Funny Girl |
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Opened on Broadway: March 26, 1964 Number of Performances: 1348 Opened at London’s West End: April 13, 1966 Number of Performances: ? Movie Release: September 19, 1968 |
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Charted: May 2, 1964 Peak: 2 US, 19 UK Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: show tunes |
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Charted: September 28, 1968 Peak: 12 US Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Genre: show tunes |
Songs on Cast Album:
Songs on Soundtrack:
Singles/Hit Songs: These are songs from this musical which became hits:
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Rating:  4.702 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings for cast album and soundtrack combined)
Awards (Cast Album and Soundtrack): (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Show and Cast Album: “This recording of the Fanny Brice biomusical has that wonderful collection of Jule Styne-Bob Merrill songs; vivid performances by Sydney Chaplin as Nick Arnstein, Kay Medford as Fanny’s mother, Danny Meehan as her showbiz pal Eddie Ryan, and Jean Stapleton as a family friend; a killer overture, more than good enough to rival Gypsy’s; Ralph Burns’ opulent orchestrations; and Milton Rosenstock’s excellent musical direction/conducting.” CA “But what matters most is Barbra Streisand, who deservedly shot to super-stardom playing Brice. She’s never been fresher or more appealing than she is here in I’m the Greatest Star, Cornet Man, Who Are You Now?, Don’t Rain on My Parade, “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” and the definitive rendition of People. Streisand uses her sprawling belt, liberally doused with her natural tenacity and eccentricity, to make these songs sound like no one else should even think about singing them for fear of paling in comparison. Even so, her ambitious approach to the songs is always held in check by a complete commitment to character. More than 50 years after this cast album was made, Streisand’s performance still represents the best of what Broadway can be, and propels the recording from ‘excellent’ to ‘essential.’” CA
About the Movie and Soundtrack: Streisand reprised her role as Fanny Brice for the movie and won an Academy Award for her performance. However,“the heartfelt emotions she summons on the original Broadway cast recording eminently preferable to the affected, manufactured emoting she does on the film soundtrack.” CA “Strictly in terms of vocal quality, Streisand probably sounds better on the soundtrack than on the Broadway album, but the mile-thick shell of artifice is very off-putting” CA as “Streisand’s bottomless self-indulgence is given full rein here.” CA “The film is notable for the almost complete absence of any singing by other characters; we hear only little bits from Kay Medford, back as Fanny’s mom, and Omar Sharif as Nicky Arnstein.” CA “There are drastic changes to the tune stack, with some of Styne and Merrill’s best work cut. Replacements include two old songs associated with Brice, My Man and I’d Rather Be Blue; and some new numbers written by Styne and Merrill, including the lame Roller Skate Rag and The Swan, plus a superfluous title song that has no heart in it.” CA |
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First posted 12/24/2021. |
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