In the first-ever revival of the Broadway musical 'Funny Girl', Beanie Feldstein will star as Fanny Brice, originated by Oscar-winner Barbra Streisand in 1964.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the revival will be directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, who led a London revival of 'Funny Girl' in 2015. Despite some close calls over the years, this revival is the first one on Broadway since the original run.
The revival also involves choreography by Ellenore Scott, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel and set design by David Zinn. The production will feature a revised book by Harvey Fierstein along with the original score by Jule Stein and lyricist Bob Merrill.
Performances of 'Funny Girl' are expected to begin in spring 2022.
'Funny Girl', which was turned into a film in 1968, earning Streisand an Oscar for best actress in a leading role, tells the story of Fanny Brice, the real-life, Brooklyn-born comedienne and singer who rose to stardom in the Ziegfeld Follies in the 1910s and '20s.
The musical follows her doomed romance with gambler Nicky Arnstein, a role originated on Broadway by Charlie Chaplin's son Sydney Chaplin, and then played in the film by Omar Sharif. No actor has yet been announced to play Nicky in the revival.
Feldstein, who scored a Golden Globe nomination for her role in 2019's Olivia Wilde-directed 'Booksmart', is up next playing as Monica Lewinsky in FX's 'Impeachment: American Crime Story'.
She is also currently filming Richard Linklater's adaptation of the 1981 Stephen Sondheim musical 'Merrily We Roll Along', a project that the 'Boyhood' director plans to continue over the next 20 years.
( With inputs from ANI )
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