Staged Right: Fanny & Barbra and the Legacy of 'Funny Girl'

"Funny Girl" is finally coming back to Broadway for the first time since its original production. This episode talks about the life of Fanny Brice, the rise of Barbra Streisand, and the making of "Funny Girl".

FACT CHECKS:

- At 4:53, I quote 'Herman Goldman' when in fact it's *HERBERT G. GOLDMAN* who wrote "Fanny Brice: The Original Funny Girl" (1994)
- At 16:50, I say that Garson Kanin had never directed a musical. This is wrong. In 1960, he directed "Do Re Mi" (which had a score by Jule Styne) and even wrote the book.

RESOURCES

Standard License purchased to use 'Jazz Drums' from KL Productions

[alegramonticelli]

Barbra has never been "ugly". She has a special kind of beauty that even increases while watching and hearing her

[DannyJane.]

For my 16th birthday my grandmother treated me to tickets to Funny Girl soon after it opened in 1964. I have no idea how she scored them since the show was supposed to be a sellout for months--maybe years---ahead. But she did, a matinee and not even in the nosebleed zone. We sat in the mezzanine and had a perfect view of the stage and watching Barbra, still in her early 20s command the stage every time she stepped upon it was unforgettable. The Wintergarden could easily have been crowned the unofficial queen of Broadway theaters, immense, beautiful, and with astonishing acoustics. We laughed, we cried, we clapped until our hands were bright red and deeply bruised. It was a day that still is bright in my memory these sixty years later.

After the show we decided to stop at a tiny Japanese restaurant for dinner. That was when my grandmother, then 66 and a lifelong Broadway maven, gave me the blow-by-blow story of the real Fanny Brice as she had been. Gram had seen her in the Follies--at that very theater, the Wintergarden, some thirty years before. She told me where the story of how much the real Fanny and Nicky diverged from the theatrical fiction and was able to quote from memory many of the articles she had read about Arnstein's legal troubles. "A no-good crook" was the kindest thing she called him. She saw Fanny's performance of "My Man" and grew misty-eyed describing how it had affected her. Now that old movies are available to stream to our heart's content, I revel in the real Fanny's undying ability to charm and entertain. I do wish the great lady could see that she is remembered and by those who have the will to search for her, still deeply loved.

[maytedrew]

Barbra performance cannot be topped as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. Her voice, the stage presence, and talent are one most iconic performance both on stage and on film.

[travisgrant]

There is NO ONE and I mean NO ONE can ever top Barbra Streisand 💞

[gdr]

I am about to turn 70 and have been a theater buff all my life. I used to spend my babysitting money on Broadway shows back in the 60s. I am amazed at how many young people in theater today have little idea of Broadway history. Keep these videos coming!

[don_actor_improv]

Barbra Streisand was wonderful in this. And it’s ironic how much her own personality mirrored that of Fanny Brice. I remember my grandmother talking about Fanny Brice and what a great performer she was.

[wotan]

My grandparents had actually seen Fanny Brice onstage. They thought she was fantastic; funny/sad, chic/dumpy, and they said she had a wonderful voice……but not like Streisand’s voice! (When my parents played a Streisand record for them, they said, “Oh, Fanny was great……but she couldn’t sing like THAT!). My own parents had seen Streisand at a nightclub and on the Broadway stage. When the movie came out, they dragged us kids (we were pre-teens) to see it, and we were PISSED! But we watched the movie, and our collective jaws hit the floor. We were just shocked that one person could be funny and sad, sing soft ballads and blow the roof off with belters, and simply be so magnetic. So I was a fan from that moment. As for the impending Broadway revival, here’s my thought: the show itself isn’t all that great, not like The King and I, Fiddler, Gypsy, et al, that are often revived. Funny Girl is so indelibly connected with Streisand that I can’t imagine anyone else being more than middling.

[kazza]

WOW props to Sondheim for insisting a Jewish actress play such an iconic Jewish performer! Accurate/appropriate casting is a fight still being fought today for most roles

[glendalynda]

I never thought Barbara Streisand was ugly. Always liked her voice. Bold and beautiful woman.

[peterfraser]

This was my first Barbra-record. I was 10 years old. Then I saw 'A Happening In Central park". My Mom snuck the little TV in my room and I was smitten forever-I loved it. But FG changed the equation for me, and
now I'm 65 and I still love Barbra.

[violetsnotroses]

I remember being surprised by how much I liked Funny Girl when I first saw it as a preteen, around 2010. I also remember being utterly confused by the insinuation that Barbra was ugly, and honestly I still am.

[stardustho]

Barbra was obviously excellent as Fanny and it seemed to be tailor-made to her public persona at the time as well as her acting ability. Not to mention, the music was the perfect vehicle to really showcase the breadth of her considerable skill as a vocalist. But, I think the intrinsic link between Barbra and this role exists for more than just her wonderful performance. She was TRULY at the right place at EXACTLY the right time. When Funny Girl debuted on Broadway, she had already made quite a name for herself. She preceded the imminent cultural shift from the impossible old Hollywood standards to the ushering in of celebrating and glamorizing of unique and unconventional beauty in the late 60’s into the 70’s. She was NEW and exciting. The zeitgeist was STARVED for it’s new, “ugly duckling” mega-belter, just as it’s previous one, Judy Garland, was beginning to make her exit. So, it was really an anomaly. Not at all trying to lessen the impact of her unbelievable talent, because that alone would have been enough to make her into a MEGA star, but the TIMING and cultural climate was really the cherry on top that catapulted her into the stratosphere and ultimately made the role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl belong indelibly to Barbra in the public consciousness.

[terryhammond]

An excellent clip. I saw Babs do it on Broadway when I wss 17. I waited for her to come out and gushed about her performance, predicting a soaring fiture for her in Hollywood. She signed my playbill, looked at me and said in her inimitable way: "Who-a-yoo?"
( I. E. "Who are you?" )

[blanchefan]

Wonderful job here--thank you for this superlative production. I'll have more to say later; I'm one of the fortunate ones who saw Barbra on Broadway in Funny Girl in June of 1965; I was a teenager; but I remember everything! To this day, I've never seen a more magnetic stage performance...she was/is unforgettable. More later--thank you again!

[pattycallahan]

OMG, this was a FASCINATING look at one of my favorite movies and actresses of ALL TIME! "Funny Girl" was the first Barbra movie that I ever saw (I was 8) and I thought she was the most beautiful and talented woman alive. Then, when I saw "Hello, Dolly!" a year later, I knew I was going to be a fan for life. I have never heard Beanie Feldstein sing, but I'm not sure if ANYONE can bring down the house like Barbra, especially when singing "Don't Rain on My Parade" and "My Man". If I could fly to NYC and see this revival, I would. I might even try to do that, since it is one of my favorite musicals of all time and I know it will be a stellar revival that doesn't veer far from what die-hard fans have come to love from watching the movie around 100 times. BTW, Jerry Orbach would have been a wonderful Nicky Arenstein! He was handsome!

[Tason]

Funny Lady is worth it for that "How Lucky Can You Get" number

[hannahorr]

My favorite musical of all time, I love you BARBRA!!!!

[stacymoore]

In 1968 I was 7 years old. My mother and I went to see it 6 times. I have the movie on DVD..

[diamondgoddess]

Excellent! One of my favorite movies, and I enjoy Funny Lady, too. Fanny was a very stylish woman irl; talented interior designer, etc. Fascinating woman! Barbra's performance is so on point.

[kathyshore]

"Funny Girl" was the movie that made me a Barbra Streisand fan. She's a legend! I love her, and all her movies. She's a mega talent, and beautiful in her own way. So much more than just a pretty face.