postal Service Forever Stamp. https://www.ayodelecasel.com/

Jule Styne ( Music ) Born December 31st, 1905, London. Died September 20th, 1994, New York City.

With the scores of such Broadway classics as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Peter Pan, Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy and Funny Girl to his credit, composer Jule Styne ranks as one of the undisputed architects of the American musical theater. Born in London’s East End, Styne’s family moved to the United States in 1912.

Young Julius showed such a talent for the piano that he had performed with the Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit symphonies by age 10.

He developed his feel for popular music working with the jazz bands of 1920s Chicago, and as a vocal coach to such 1930s Hollywood stars as Shirley Temple and Alice Faye.

Teaming with lyricist Sammy Cahn in the 1940s, he created a string of hit parade leaders including the Oscar-winning “Three Coins in the Fountain.” In addition to Sammy Cahn, Styne’s collaborators include Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Merrill, Leo Robin and E.Y. Harburg, and their combined efforts have produced such showstoppers as “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “The Party’s Over,” “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!,” “People,” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.”

Jule Styne was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, the Theater Hall of Fame in 1981, and became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1990. On his 25th anniversary in show business, the following tribute was read into the Congressional Record : “The lives of Americans throughout our land, as well as the lives of people throughout the corners of the world, have been enriched by the artistry and genius of Jule Styne.”

Margaret Styne

Special Material

Margaret Ann Bissett Brown began her career as a model and actress. She was married to composer Jule Styne, and together, they composed “What Do Happy People Do?” Upon Margaret’s death, Funny Girl producers announced, “Margaret was a brilliant storyteller who represented her husband Jule Styne’s genius legacy with creativity and imagination … Her spirit will be imbued in our Broadway production of Funny Girl .”

Bob Merrill

Bob Merrill ( Lyrics ) was an American screenwriter, Broadway composer, lyricist. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Bob could not read or write a note of music.

He would plunk out his cheerful melodies on a toy xylophone bought at a five and dime store. When ideas for songs struck him, he would write the words down on napkins or odd scraps of paper.

Bob turned out to be one of the most influential and prolific songwriters of the 1950s with hits on the U.S. and U.K. Singles Charts such as “How Much Is That Doggie In The Window,” “Mambo Italiano” and “Honeycomb.”

Merrill then transitioned to writing lyrics for beloved television musicals including “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol” (1962), “The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood” (1965) and “The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (music and lyrics, 1998). Merrill also wrote five songs for the 1962 film The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm .

Longing to write more profound songs, he turned to the musical theatre. By the late fifties, he had written music and lyrics for Broadway’s New Girl in Town, Take Me Along, Carnival , and Henry, Sweet Henry .

In the early 1960’s Merrill formed an enduring partnership with composer Jule Styne, which would lead to his greatest artistic success, Funny Girl (1964). Hit songs such as “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade” were made famous by Barbra Streisand, who starred in the original production of Funny Girl in 1964. He would partner with Styne again on Sugar (1972) and The Red Shoes (1993). Other stage musicals include Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1966), Prettybelle (1971) and The Prince of Grand Street (1978).

In the late 1970’s, Merrill returned to Hollywood where he wrote several screenplays including Mahogany starring Diana Ross, W.C . Fields And Me starring Rod Steiger and Chu Chu And The Philly Flash starring Carol Burnett.

Bob Merrill passed away in 1998, leaving behind a legacy of timeless songs that spoke to both his whimsy and his gentle poetry.

