Edinburgh Playhouse – until 22 April 2017
Fanny Brice, the real life performer and titular Funny Girl in Jule Styne’s 1966 Broadway musical, was a Jewish “ugly duckling”New Yorker in a sea of glamorous chorus dancers.
Funny looking and funny enough to raise a laugh, she carved her own niche and became famous as a comedian and singer. Telling the story of how Brice became the highest paid performer on all of Broadway, Funny Girl The Musical revolves around the charisma of its central character.
Very few have taken on this role since Barbra Streisand defined it in the 1964 Broadway production and subsequently in the much-loved film of the same name, but Sheridan Smith truly makes it her own – and with such style and class. Brice’s charm and gift for playing the clown are written into the plot, but so is the underlying tension in her fairytale marriage to smooth-talking gambler Nicky Arnstein (played by Darius Campbell in Edinburgh and Chris Peluso on the rest of the tour).
Smith brings out the contradictions, the grim determination, the vulnerability and the gutsy aspects of Fanny Brice and she can do that with just a few facial expressions. Her transformation from wide-eyed teenager to experienced star is a joy to watch. She captures beautifully the awkward juxtaposition of being loved on stage by thousands and being sat alone moments later. Smith’s voice is beautiful, it aches with conviction. Her tremendous rendition of People is amazing and spine-tingly moving.. Her final big weepie, Don’t Rain on My Parade – reprised in her dressing room; her marriage in ruins at her feet – is both elegy and battle cry. .
Darius Campbell plays her absentee gambler husband Nick Arnstein with equal parts smugness and charm. Their relationship is something of a seesaw – when they first meet he is the big deal, the man with the money and the contacts. Soon, like most gamblers, he loses more than he wins and the balance shifts as Fanny’s star eclipses his. There are some super interactions between the couple include their lovely and quite quirky duet You are woman, I am man
Rachel Izen is a delight as Fanny’s mum Mrs Brice and alongside Joshua Lay’s warm and charming performance as the her friend Eddie Ryan. Jennifer Harding’s Emma, Fanny’s aide, is a nicely understated performance
An 11 piece orchestra delivers with richness aplenty under the musical baton of Ben Van Tienen. Filling the Playhouse auditorium with Chris Walker’s stunning orchestrations
Inevitably with the story of a rise to fame, romantic climax, then the murky disintegration of the marriage, the first half is exhilarating and the second is flatter. But it’s in the quiet tatters of the marriage that Smith brings out the steely strength beneath Brice’s comic bravado.
Michael Mayer’s sharp and thoughtful direction, along with the energy and joy of the entire cast means that this is a complete piece, not merely a vehicle for Smith, as wonderful as she is. The colourful lighting design, by Mark Henderson, has an air of elegance about it that makes it feel so intimate and close. The understated but beautiful set, designed by Michael Pavelka, lends itself perfectly for making the performances the main focus. Matthew Wright’s costumes are luscious, Brice’s wedding dress in Sadie Sadie is particularly beautiful
The cast all seem to be enjoying themselves which helps the audience enjoy the show too and Smith in particular, appears to be having a complete ball with the comedy aspects of the show
The show ends on the high of a rapturous well deserved standing ovation and proves that Sheridan Smith is truly “the greatest star”