Funny Girl at the Bristol Hippodrome Review
Reviewed by Siobhan Bridgwater
What an incredible treat it is to have Funny Girl the Musical at the majestic Bristol Hippodrome this week. This slick production, directed by Michael Mayer, has all the elements needed for a spectacular theatre experience and the atmosphere in the lofty auditorium is alive with anticipation tonight. The theatre is packed to the Gods, making it unusually warm and stuffy, as we wait to see the star of stage and screen grace the boards in our home town.
Our ears are the first to be treated as the highly-accomplished orchestra pumps out an overture of the show tunes in quick succession. Then, a lone figure, emerges on stage and takes her place behind the dressing room mirror, dreaming of a future normally denied to short Jewish girls, lacking in the normal requisites for your average showgirl. It is impossible to draw your eyes away from this polished production for a moment. This wonderful cast tells the tale, with such colourful and hypnotic beauty, of this exuberant, young girl who first thrust her talent upon stage at Keeney’s Theatre in Brooklyn.
Michael Pavelka’s sets are fantastically evocative of a time when travelling Vaudeville shows were all the rage in the grand American theatres. The cast cleverly perform to both tonight’s theatre audience to the front, and the imaginary audience of a past era to the back, playing with the illusion of constantly putting on a show. With wonderful set designs, a giant curtain occasionally swishes back and forth, marking the passage of time.
It is a first class delight to see Sheridan Smith in the role of the American vaudevillian Fanny Brice, which won her so many accolades when the show opened in London’s West End last year. This role has been so intrinsically linked to Barbara Streisand since the release of the original film fifty years ago. And yet Sheridan shamelessly strides in, with an assortment of amusing walks, and claims it as her own with extraordinary ease. This accomplished actress can simply do no wrong. She is outstanding in tonight’s performance with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill. She gives a commanding performance, as she gallops around the stage, winking and clowning her way through the perfectly-timed clumsy dance routines. She delights the audience as she continually stumbles and bumps into the statuesque Follies, who elegantly glide around her. Her voice is unbelievable as she belts out a stream of songs including I’m am the Greatest Star, His Love Makes Me Beautiful and, of course, Don’t Rain on my Parade. Fanny Brice and Sheridan Smith were both destined to rise to incredible stardom as they share one outstanding gift: an ability to totally enthral an audience with their ungainly antics and make us laugh out loud.
When Fanny Brice catches the attention of the flamboyant impresario, Florenz Ziegfeld, played with stylish poise by Nigel Barber, her fate is sealed. She goes on to become the best paid star on Broadway, with the comedic performances starkly contrasting her personal pain after the devilishly handsome gambler and notorious charmer, Nick Arnstein, steals her heart. Chris Peluso is sensational as the object of Fanny’s all-consuming adoration. Peluso is assured and polished and perfectly portrays the chancer who ended up behind bars after a run of cons and scams. Rachel Izen, as Fanny’s proud mother, along with her poker-playing circle, adds considerable entertainment value to this elegantly scripted bio-musical. Her duet, with Joshua Lay as Eddie Ryan, in Who Taught Her Everything She Knows? is a real crowd pleaser.
Funny Girl, The Musical, is, in short, a masterclass in musical comedy. It must have taken an army of accomplished stage personnel, in plain sight and behind the scenes, to put on such an extravagant show. The cast are simply amazing. The singing and dance routines are sheer brilliance, particularly the tap and en pointe ballet segments. The hair, wigs and make-up are expertly applied and the numerous, stunning costume changes are beyond belief. But ultimately, it is the wonderful Sheridan Smith’s talents which repeatedly grab the limelight, throughout the night.
Prepare yourself for something incredibly special. It is a long show, which requires a level of commitment, but will leave you with a feeling that you have witnessed something quite brilliant.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £18 to £60.50 (plus £4 transaction fee).
Funny Girl is at the Bristol Hippodrome from 21-25 March 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/bristol or call the box office on 0844 871 3012.
Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol, BS1 4UZ | 0844 871 3012