Isobel Lennart

Isobel Lennart ( Book ) (1915-1971) was born Isobel Fredrika Hochdorf on May 8, 1915, in Brooklyn. Her father was a dentist working out of their home on Crescent Street. Her mother, Victoria Lennart Livingston, died when Isobel was five years old. Afflicted by polio as a girl and in leg braces, Isobel became an avid reader, especially of movie magazines. She dreamed of escaping Brooklyn and becoming a film director. After attending Smith College and NYU, she moved to Los Angeles in 1937 and worked as a script girl for MGM. As a screenwriter, her first movie for MGM, The Affairs of Martha , opened in 1942, followed by A Stranger in Town , and her personal favorite, Lost Angel . Some 25 more scripts were made into popular movies over the next 30 years, among them, Two for the Seesaw , Inn of the Sixth Happines s, the Oscar-nominated Love Me or Leave Me , and The Sundowners . She married actor-playwright John Harding in 1946, and had two children, Joshua (1947-1971) and Sarah (1951-). Despite her trials and tribulations with the House Un-American Activities Committee, she was never prevented from working. In 1964 she wrote the book for the Broadway musical Funny Girl and in 1968 wrote the screen adaptation, winning the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay. Ms. Lennart received many accolades and three Academy Award nominations during her career, but the 1966 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement bestowed by the Writers Guild of America was her most treasured. It is given to that member of the Guild who has advanced the literature of the motion picture through the years, and who has made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter. She died mid-career in a car accident in January 1971. In 2016, Funny Girl was deemed “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Today, a documentary on the life of Ms. Lennart highlighting her most iconic work and featuring its first Broadway revival is in production with support from the Jewish Film Institute.

Harvey Fierstein

Revised Book

Harvey Fierstein ( Revised Book ) is the author of Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage Aux Folles , (both Tony Award winners) Kinky Boots, Newsies, Casa Valentina (all Tony Award Nominated), A Catered Affair (Drama League Outstanding Musical), Safe Sex, Legs Diamond , and last season’s Bella Bella . His television scripts include “Hairspray Live!” and “The Wiz Live!” as well as the HBO drama “Tidy Endings.” He’s written opinion pieces for The NY Times, Huffington Post, Hartford Courant and PBS’ In The Life. Theater goers know his Tony Award-winning performances in Hairspray and Torch Song Trilogy as well as star turns in Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage Aux Folles, Gently Down The Stream , and Bella Bella . His film roles include Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day and Mulan . On TV he’s been on “Sesame Street,” “Cheers” (Emmy nomination), “BoJack Horseman,” “The Good Wife” and “Hairspray Live!” Inducted into The Theater Hall of Fame and The Brooklyn Walk of Fame, Mr. Fierstein has a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. This spring Knopf will release his memoir, I Was Better Last Night .

Scenic Designer

DAVID ZINN ( Scenic Designer ). Broadway: scenery and costumes for Choir Boy, Boys in the Band, SpongeBob SquarePants, Amélie, Fun Home, The Last Ship; scenery for Kimberly Akimbo, Funny Girl, Diana, The Minutes, Torch Song, The Humans ; costumes for Almost Famous, A Doll’s House Part 2, Airline Highway, Xanadu. Also: Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater, New York Theater Workshop, Second Stage, ACT, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, National Theatre (UK), Young Vic (UK), Theater Basel, Berlin Staatsoper. Tony, Obie, Drama Desk, Hewes awards.

Susan Hilferty

Costume Designer

Susan Hilferty ( Costume Designer) has designed over 300 productions across the globe. Recent designs include Hamlet (St. Anne’s Warehouse and Gate Theatre, Dublin), Blood Wedding (Young Vic, London), Boesman and Lena (Signature Theatre), A Bright Room Called Day , (Public Theatre), Love, Love, Love (Roundabout Theatre; Lucille Lortel Award), Buried Child and The Spoils (New Group, NY and West End), Turn Me Loose (Arena Stage), and Richard Nelson’s What Happened? : The Michaels Abroad (Loewe Theatre). Her many Broadway designs include Wicked (Tony, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk awards and Olivier nomination), Present Laughter (Tony nomination), Hands on a Hardbody , Spring Awakening (Tony nomination), Lestat (Tony nomination), Annie (2013 Revival), Into the Woods (Tony and Drama Desk nominations; Hewes Award), and Frank Wildhorn’s Wonderland . Her designs for opera include Rigoletto and La Traviata for the Metropolitan Opera and Manon at LA Opera and Berlin Staatsoper. Hilferty has designed over a hundred off-Broadway including Richard Nelson’s Apple Family Plays and August Wilson’s Radio Golf and Jitney . She works with such well-known directors as Athol Fugard (the South African writer with whom she works as set and costume designer and often as co-director on over 45 productions since 1980), Yaël Farber, JoAnne Akalaitis, Laurie Anderson, Arin Arbus, Christopher Ashley, Walter Bobbie, Anne Bogart, Gregory Boyd, Jonathan Butterell, Oskar Eustis, Robert Falls, Frank Galati, Garry Hynes, David Jones, Selina Cartmell, Moisés Kaufman, Tony Kushner, Mark Lamos, James Lapine, Michael Longhurst, Richard Nelson, Des McAnuff, Marion McClinton, James MacDonald, Emily Mann, Joe Mantello, Michael Mayer, Neil Pepe, Bart Sher, Rebecca Taichman, Robert Woodruff, Doug Wright, and the late Garland Wright. Hilferty also designs for Film, Dance (Alvin Ailey), the Circus (Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey) and Concerts (Taylor Swift SPEAK NOW World Tour). Hilferty’s many awards include the USITT Lifetime Achievement Award, Irene Sharaff Award for Lifetime Achievement, an OBIE for Sustained Excellence in Design, the Lilly Award and the Ruth Morley Design Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women. In addition, she Chairs the Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. susanhilferty.com

