Chase after the great American dream with one of history’s most cherished performers on October 17-22! Funny Girl is coming to you LIVE at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Book your tickets today for Funny Girl’s raucous display LIVE during the third week of October at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Belk Theatre.
Funny Girl Tickets:
Katerina McCrimmon is the fantabulous Fanny Brice! Follow the story of the early twentieth-century superstar as she braves the challenges of life in the spotlight and her marriage with debonair gambler Nick Arnstein (Stephen Mark Lukas). In just under three hours, audiences will experience this bittersweet legend in complete theatrical spectacle!
Now on a thirty-city nationwide tour, Funny Girl’s first-ever Broadway revival brings back show-stopping hits like “I’m the Greatest Star” from Jule Styne and Bob Merrill’s ageless score. The musical is directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Mayer, with a revised book by Harvey Fierstein based on the original by Isobel Lenart.
“To say this is highly anticipated is an understatement.” – The New York Times
“Broadway’s new Fanny Brice is, to put it simply and without exaggeration, a knock-out.” – Deadline
“One of the top five musical performances I’ve seen in my lifetime.” – Los Angeles Times
Dreams are things you’re supposed to chase! From October 17 to 22, 2023, the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center will present the uncompromising iron will of America’s Funny Girl! The coast-to-coast tour will launch in September at Rhode Island, visiting thirty cities in its route, including this series in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Lights. Orchestra. Curtains!
Fanny, like most of us, was an awkward teenager. But what sets this otherwise unremarkable adolescent apart from her peers is conviction. Pure. Unbending. Conviction. Stagestruck, the young Lower East Side girl convinces a vaudevillian hoofer to coach her in song and dance. Fanny’s first stage appearance, a resounding success, earns her the eyes of a certain showman/producer and a smooth-talking entrepreneur.
What follows next is a story for the ages…
For about three hours (plus intermission), Funny Girl plunges into the roller coaster life of the storied comedian. From Ziegfeld Follies prominence to her stormy romance with Nick Arnstein, Fanny Brice’s story will let you experience the cathartic heights and the ugliest ends of stardom and marriage in unfettered resolution.
Cast
National YoungArts Winner Katerina McCrimmon leads the Funny Girl US tour as Fanny Brice, while Broadway sensation Stephen Mark Lukas will fill the role of Nick Arnstein. Supporting our two main actors is the following cast of captivating secondary characters.
- Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice
- 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
- David Foley Jr. as Tom Keeney
Meanwhile, Vinny Andaloro, Lamont Brown, Kate E. Cook, Dot Kelly, Alex Hartman, Ryan Lambert, Kathy Liu, Zoey Lytle, Meghan Manning, Bryan Charles Moore, Sami Murphy, Hannah Shankman, Jordon Taylor, Rodney Thompson, Sean Thompson, and Annaliese Wilbur will serve as the show’s outstanding swing and ensemble teams.
This inaugural Broadway revival features Harvey Fierstein’s revisions of the 1964 book by Isobel Lenart, helmed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer. It welcomes back the original score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, which includes certified crowd-pleasers like “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “People,” and “I’m the Greatest Star.”
In addition, the production enlists the talents of these seasoned off-stage creatives:
- Ellenore Scott – Choreography
- Ayodele Casel – Tap Choreography
- Margaret Styne – Special Material
- David Zinn – Scenic Design
- Susan Hilferty – Costume Design
- Kevin Adams – Lighting Design
- Brian Ronan – Sound Design
- Campbell Young Associates – Hair & Wig Design
- Chris Walker – Orchestrations
- Michael Rafter – Music Supervision
- Jim Carnahan – Casting
- Alan Williams – Dance, Vocal, and Incidental Music Arrangements
- David Dabbon & Carmel Dean – Additional Arrangements
- Lisa Iacucci – Production Stage Management
- Howard Tilkin, Janet Takami, & Christopher R. Munnell – Assistant Stage Management
- Seymour Red Press/Kimberlee Wertz – Music Coordination
- Liz Caplan – Vocal Supervision
- Johanna McKeon – Associate Direction
“Without this real trailblazer from the early part of the last century and someone without whom, quite frankly, there would be no Barbra Streisand, let alone all the great female Jewish comics who came up. Once Fanny Brice sort of made it safe for them, then you get the Joan Rivers and the Sarah Silvermans of the world,” director Mayer talks about the impact of Fanny’s fame.
History
The first production of this Broadway gem debuted in 1964 at the Winter Garden Theatre. A semi-biographical account of the late comedian Fanny Brice, Funny Girl starred Barbra Streisand and opened to universal acclaim. The cast performed over 1300 shows, closing its run at The Broadway Theatre in 1967. Come award season, it was nominated eight times–including Best Musical and Best Composer and Lyricist–in the 18th Tony Awards.
In 1968, a silver screen adaptation was released. The film received eight nominations from the Academy Awards, and Streisand–reprising her role–won Best Actress. This resulted in a tie with Katharine Hepburn, one of the only six times it occurred in Academy history.
As decades passed, the musical’s legacy lived through various revivals and international productions. Among these are stints in Paris, Australia, West End London, and the rest of the UK. These runs were regularly nominated in major categories from the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Laurence Olivier award-giving bodies.
Grab your tickets now to see one of the GREATEST pursuits of the American dream! LIVE at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Belk Theatre, Funny Girl beckons you to take part in its eight-show excursion from October 17 to 22, 2023.
