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| Vanessa de Jager as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" |
Music by
Jule Styne - Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Directed by
Jarrad West
Musical
Direction by Rose Shorney
Choreographed
by Amy Fitzpatrick
Set Design
by Brian Sudding
Costume
design by Suzan Cooper
Presented by
Supa Productions
Queanbeyan
Performing Arts Centre 19th August – 3rd September 2016
Performance
31st August reviewed by Bill Stephens
The musical,
“Funny Girl” is based on a sanitised version of the relationship between Jewish
comedienne, Fanny Brice and her gambler husband, Nick Arnstein, and set among the
glitz and glamour of The Ziegfeld Follies, a series of lavish revues famous for their glamorous
showgirls and extravagant sets and costumes.
Her
performance as Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” made a star of Barbra Streisand. It
also did the same in Australia for Jill Perryman. It’s a demanding role in
which the actress playing it rarely leaves the stage, and is required to
emulate an acclaimed performer renowned for her comedic ability, as well as
sing, dance, and play convincingly intense dramatic scenes.
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| Vanessa de Jager (Fannie Brice), Joel Hutchings (Nick Arnstein) |
Vanessa de
Jager was inspired casting in this role, and her luminous performance in this
production will surely stamp her as among the region’s most accomplished
leading ladies. If there are hints of Streisand
in her playing, that is only because Streisand has made the role so indelibly
her own, that it would be impossible to do the role justice without referring
to her interpretation.
But de Jager
has found her own pathway, and creates a vulnerable Fanny Brice who hides her
insecurities behind silly Yiddish wise-cracks and bone-headed determination.
Her singing voice is clear and true, heard at its best in the defiant, bravura show-stopper,
“Don’t Rain on My Parade”, or heart-breakingly poignant in “People”.
However, de
Jager isn’t the only reason to see this show. Among several other stand-out
performances in the large ensemble cast, Joel Hutchings brings a fine voice and
strong presence to the role of gambler Nick Arnstein. Will Huang is likeable and convincing as
Fanny’s choreographer, Eddie Ryan, who risks their friendship with his frank
advice.
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| Michelle Kemke (Rose Brice) in "Funny Girl" |
Michelle Klemke charms in a fine comic performance as Fanny’s mother,
Rose Brice, and is nicely teamed with Shennia Spillane as her friend and
adversary, Sarah Strakosh. Peter Dark is an appropriately dignified, Florenz Ziegfeld,
and Dave Smith contributes a superbly sung rendition of “His Love Makes Me Beautiful”
as Ziegfeld’s finest tenor, Sedgway Abbott.
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| Dave Smith (Sedgway Abbott) in "Funny Girl" |
Strangely, the
unattractive setting, which dominates the stage, gives the unfortunate
impression that the show is taking place in some run-down travelling tent show,
rather than the variety of locations, including some of Broadway’s finest theatres,
suggested in the storyline.
It says much
for director, Jarrad West’s resourceful staging and ability to draw fine
performances from his cast, Susan Cooper’s imaginative costume designs, Amy
Fitzpatrick’s well-danced, inventive dance routines, and Rose Shorney’s excellent orchestra which
captures the authentic Broadway sound, that, despite the setting, this production, now in its final week, is so
successful in conjuring up much of the backstage milieu of the period, as well
as providing an absorbing evening of theatre and a showcase for one of the
outstanding leading lady performances of the year.
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| Vanessa de Jager (Fanny Brice - centre) and ensemble in "Funny Girl". |