Kevin Adams

Lighting Designer

Kevin Adams ( Lighting Designer) Kevin Adams has received four Tony Awards for his work on Broadway, which includes The Cher Show, Head Over Heels, SpongeBob The Musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, American Idiot, Next to Normal, Passing Strange, The 39 Steps, Spring Awakening, Hair, Take Me Out , and solo shows by Michael Moore, Eve Ensler, and John Leguizamo. Off-Broadway credits include the original productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Scottsboro Boys , revivals of Carrie and Rent , and new work by Edward Albee, Tony Kushner, Neil Simon, Terrence McNally, Richard Greenberg, Anna Deavere Smith, Eric Bogosian, and Christopher Durang. Other work includes numerous productions at The Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, the Hollywood Bowl, Las Vegas, London’s West End, Disney Hall, and Sandra Bernhard’s 1990 feature film Without You I’m Nothing . Kevin has received the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Award, Lucille Lortel Awards, Hewes Design Awards, Knights of Illumination Award, and an Obie for Sustained Excellence.

Brian Ronan

Co-Sound Designer

BRIAN RONAN (Co- Sound Designer ) has designed the sound for over 40 Broadway shows. Some recent designs include Some Like It Hot; Mrs. Doubtfire ; Tootsie ; Mean Girls ; Springsteen on Broadway ; The Prom ; The Last Ship ; If/Then ; Beautiful ; The Book of Mormon ; Anything Goes ; American Idiot ; Promises, Promises ; Next to Normal ; Curtains ; Spring Awakening ; Cabaret. His regional and Off-Broadway credits are extensive. Brian is the recipient of the Obie, Lucille Lortel, two Drama Desks, London’s Olivier and two Tony awards.

CODY SPENCER

CO-SOUND DESIGNER

CODY SPENCER (Co- Sound Designer ). Broadway: Co-Sound Design: Here Lies Love, The Pee-Wee Herman Show . Off-Broadway: Broadway Bounty Hunter and Joan of Arc: Into the Fire , Co-Sound Design Trevor and Here Lies Love (Lortel Award). Some of his work as Associate Sound Designer includes Springsteen on Broadway , Mean Girls , Lazarus , Beautiful , The Book of Mormon , Bring It On: The Musical , and Annie . In addition to theatre, Cody has co-designed some of New York’s biggest concert venues including Brooklyn Steel, Terminal 5 and Webster Hall.

CAMPBELL YOUNG ASSOCIATES

WIG AND HAIR DESIGNER

CAMPBELL YOUNG ASSOCIATES ( Wig and Hair Designer ). Broadway: The Music Man ; Company ; Tina–The Tina Turner Musical (Drama Desk); A Christmas Carol ; To Kill A Mockingbird ; Carousel ; Hello, Dolly ; Head Over Heels ; King Lear ; Misery ; Les Misérables ; The Ferryman ; Jerusalem ; Ghost ; Billy Elliot. West End: Back to the Future, Get Up Stand Up, Cinderella, Leopoldstadt. Film/TV: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Downton Abbey.

