Harvey Fierstein Will Revise Book for London's Funny Girl, Starring Sheridan Smith

Looks like the Mayor of Broadway (as we like to think of him) is on his way to becoming Mayor of London's "Theatreland!" After opening Kinky Boots and Casa Valentina in the U.K.'s capital city, Harvey Fierstein has been tapped to revise the book for the upcoming production of Funny Girl at the Menier Chocolate Factory, according to the Daily Mail.

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 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, 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.