That Funny Girl is back, this time emerging for a July 10-22 run at Texas' Theatre Under the Stars. Copacabana star Darcie Roberts takes the title role with Bruce Lumpkin (TUTS' Miss Saigon) directing and choreographing.
Roberts recently toured the country as Lola (as in "her name was Lola, she was a showgirl") in Barry Manilow's Copacabana. Her Broadway credits include Crazy for You, Dream and the pre-Broadway tour of Tommy Tune's Busker Alley, in which she created the role of Libby.
Funny Girl, a musical recounting of the life of comedian Fanny Brice, which first made Barbra Streisand a Broadway star, has been a hot property recently. London will see a major revival of the show next season, and the Paper Mill production in New Jersey excited New York interest in a Broadway revival. Funny Girl's score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill features "People," "Don't Rain on My Parade" and "I'm the Greatest Star."
Tickets are $19-$76. For reservations, call (800) 678-5440. Theatre Under the Stars is on the web at http://www.tuts.com.
* Funny Girl replaced Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? on the TUTS summer schedule. Theatre Under the Stars, who was to premiere the Lee Pockriss-Hal Hackady musical, canceled the production because of "design problems," according to a released statement.
Already into rehearsals, the creative team decided the entire look of the production was wrong and needed to be redone. Designing the Broadway bound musical are Richard Winkler (lighting), Michael Anania (sets) and Eduardo Sicangco (costumes). London's David Taylor will direct with choreography by Dan Siretta (Whoopee!, Oh, Kay!).
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? remains on the schedule for TUTS' 2001-02 season.
In Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, a twisted psychological profile of show business gone mad, former child vaudevillian Baby Jane Hudson becomes caretaker for her movie star sister Blanche when the latter has a mysterious crippling accident. Encased in hideous pancake make-up and in a precarious mental condition, Jane torments and tortures her sister, while Blanche tries desperately to escape. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? is based on the Henry Farrell novel, which inspired the 1962 Bette Davis-Joan Crawford film.
Pockriss composed such hits as "Catch a Falling Star," "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" and "Johnny Angel." Hackady provided lyrics for Little By Little, Goodtime Charley and Snoopy! all with composer Larry Grossman. Farrell who wrote the book "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" will write the musical's book.
— By Christine Ehren