Chris Walker

Orchestrations

Chris Walker ( Orchestrations ) Chris orchestrated the highly acclaimed London production of Funny Girl which premiered at The Menier Chocolate Factory before transferring to The Savoy Theatre in the West End. Over the years, he has been associated with numerous productions across the UK and USA, West End and Broadway, as a Musical Director, Orchestrator and Dance Arranger. As well as being a prolific composer, he has also produced numerous cast recordings and his film work includes orchestrations for Shirley Valentine, Impromptu and Olympus Has Fallen . Theater shows include: Godspell, Oliver!, Side by Side by Sondheim, My Fair Lady, Tomfoolery, Me and My Girl (London and Broadway), Cabaret, Follies, The Secret Garden, Ragtime, Acorn Antiques, Sweet Charity, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London and Broadway), Lend Me A Tenor, Anything Goes, The Producers, Barnum and the first ever stage adaptation of Irving Berlin’s Top Hat . Chris has worked extensively for the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre providing orchestrations for their productions of Into The Woods, Ragtime and The Sound of Music . Having orchestrated Victoria Wood’s musical That Day We Sang for The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, he was invited to enhance the score for the BBC2 Christmas drama adaptation starring Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball. His frequent collaborations with Olivier Award-winning performer Maria Friedman include her London productions of High Society at the Old Vic and Stepping Out at the Vaudeville Theatre. When Covid-19 struck the London theater scene, Chris was conducting the UK Premier of Sleepless, The Musical based on the movie, “Sleepless In Seattle”. He is currently writing the music for a new show, Power Play , and orchestrating a production using music by Cole Porter which is due to open later in the year. He is very much looking forward to being in New York again and creating new orchestrations for Funny Girl.

Michael Rafter

Music Supervisor

Michael Rafter ( Music Supervisor) has served as music director/arranger for Sutton Foster: New York Pops, Live From Lincoln Center, and over 100 concerts world-wide. He has been the music director/conductor and/or supervisor for Broadway: Violet, Everyday Rapture, Sweet Charity, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Swing!, The Sound of Music, The King and I, The Most Happy Fella, Gypsy . He was the associate music supervisor for Jersey Boys . For Film and TV: CODA, Annette, Marriage Story, Music and Lyrics, Did You Hear About the Morgans?, Gypsy starring Bette Midler (Emmy for Music Direction). He is an Associate Professor of Musical Theatre at Ball State University. Michael will next be the music director/supervisor for the upcoming Broadway revival of Funny Girl in 2022. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the proud father of Siena Rafter (Brown ’20).

Jim Carnahan, CSA

JIM CARNAHAN, CSA ( Casting ) has cast over 150 Broadway shows. His work on Broadway this season includes Merrily We Roll Along ; Shark is Broken ; Appropriate ; Doubt ; New York, New York ; A Beautiful Noise ; Funny Girl ; Harry Potter ; Moulin Rouge! ; as well as off-Broadway’s Little Shop of Horrors . Film: Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid.

JASON THINGER, CSA

JASON THINGER, CSA ( Casting ). Broadway: Merrily We Roll Along, Funny Girl, A Beautiful Noise, Almost Famous, Take Me Out, A Christmas Carol, Tootsie . Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors, Medea (BAM). Regional/Tours: A Christmas Carol, The Light in the Piazza (Lyric Opera of Chicago). London: The 47th . TV/Film: The Week Of and The Sinner .

Alan Williams

Dance, Vocal and Incidental Music Arrangements

Alan Williams ( Dance, Vocal and Incidental Music Arrangements ) is an Arranger, Musical Director, Supervisor and Orchestrator. He studied piano and conducting at Chetham’s School of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Recent credits include: Hairspray (London Coliseum), The Boy in the Dress (Royal Shakespeare Company), Evita (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Southwark Playhouse), Big Fish (The Other Palace), Disney’s Aladdin (Prince Edward Theatre), Funny Girl (Menier Chocolate Factory, Savoy Theatre, UK Tour & Cinema broadcast), A Damsel in Distress (Chichester Festival Theatre), Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory), Urinetown (St James Theatre & Apollo Theatre), The Commitments (Palace Theatre & UK Tour), A Chorus Line (London Palladium), Shrek (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, two UK tours & Australia), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee & Passion (Donmar Warehouse), Monty Python’s Spamalot (Palace Theatre), Eric’s (Liverpool Everyman) and Little Shop of Horrors (West Yorkshire Playhouse). Recording credits include producing the original cast album of The Boy in the Dress , Matt Croke – Only Dreaming , conducting the 2016 recording of Funny Girl and playing on the Original Cast Album of Sister Act . His orchestration and arrangement of Overture of Overtures was a YouTube sensation in 2020, and will be performed at the Kennedy Center Washington 50th anniversary concert.

