The Greatest Star! Sheridan Smith Will Transfer to London's West End in Funny Girl

Hello, gorgeous! The London revival of Funny Girl, which will start previews on November 20 at the Menier Chocolate Factory, is already set to transfer to the West End, where it will begin performances on April 9, 2016 at the Savoy Theatre. Starring two-time Olivier winner Sheridan Smith, the musical, which catapulted Barbra Streisand to stardom on stage and screen, will be directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer and have a revised book by Tony winner Harvey Fierstein. Apparently our Broadway Mayor cut 40 pages from the script on his initial read-through!

No word yet on whether the production has any intention of crossing the pond to play New York following the London run, but with Tony winners Mayer and Fierstein on board it looks like a distinct possibility. 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...

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.

Along with Smith, the cast at the Menier Chocolate Factory will include Maurice Lane, Darius Campbell, Marilyn Cutts, Valda Aviks and Gay Soper. The production will officially open on December 2 and play through March 5, 2016.