"These Are Facts, I Got No Ax To Griiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind!!!!!!!!!!"

                                          Here is what you have been waiting for, darlings.  So, let's go.

                                          Even before the curtain went up on "Funny Girl," at the August Wilson Theatre, there was a show.  Before being admitted into the auditorium, overly psyched theater queens, and Beanie groupies trolled the lobby.  One queen engaged me in a discussion about Mimi Hines, whom he saw do it back in the Sixties, (This was after Barbra left; amazingly, it ran for another year!) and how she looked more like Fanny Brice than Barbra.  But the best was this obvious Beanie groupie, who, though only a week into previews, has probably seen the show several times, dressed in this plus sized--because she was--red gown, which I thought was replicating Beanie's outfit at the end of the show, but on further digging, discovered she was copying an outfit Beanie wore during her "VOGUE" shoot.   Imagine those sitting next to her!

                                            As for the actual show--

                                            The first big surprise was the stage manager's announcement.  I won't say why; it has to be experienced.

                                             The Overture to this show made me swoon.  Hearing it for years on the Original Broadway Cast Album, and at last live, it gave me hope that maybe this would not be so bad.

                                               And it is not.  It is not a train wreck.  But it is not what it should be.

                                               I don't know if Michael Mayer, the director, reads my blog, or if someone has, or knew their Musical Theater History as well as I, but what he has done in terms of staging is interesting.

                                                Back in 1959, when Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, and Ethel Merman were putting "Gypsy" on its feet, it was initially the intention of Jerome Robbins, its director, to make it less a book show, and more a concept musical celebrating the history of the American variety stage.  What survives of this is the famous photo of the Minsky human Christmas tree, which I keep wishing productions would restore.  Well, that is what Michael Mayer has done with "Funny Girl; marquee lights surround the stage, and frame individual scenes, so one gets the impression of looking at a series of flashback snapshots.  And, as the show and Fanny's career keep moving, so does cultural history.  It was a decision that works.

                                                The other decision was to maintain the Original Broadway score.  The only movie song in here is "Funny Girl," which, interestingly, goes to Nick Arnstein.  "Coronet Man" is used here, and so is "The Music That Makes Me Dance," which is the "My Man" spot.  I am glad they used it, but surprised they did not end with "My Man."  But, then, that would be copying.....

                                                  Which brings me to the elephants in the living room.  Actually, there are two.  No matter how one tries to erase it, the specter of Barbra Streisand hovers over the show.  And while Beanie Feldstein is good; actually better than I was prepared for, she still is not good enough.  Not because of Streisand, but because she hasn't got the savvy for the Broadway stage.  When she is alone, she has her moments--like "People," "Who Are You Now?" and "Don't Rain On My Parade."  But, in a group, she blends in too much with the ensemble--all of whom are tremendously seasoned Broadway performers, with the exception of Jane Lynch, who tries her best, and acts well, but she is not Kay Medford.  Anyone playing Fanny should be levels above the ensemble, not at that same level, and I fear this is the only level Beanie could get to.  It shows; some of the lyrics have been handed to other characters, some have been transposed for her, and the big, dramatic finish of "The Music That Makes Me Dance" has been eliminated, which greatly disappointed me, but I think it was because Beanie could just not make it.  A  pity.

                                                     When the Ensemble and the Star switch ranks, a star vehicle does not a show make.  Which is the problem here.  While the show is not hurt, and should be seen, I kept wondering what someone like Jessie Mueller or Lindsay Mendez could have done with this.  Beanie deserves all the credit for tackling the role, but, listen, how many Theater Queens dream of doing this, too?  And some of us--including yours truly--are better belters!!!!!!!!!!  So, why Beanie Feldstein?  Why Jane Lynch?  I am not telling anyone to ignore this "Funny Girl--"in fact, I recommend it, because when in our lifetimes will it be seen again?  And, after the group hoopla has died down, how long can it run?  And can Beanie sustain herself for it?  These are things to ponder.  Some of us remember Madeline Kahn in "On The Twentieth Century!"

                                                          There were moments Beanie got me--like "People," and "Don't Rain On My Parade."  And in some of the dramatic scenes, when the marital problems come to the fore.

                                                             Still, as one watches this "Funny Girl, one cannot help wishing for this--

                                            "Ain't nothin' like the real thing, baby!!!!!!!!!!!"