Lea Michele in Funny Girl: Hello Gorgeous!

 

At the August Wilson Theater last night, Gleeks and theater geeks gathered for the re-opening of Funny Girl, that classic 1964 Broadway musical so identified with its original star, it was a challenge to find the right actress to make it new. The new production’s first night for the cast change, featuring Lea Michele as Fanny Brice and Tovah Feldshuh as her mother, was such a major event, fans flew in from across America, some paying more than your usual markup, just to see the star of Glee work her ample chops around the performance originated by Barbra Streisand. It may take a star of the small screen to create such excitement, but with long, standing ovations rewarding a cast that now rocks, delivering as well as having the time of their lives, Funny Girl feels just right.

You have to believe that Fanny, a “mieskeit,” from Brooklyn, an ugly duckling, can capture the attention of Nicky Arnstein, a famous player and heartthrob. Can such a handsome guy fall for a “funny girl?” You bet. The chemistry between Michele and Ramin Karimloo made the audience swoon and leap to its feet. The mother, as in one number, “Who Taught Her Everything She Knows?” should appear to know a thing or two. That person is Tovah Feldshuh, a Jewish mother who supports her awkward daughter, having been around the block herself, and remarkably for a Jewish mother, doesn’t mess with her marriage. The adorable Feldshuh shimmies and taps, and with a mere shrug and eye roll, has the audience in stitches.

The fans milled around the stage door, blocking traffic on West 52 Street, many hoping to get a selfie with the star (not happening as a Covid precaution) and have her sign the merch. We ran into Ayodele Casel, the tap choreographer responsible for all that taps, especially Jared Grimes, the other factor in Fanny’s rise as a Ziegfeld girl and beyond. Ultimately, this show is about show business, and the dreams and heart break a life in theater makes real.