David Dabbon

Additional Arrangements

David Dabbon ( Additional Arrangements ) is an Emmy nominated composer for his song “Eat Shit, Bob!” which aired on HBO’s award-winning “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” On Broadway, he composed new music and wrote dance arrangements for the celebrated revival of Bob Fosse’s Dancin’. He also provided additional orchestrations for the Broadway bio-musical Sondheim on Sondheim (Grammy nomination). He has an ongoing collaboration with six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, regularly providing orchestrations for her concerts and albums. His work can be heard on both Audra McDonald New York Philharmonic: Sing Happy and Audra McDonald: Go Back Home. His film work includes: Six By Sondheim (Arranger) and All God’s Creatures (Composer). Education: Carnegie Mellon University and The Hartt School. www.daviddabbon.com .

Carmel Dean

CARMEL DEAN ( Additional Arrangements ). Composer: Renascence (Off-Broadway); Well-Behaved Women (Joe’s Pub and Australia). Upcoming: Maiden Voyage (commission). Broadway musical director, supervisor and/or arranger: The Notebook ; If/Then ; American Idiot ; Hands on a Hardbody ; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee . Other collaborations: Green Day; Phish; The Trey Anastasio Band, Chita Rivera.

KIMBERLEE WERTZ

Music Coordinator

Kimberlee Wertz ( Music Coordinator ). Red was awarded the 2007 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. Broadway credits include over 100 shows. Kim: Tony Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, Oscars. Together this season: The Lehman Trilogy, The Music Man, Funny Girl !

ELAINE DAVIDSON

MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR

ELAINE DAVIDSON ( Music Director/Conductor ). National tours include: Annie, Phantom of the Opera, Wizard of Oz, Catch Me If You Can, Mamma Mia!, Sound of Music (China), and more. She has worked with directors Cameron Mackintosh, Hal Prince, Billy Porter, Dan Knechtges, Jeffrey Seller, Baayork Lee, and Gabe Barre.

JOHANNA McKEON

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

JOHANNA McKEON ( Associate Director ). Broadway: Funny Girl, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, King Kong, American Idiot, War Paint, and Grey Gardens . Broadway Tours: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, American Idiot, Rent. Upcoming: Swept Away at Arena Stage. She is a recipient of Drama League, Boris Sagal and Fulbright Fellowships. MFA: UT Austin.

TORYA BEARD

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

TORYA BEARD ( Assistant Director ). Director: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic , Artists at the Center (NYCC), Assistant Director: Funny Girl Broadway revival, Waitress Broadway revival. Producer: Bessie Awards 2023, Jesus Christ Superstar: Highlights from the All-Female Studio Cast Recording . APAP’s Inaugural CIPA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Creative Producing. For Valerie Payne Foster.

JEFFREY GUGLIOTTI

ASSOCIATE CHOREOGRAPHER

JEFFREY GUGLIOTTI ( Associate Choreographer ) is a Choreographer and Teacher based in New York City. Credits include: The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The View , the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Most recently: Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors, Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, Mr. Saturday Night at Barrington Stage; Broadway: revival of Funny Girl . @jeffgugliotti

ASSISTANT TAP CHOREOGRAPHER

DRE TORRES ( Assistant Tap Choreographer ). Chasing Magic , City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival, and Little Island’s Music and Dance Festival . Career highlights: Comedy Central, Radio City, FOX, BBC, PBS, Harvard, and five-year Principal with Tapestry Dance Company, directed by Acia Gray. For Mom, Dad & Mona. @dretorres14

JOVON E. SHUCK

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

JOVON E. SHUCK ( Production Stage Manager ) is a proud graduate of Michigan State University whose credits include the National tours of: Dear Evan Hansen, Miss Saigon, Waitress , Hedwig and the Angry Inch , The Phantom of the Opera , Disney’s The Lion King , and Monty Python’s Spamalot as well as Radio City Music Hall, The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, George Street Playhouse, and Gateway Playhouse. Much love to Sheila Marie, always.

