“Funny Girl” at the Bushnell Better than what I Saw on Broadway

By Karen Isaacs

The national tour production of Funny Girl, now at the Bushnell through Sunday, June 23 is better than the Broadway production I saw when the revival first opened.

Katerina McCrimmon, who plays Fanny Brice, is a big reason for this. She is fabulous! She creates a Fanny who is by turns, confident, unsure, funny, touching, and vulnerable, all the while performing the iconic songs with verve.

The audience was so involved with the love story between Fanny and Nick Arnstein that they applauded when it seemed the romance was going well.

The chemistry between McCrimmon and Stephen Mark Lucas, who played Nick, was palatable— something that was missing in the Broadway production.

Add in the fine performance of Melissa Manchester – yes, the Melissa Manchester as Fanny’s mother – and you have a delightful evening in the theater.

On Broadway, I thought the production looked and felt “skimpy” – too few showgirls for the Follies numbers, a set that seemed more a serious of backdrops, and costumes that did not project glamour.

I’m not sure if they changed anything, but this production seemed to have more Follies girls and better-quality costumes.

The flaws are the flaws that have been with the musical since its very beginning. But the score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill makes up for those.

This production, with a revised book by Harvey Fierstein, includes two additional songs for Nick that were dropped from the original. Neither “Temporary Arrangement” nor “You’re a Funny Girl” are great songs, but they do add depth to Nick’s character and let’s us hear Lucas’ terrific voice.

Tickets are available at Bushnell.org.