| I saw Julie Benko in “Funny Girl” last week. (Long) | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 01:10 pm EDT 08/22/22 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 12:54 pm EDT 08/22/22 | |
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| I thought she was marvelous and an excellent Fanny. She made the role her own; she has a lovely, well-trained and sweet voice especially when singing ballads like “People”, but can rise to the occasion when demanded in more socko numbers like “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and the ending of “I’m the Greatest Star”. She’s funny, too and a good actress. Her “People” was so affecting because it was so sweetly sung with a lovely tone and was still from the heart. Her chemistry with Ramin Karimloo was quite good. I think the book’s best-written scene has always been the hotel dining room one with “You Are Woman, You Are Man”. Yes, there’s the added business of her tumbling off the couch, which awkward business she handled with aplomb, with Karimloo doing a nifty lift of his own onto the couch being the payoff for the physical comedy there. But it’s a funny and sexy scene. He was in fine voice, though the weak number inserted to beef up his role, “A Temporary Arrangement” had him singing in too contemporary and high shout-singing tessitura for the period or style. His dancing and especially his turns stick out pretty badly next to the dancers. But he has a great six-pack and otherwise looks like a traditional stage Nick, if not the real one. Julie Benko looks from a stage distance in the neighborhood of the real Fanny Brice, who was off-beat but attractive The standby Liz McCartney was on for the already departed Jane Lynch, and she was wonderful. Big belting voice, fine acting. You could see where her daughter Fanny got her big talent. Jared Grimes was excellent – his tap numbers, charming personality and presence really were an asset. I guess his character Eddie Ryan was not in the “Rat-tat-tat-tat” number like his character was in the original because it might have called attention to the fact that armies were segregated back in WWI (and into WWII). The two singer/dancers at the beginning were there in Eddie’s place. I always liked the number, but it felt a bit tacky in this production; for example, those hanging bagels were okay in “The Producers” but not really here – Ziegfeld’s shows weren’t going for tacky, even if Brice sometimes delved into low comedy. The first act played well and is very entertaining. I guess adding part of “Who Are You Now” as a framing device was new, although frankly I prefer the first time we hear Fanny singing is during “I’m the Greatest Star”. It’s the number which proves if the Fanny is up to the rest of the role. Julie Benko did the humorous asides of the first half of the song well, with her own takes, then sang more powerfully the second half, and you could feel that she had won over the audience by the end of the song. The second act, alas, still has problems which Harvey Fierstein really hasn’t solved. The songs work well for the most part, and “The Music That Makes Me Dance” is probably the finest song in the entire score. I would have preferred that it didn’t peter out at the end, with Fanny left like Julie Andrews in “My Fair Lady” without getting to sing the last note in “Without You”. The usual staging with her singing it at the Follies makes more sense, but perhaps this production’s prior Fanny made this staging a better fit. The scenes between Nick and Fanny are too melodramatic as has been described elsewhere. Fanny in real life had an even more interesting life, with Nick her second husband, and she had been more aware of his different business dealings. But what we have here is two people in love like “A Star is Born” with Nick as a Norman Maine who can’t deal with a more successful wife when he is down and out of the money. But the writing here can’t handle it. But as it stands now, Julie Benko’s acting and singing, Karimloo’s voice and presence (except for “Temporary Arrangment” number), Jared Grimes and Liz McCartney’s talents make the 2nd act’s book tolerable enough for us while we wait for the highlights, the songs. The audience loved Julie Benko. There’s a sweetness and sometimes hidden, but underlying steel to her performance which is different than Barbra’s famous take on the role, and which is just as valid in her version of Fanny. I’m going to try to get back to see it with Lea Michele and Tovah Feldshuh as well. I wish the orchestra didn't sound so underpowered and that there was a staircase for the Ziegfeld numbers though, among other production values which could have been upgraded. But, it's an entertaining show. |
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