MARIAH YOUNG

STAGE MANAGER

MARIAH YOUNG ( Stage Manager ). Tours: The Book of Mormon, Anastasia , A Bronx Tale , Elf the Musical, The Nutcracker, Flamenco Vivo’s Voces del Sur , and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Infinite thanks to my ever-supportive family, friends, and Brian.

Rachael Wilkin

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

RACHAEL WILKIN ( Assistant Stage Manager ) (she/her). National Tours: Mean Girls , Oklahoma! , Miss Saigon , Waitress , Fiasco’s Into The Woods , Pippin . Off-Broadway: Our Class . Scenic fabrication/painting: The Humans (Broadway).

BRILLIAN QI-BELL

SUB STAGE MANAGER

Brillian Qi-Bell ( Sub Stage Manager ). Advocacy/Educational Programs: Cody Renard Richard Scholarship, Beyond the Stage Door (Baseline Theatricals). PA: Jagged Little Pill (Tour, RCI Theatricals), SUFFS (Development 101 Productions), The Harder They Come (Public Theater). ASM: Bees & Honey (MCC Theater), Marathon of One-Act Plays (Ensemble Studio Theater) SM: BREATHE (New Professional Theater), BLKS (UIowa)

JUSTIN A. SWEENEY

COMPANY MANAGER

JUSTIN A. SWEENEY ( Company Manager ) (he/him). Broadway: Monty Python’s Spamalot . National Tours: To Kill a Mockingbird (First National), The Phantom of the Opera (Spectacular New), Les Misérables (25th Anniversary), Movin’ Out (First National); American Ballet Theatre: national and international tours, including Cuba and Oman. Shout out to Jackson!

RYAN MAYFIELD

ASSISTANT COMPANY MANAGER

RYAN MAYFIELD ( Associate Company Manager ) (he/him). National Tours: To Kill a Mockingbird (First National). (Regional Theatre) Cabaret (Goodspeed Musicals), World Premiere – Anne of Green Gables ( Goodspeed Musicals), 42nd Street (Goodspeed Musicals). Hometown: Portland, OR. Huge thanks and love to his family, friends, and the Funny Girl Company. Insta: @ryan_mayfield_

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

SETH WENIG ( Executive Producer ) has been with NETworks since its inception in 1995. He spearheaded the international tours of Fosse starring Ben Vereen and Ruthie Henshall. Seth has produced the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific and the National Theatre production of War Horse. Together with Cameron Mackintosh, Seth served as Executive Producer for both the US and UK tours of the National Theatre’s My Fair Lady , the 25th Anniversary US tour of Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera tour, Miss Saigon. Currently, Funny Girl, The Book of Mormon, and To Kill a Mockingbird, . He is most proud of his greatest productions – Marlo and Camden.

GENTRY & ASSOCIATES

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

GENTRY & ASSOCIATES ( General Management ) has managed nearly 250 national and international touring theatrical productions over the past 25 years. Current and upcoming productions include Beetlejuice, The Book of Mormon, Come From Away, Funny Girl, Les Misérables, Mean Girls, Peter Pan, and To Kill a Mockingbird.

THE BOOKING GROUP

TOUR BOOKING AGENCY

THE BOOKING GROUP ( Tour Booking Agency ) has represented 28 Tony Award® winning Best Musicals and Plays. Current tours include The Book of Mormon, Chicago, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Funny Girl, Hadestown, Hairspray, Hamilton, Mamma Mia!, Mean Girls, MJ The Musical, Mrs. Doubtfire, My Fair Lady, Pretty Woman, Six, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, To Kill A Mockingbird, Waitress and The Wiz. Future tours include: A Wonderful World, How to Dance in Ohio, The Karate Kid, Parade, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Some Like It Hot and Sweeney Todd.

