Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Directed by Jarrad West
SUPA Productions Inc., Q
Theatre Queanbeyan to 3 September
Review by Len Power 19 August 2016
‘Who is the pip with pizzazz?’ sings Fanny Brice in ‘Funny
Girl’. On opening night at the Q Theatre
in Queanbeyan, it was undoubtedly Philippa ‘Pip’ Murphy in a towering
performance as the early 20th century singer-comedienne made famous
in the 1960s by Barbra Streisand, the original ‘Funny Girl’. That old theatre cliché of the understudy
taking the place of an ailing star does come true now and again. Murphy, the understudy for the role, did the
opening night performance due to the indisposition of Vanessa de Jager.
The show’s strength is in the performances. Michelle Klemke is terrific as Fanny Brice’s
mother, Rose. Joel Hutchings scores
strongly as the troubled husband, Nick Arnstein. Will Huang is very appealing as Fanny’s
friend and mentor, Eddie. Peter Dark,
Shennia Spillane and Dave Smith also give good performances.
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| Will Huang (Eddie) and the Girls |
The focus of this show is the star performance of the
actress playing Fanny Brice. It’s a
formidable role needing a singer who can belt strongly as well as sing
sensitive ballads and be a comedienne who can play strong drama. Philippa Murphy ticked all the boxes, giving
a memorable performance in the role. For
any actress taking on this role, the pressure is enormous. If Murphy was feeling the pressure, she
certainly didn’t show it. Her
performance was assured throughout. It
was just a pity that the most famous number in the show, ‘People’, was staged
with her sitting at a table to the side of the stage, killing any chance for
the actress to stop the show with it.
 |
| Philippa Murphy as Fanny Brice |
There was fine musical direction by Rose Shorney for the
voices but the orchestra playing on opening night was quite unsettled. Choreography by Amy Fitzpatrick captured the
style of the era as did the costumes by Suzan Cooper. Lighting design by Hamish McConchie was fine
but there was some strange flickering happening during the second act. Sound levels were well balanced between
singers and orchestra.
Jarrad West’s production is strong on period detail but is
hampered by an impractical and unattractive set which limits the playing
areas. A large theatre proscenium and
stage with steps takes up much of the space but is hardly used. In spite of the set piece’s size, its stage
is too small and the show numbers are mostly played in front of it rather than
on it. Other scenes were played in
cramped areas to the sides of the stage.
The song, ‘Find Yourself A Man’ was especially limited by this. Some key dialogue scenes had the focus pulled
away from them by distracting actions of some chorus members in the background.
However, this is an entertaining production of a show not
often staged. It’s the performances of
the principal performers that make it well worth seeing.
Photographs by Craig Burgess
This review was first published in the Canberra City News digital edition on Saturday 20 August. Len Power's reviews can also be heard on Artsound FM 92.7 'Artcetera' program from 9am on Saturdays.