Hello, Gorgeous! Dates Set for London Return of Funny Girl, Starring Olivier Winner Sheridan Smith

She’s officially the pip with pizzazz! Dates are now set for the Menier Chocolate Factory revival of Funny Girl, starring two-time Olivier winner Sheridan Smith. The musical, which catapulted Barbra Streisand to stardom on stage and screen, returns to London beginning November 20. The production, directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer, will open on December 2 and run through March 5, 2016.

No word yet whether the production has any intention of crossing the pond to play New York following the London run. A Bartlett Sher-helmed revival of the musical—headlined by Lauren Ambrose—was set to play Los Angeles and Broadway in 2012 before being postponed indefinitely. And then there was Lea Michele...

Smith won consecutive Olivier Awards for her performances in Legally Blonde and Flare Path. She returns to the Chocolate Factory after starring in Little Shop of Horrors in 2006. Her additional U.K. stage credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hedda Gabler and Into the Woods. She’s appeared on screen in Blackwork, The C Word, Cilla, Mrs. Biggs and Hysteria.

The tuner, which first played London in 1966, tracks the rise of Fanny Brice’s career as one of Broadway’s biggest stars by way of the Ziegfeld Follies, as well as her doomed romance with Nicky Arnstein. The score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill features such iconic show tunes as “People,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “I’m the Greatest Star” and a book by Isobel Lennart.

The production will feature choreography by Lynne Page, set design by Michael Pavelka, lighting design by Mark Henderson and sound design by Richard Brooker.