Bruce Glykas
Life in the automotive world is coming to an end for Funny Girl. The Broadway revival has extended, but the show will play its final performance on Sunday, September 3, 2023.
Its closing date is roughly one year after Michelle joined the cast, though the “Funny Girl” revival first opened in April 2022 led by Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice. But she and Jane Lynch, who was replaced by Tovah Feldshuh as Fanny’s mother, left the production in August after the production suffered from poor reviews and poor turnout.
Funny Girl may have closed earlier with no casting changes. But box office fortunes have been on the rise since last September and seats at the August Wilson Theater have remained well-stocked, even setting multiple house records. By the time the cast, including Ramin Karimloo as Nikki Arnstein and Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan, takes its final bow, the Broadway revival will have played 599 performances and 30 previews.
As previously announced, Funny Girl will be embarking on a tour in September, starting in Providence, RI, before continuing to more than 30 cities in North America.
“Fun Girl” follows Bryce on her unlikely rise to fame and her whirlwind relationship with gambler Nikki Arnstein. The musical features classic stage performances such as “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “The People.” In a unique arrangement, Julie Benko, who has become a fan favorite at August Wilson’s Theatre, performs as Fanny Brice every Thursday and while Michelle is out.
The musical debuted on Broadway in 1964, starring Barbra Streisand, and garnered several Tony nominations. The revival marks the first time “Funny Girl” has returned to the Great White Road in 58 years.
Michelle certainly had tough shoes to fill, but critics have compared her performance favorably to the star-making role of Streisand. in miscellaneous Reviewing, Frank Rizzo wrote, “Michelle is able to distance herself enough from Streisand’s crafting to take ownership of—or at least become a skilled patron of—the material.”
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