Funny Girl, Starring Beanie Feldstein, Begins Broadway Performances

The first-ever Broadway revival of Funny Girl begins performances at the August Wilson Theatre on March 26 ahead of an opening night on April 24. Beanie Feldstein leads the musical as Fanny Brice with Michael Mayer directing.

The cast also features Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ramin Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, five-time Emmy winner Jane Lynch as Mrs. Rosie Brice and Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan. They are joined by Peter Francis James as Florenz Ziegfeld, Ephie Aardema as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Debra Cardona as Mrs. Meeker, Toni DiBuono as Mrs. Strakosh and Martin Moran as Tom Keeney. Julie Benko serves as the standby for Fanny Brice.The ensemble includes Amber Ardolino, Daniel Beeman, Colin Bradbury, Kurt Thomas Csolak, Leslie Donna Flesner, Afra Hines, Masumi Iwai, Aliah James, Jeremiah James, Danielle Kelsey, Stephen Mark Lukas, Alicia Hadiya Lundgren, John Thomas Manzari, Liz McCartney, Katie Mitchell, Justin Prescott, Mariah Reives and Leslie Blake Walker.

The bittersweet comedy follows the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she'd never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.

Funny Girl features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, a book by Isobel Lennart and a revised book by Harvey Fierstein. The new production features choreography by Ellenore Scott, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kevin Adams, sound design by Brian Ronan, hair and wig design by Campbell Young Associates, orchestrations by Chris Walker, music direction and supervision by Michael Rafter, orchestrations by Chris Walker, dance, vocal and incidental music arrangements by Alan Williams and additional arrangements by David Dabbon and Carmel Dean.

This marks the first time Funny Girl is returning to Broadway since its debut 58 years ago. The original production of Funny Girl premiered on Broadway in 1964 and famously starred Barbra Streisand. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Streisand reprised her leading turn as Fanny Brice in the film adaptation of the musical in 1968, for which she won an Academy Award.