Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy The hit Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” opens at the Segerstrom Center this month featuring Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Rose. “This is a fairly different iteration of the show,” Manchester told the Journal. “Harvey Fierstein [who revised the book of the show’s original 1964 production] has done a masterful job to really flesh out the trajectory of Nick Arnstein, Brice’s lover and husband. Everybody really gets more of a trajectory.”
Manchester’s connection with ”Funny Girl” dates back to her days as a Bronx kid and seeing the show on Broadway. ”I saw ‘Funny Girl’ in 1964 as a little girl, with Barbra Streisand on stage as Fanny Brice — she was just meteoric,” Manchester said.
This early exposure to Broadway set a high bar for theatrical performances, although it didn’t steer her career directly toward musical theater. As a child, her cantor at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation on Manhattan’s Upper West Side inspired her to take up music as a career. And that choice has defined her half-century in the entertainment industry. Among her most popular songs are 1975’s “Midnight Blue,” “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’” and “Through the Eyes of Love” (both 1978) and ”You Should Hear How She Talks About You” from 1981. And Manchester’s rendition of Peter Allen’s “Don’t Cry Out Loud” from 1979 earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance.
And now, 60 years after “Funny Girl”’s Broadway debut, Manchester gets to have a full-circle experience of being a part of the show that inspired her so much. “What an amazing way to reintroduce myself to audiences, but in a new vein and be part of a gorgeous, talented company,” Manchester said. The day before she spoke to the Journal, the performance was attended by a brigade of young theater students who had never seen a musical. Manchester felt their reactions during the show. “It was just unbelievable, they were just completely overwhelmed, it was wonderful,” she said.
“What surprised me is how people just scream and cheer at the end of this show because it is a show about this formidable woman who so deeply believes in herself … There’s something deeply hopeful, triumphant and thrilling for audiences, for really young audiences.”
This revival of ”Funny Girl” has resonated strongly with audiences, perhaps even more so than when it was first produced. ”What surprised me is how people just scream and cheer at the end of this show because it is a show about this formidable woman who so deeply believes in herself, as does her mother, Rose Brice,” Manchester said. She believes the show’s themes of triumph and will of the spirit are palpable for crowds of all ages. “There’s something deeply hopeful, triumphant and thrilling for audiences, for really young audiences.”
And it’s evident on stage, as the audience sings along to the score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, with standards such as “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “I’m The Greatest Star.” Manchester praised the cast’s ability to bring these well-known songs to life, praising Katerina McCrimmon talents. And even though the role of Fanny Brice is iconic, Manchester commends McCrimmon for taking on the role in her own way.
“She’s not Barbra Streisand, she’s her own version of Fanny Brice,” Manchester said of McCrimmon. “It’s another element that enough time has passed whereby even though the audience knows that this was essentially the springboard for Barbra Streisand, there’s now room for a new star in the making.”
Manchester herself is excited about another new creation. She just released her 25th album, “Re:View.” It’s her first album since “The Fellas” in 2017. She said that it’s “thrilling” to release this album and do “Funny Girl” at the same time. “Re:View” features duets with icons including Kenny Loggins and Dolly Parton. “This is really a thank you to the fans that have stayed with me for all of these decades,” Manchester said.
Manchester answered a few more questions for the Journal. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
JEWISH JOURNAL: In what ways did seeing “Funny Girl” as a kid influence your decision to pursue a career in the performing arts, or how did it impact your path?
MELISSA MANCHESTER: I think what struck me the most is Barbra Streisand’s presence was something that was out of the head of Zeus. It was completely, fully formed, since she’s a young girl. I never really thought to myself, ‘gee, I could be on a Broadway stage to do that.’ That was not really my path. I mean, I was a singer/songwriter, and that’s the path that I chose. I’m a concert performer, but this was a rare chapter in present time because I am celebrating the 50th year of my career. When this national tour showed up, I said to my manager, ‘I need to audition for this.
JJ: Have there been any unexpected reactions from the audience or something that stood out about the show during performances?
MM: What surprised me is how people just scream and cheer at the end of this show because it is a show about this formidable woman who so deeply believes in herself, as does her mother, Rose Brice. And I think the audience just surrenders to this beautiful score.
JJ: What do you love about your fellow cast members?
MM: To watch Katerina McCrimmon tear into this role seven times a week, and her voice is so thrilling. I think that Katerina is going to be a very big star. And everybody is just wonderful. Izaiah Montaque Harris plays Eddie Ryan. He’s fantastic. Stephen Mark Lukas is playing Nick Arnstein — everybody is just on top of their game.
JJ: As the curtains rise, what should audiences expect to be most captivating about this show?
MM: It’s a very satisfying evening, it’s not about bells and whistles. It’s just the heart of this story. The costumes are very beautiful. The sets are wonderful. It’s a very moving story. It’s about extraordinary dancers. It’s a lot of tap, great singing from Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny. It’s a journey, it’s an old-fashioned musical, but somehow the audience surrenders because it’s so beautiful and intriguing and evocative. And the audience will be on a journey with these characters and really see how this woman, probably ahead of her time, fought to transcend everything that was stopping her.
JJ: What do you like most about your character, Mrs. Rose Brice?
MM: What is amazing for me is that I do very little singing — I was hired as an actor, and that’s very rare for me. And what I bring to this role as the mother of Fanny Brice is everything I’ve experienced as a mother (now grandmother), as a working woman, because Rose Brice was left by her deadbeat husband with three children. The show takes place between 1908 and about 1928. And context being everything, she owns a saloon, which means she’s dealing mostly with men who are trying to sell her stuff or scam her. She has to stay strong. And yet her love for her children and her singular love for Fanny, who has a different kind of light than her two other children, is stunning. It’s really stunning, and it’s remarkable to have a role where I’ve found the music and the dialogue — I have found the music in the journey of Rose as her daughter matures and no longer needs a little mama. And it’s wild. It’s a very broad journey.
Manchester’s new studio album RE:VIEW can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.
The touring company of the 2022 Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” will be at the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa from May 28 to June 9.
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