ALLIED GLOBAL MARKETING

TOUR MARKETING & PRESS

ALLIED GLOBAL MARKETING ( Tour Marketing & Press ) is an integrated marketing agency working with the world’s largest entertainment, sports, consumer, and lifestyle brands, including 80+ Broadway shows over 25 years. Current tours: Ain’t Too Proud ; Beetlejuice ; The Book of Mormon ; Hadestown ; Mamma Mia! ; Mean Girls ; Mrs. Doubtfire ; Pretty Woman ; Wheel of Fortune LIVE! ; A Wonderful World . Upcoming tours: Back to the Future ; The Hip Hop Nutcracker ; The Kite Runner ; New York, New York ; Some Like It Hot.

DIGITAL MARKETING & ADVERTISING

ARTHOUSE ( Digital Marketing and Advertising ), is a full-service digital agency that partners with forward-thinking advertisers in the strategy and design of innovative brand campaigns. Our services include branding, content creation, social management and media buying with a focus on how creativity & connection drives campaign success. We work with our clients to create campaigns that are beautiful and strategic, converting users into active and engaged customers. Visit arthousenewyork.com .

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FUNNY GIRL North American Tour Unveils Full Cast and Schedule
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Funny Girl on Tour
Funny Girl on Tour
Funny Girl on Tour
Funny Girl on Tour

