Where: 245 W. 52nd St.
New York, NY
Who: Recommended for Ages 10 and Up
The current production of Funny Girl is the first Broadway revival of the show since the original production starring the legendary, Barbra Streisand which opened in 1964. Thus, the current production has a lot to live up to, and it is not quite up to the task. This is not to say that there is nothing good about this production. Beanie Feldstein does have a nice voice, and she does seem to get stronger in the role as the performance goes along. The supporting cast is strong especially Ramin Karimloo as Nicky Arnstein, Jane Lynch as Mrs. Brice, and Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan. Karimloo has such a strong voice that he was given two solos in the show even though in the original production Nicky Arnstein didn't have any. Jared Grimes, who received the show's only Tony nomination, is an amazing dancer. In fact, the tap dancing in the show is terrific in general, definitely one of the highlights. Grimes, himself, did win a Chita Rivera Dance Award as Best Male Dancer. He tied with Myles Frost who plays the title role in MJ.
However, a show like this lives and dies with its lead performer, and unfortunately. Beanie Feldstein is not quite up to the task. She doesn't really connect with her fellow performers in a way that makes the relationships seem believable. This is not to say that she is not a talented performer. She was very good as Minnie Fay in Hello Dolly and she has done well in various movies. Maybe, she is the type of performer who does better in smaller roles or maybe this just isn't her role as much as she wants it to be. Thus, although the show is still worth seeing for its great songs and dancing, the performances of its supporting cast, and because it is a good story, this production is definitely not all that it can be.
And that's our view. Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop.
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