COMMENTS

'Funny Girl' North American Tour Announces 2023-2024 Route and Full
The producers of Funny Girl, the sensational musical comedy revival, have announced full casting and the 2023-2024 tour route for the North American Tour. The tour will officially open at Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI, from September 9-16, 2023, before continuing on to more than 30 cities coast-to-coast, including recently announced engagements in…
FUNNY GIRL North American Tour Unveils Full Cast and Schedule
Discover the full cast and tour dates for the highly anticipated FUNNY GIRL North American Tour. Don't miss out on this exciting production of the beloved musical. ... Full casting and the 2023-24 ...
Tour
Tour; NORTH AMERICAN TOUR. HELLO GORGEOUS, HELLO NORTH AMERICA. Los Angeles, CA. The Ahmanson Theatre. April 2-28, 2024. Learn More. San Francisco, CA. Orphem Theatre. Apr 30-May 26, 2024. ... I would like to receive Funny Girl ticket emails, updates, and exclusive content. * Consent *
Cast Complete for Funny Girl Tour, Starring Katerina ...
National Tour News Cast Complete for Funny Girl Tour, Starring Katerina McCrimmon, Melissa Manchester, Stephen Mark Lukas, More. The tour is scheduled to begin September 9 in Providence, Rhode Island.
Newcomer Katerina McCrimmon to Lead Funny Girl Tour with Melissa
Principal casting has been announced for the North American tour of Funny Girl. Leading the company as Fanny Brice will be Katerina McCrimmon, wh ... Call us at 1.800.BROADWAY
Funny Girl Announces Complete Tour Casting
Complete casting has been announced for the 2023-24 North American Tour of Funny Girl. The tour's official launch will take place at Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island ...
Funny Girl Announces Principal Casting for North American Tour
The producers of Funny Girl have announced principal casting for the revival's North American Tour. The cast will feature Grammy Award winner Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice and introduce ...
Funny Girl National Tour Announces Principal Casting
July 11, 2023 12:14 PM. Category: News. Off the heels of a highly acclaimed Broadway revival, Funny Girl has announced principal casting for the North American Tour. The cast will feature Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter, Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice, and introduce Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice. They will be joined by Stephen Mark ...
Principal Casting Announced for North American Tour of FUNNY GIRL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (July 11, 2023) — The producers of FUNNY GIRL, the sensational musical comedy revival, are thrilled to announce principal casting for the North American Tour. The cast will feature Grammy-Award® winning singer-songwriter, Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice, and introduce Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice. They will be joined by Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, Izaiah ...
Funny Girl Tour
The Funny Girl Tour: A Timeless Comedy and Heartwarming Journey. Get ready to laugh, cry, and fall in love all over again as the Funny Girl Tour takes center stage! This iconic production, beloved by audiences for generations, is hitting the road once more, bringing the timeless story of Fanny Brice to life. With humor that will have you in ...
Newcomer Katerina McCrimmon to lead 'Funny Girl' tour with Melissa
Principal casting has been announced for the North American tour of "Funny Girl." Leading the company as Fanny Brice will be Katerina McCrimmon, who will make her national tour debut with the production. Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester will take on the role of Mrs. Brice.
Katerina McCrimmon to Star as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL North American Tour
Photos. Videos. The principal cast been revealed for the North American Tour of Funny Girl. The cast will feature Grammy-Award® winning singer-songwriter, Melissa Manchesteras as Mrs. Brice, and ...
Funny Girl to Launch North American Tour in September
Additional tour cities and casting will be announced at a later date. "We are immensely proud of this revival of Funny Girl ," producers Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis and David Babani said in a ...
'Funny Girl' review: The tour gifts us an astounding new Fanny Brice
Melissa Manchester and Katerina McCrimmon in 'Funny Girl'. Matthew Murphy. Melissa Manchester is a stand-out as Mrs. Brice, Fanny's mother, and she wisely avoids the pitfall of making a ...
'Funny Girl' Broadway Casting Timeline: Lea Michele to Close
March 2, 2022. Michele, alongside Feldshuh, Nicky Arnstein portrayer Ramin Karimloo, and Funny Girl 's sole Tony nominee, Jared Grimes, extend their runs through September 3, when the show will ...
'Funny Girl' tour casts non-Jewish actor as lead, reigniting 'Jewface
The casting decision for the tour follows a 15-month Broadway run for "Funny Girl." Beginning in April 2022, Feldstein starred as Fanny Brice in the revival, bringing a childhood dream of hers to life. (Feldstein's 3rd birthday party was "Funny Girl"-themed.)
Funny Girl Broadway Revival to Launch National Tour
It was announced today that the Broadway revival of Funny Girl will launch a North American Tour this September. The tour will officially open at Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI from September 9-16, 2023, before continuing to more than 30 cities coast-to-coast, including Atlanta, GA, and Detroit, MI. "We are immensely proud of…
'Funny Girl' will embark on a North American tour
Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Landis, David Babani and NETworks Presentations have announced a North American tour of "Funny Girl," scheduled to launch in fall 2023. The tour will officially open on Sept. 9 at Rhode Island's Providence Performing Arts Center. Tovah Feldshuh and Lea Michele in "Funny Girl" on Broadway (Photo credit: Matthew ...
Review: Katerina McCrimmon makes 'Funny Girl's' Fanny Brice her own
Katerina McCrimmon and Stephen Mark Lukas in the national tour of "Funny Girl.". (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade) Lukas' portrayal deepens as the marriage between Nick and Fanny disintegrates ...
'Funny Girl' national tour casting sparks 'Jewface' criticism
The casting decision for the tour follows a 15-month Broadway run for "Funny Girl." Beginning in April 2022, Feldstein starred as Fanny Brice in the revival, bringing a childhood dream of hers ...
Melissa Manchester featured as Mrs. Brice for the North American Tour
The producers of FUNNY GIRL, the sensational musical comedy revival, are thrilled to announce principal casting for the North American Tour. The tour will officially open at Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI, from September 9-16, 2023, before continuing on to more than 30 cities coast-to-coast, including Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Dallas,
US tour of 'Funny Girl' casts non-Jewish actor as Fanny Brice
The casting decision for the tour follows a 15-month Broadway run for "Funny Girl." Beginning in April 2022, Feldstein starred as Fanny Brice in the revival, bringing a childhood dream of hers ...
Reviews: What Are Critics Saying About Funny Girl on Tour?
September 28, 2023. Katerina McCrimmon. Funny Girl has hit the road, and the reviews are in. A U.S. national tour launched from Providence, Rhode Island's Providence Performing Arts Center ...
Cast & Creative
Cast. Creative. Katerina. McCrimmon. FANNY BRICE. (Read Bio) KATERINA McCRIMMON(Fanny Brice) is originally from Miami, FL and she's thrilled to be playing Fanny in this gorgeous production. Broadway: The Rose Tattoo (Roundabout Theater Company). Other NY Theater: The Light in the Piazza (City Center Encores!).