Winter Garden Theatre
1634 Broadway (at West 50th Street)
New York, New York
March 26, 1964 — December 26, 1965 *
(* Streisand's dates performing the show)
The Original Funny Girl
First there was Fanny Brice — the great stage comedienne and torch singer who starred in the Ziegfeld Follies in the 1920’s and on the radio in the 1930’s as “Baby Snooks.”
Fanny appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1921. With Nick's trial imminent, Ziegfeld gave Fanny the song “My Man” to sing. It was an English-language version of “Mon Homme” which was introduced in Paris. The audience empathized with Fanny, and understood that the words of the song mirrored her real-life situation. It's said she never sang the song without closing her eyes and thinking of Nick.
(Above: Nick Arnstein and Fanny Brice)
Ray Stark, producer of Funny Girl, was married to Fanny Brice's daughter, Frances (or Fran). It was his dream to make a musical about his mother-in-law’s life story. “We used to discuss doing a motion picture about her career,” Stark said. “We'd bring up various names of film actresses who could play her role. One suggestion in those years was Judy Garland. So, you can see this has been a long-range proposition with me; more than 10 years. After Fanny's death [in 1951], I kept on planning to do a film about her some day, and finally I got Isobel Lennart, one of the top screenwriters, to undertake the script.”
Stark went on to explain (in a 1964 interview): “[Lennart's] script was wonderful. But as the years passed and the motion picture business changed, I became interested in the stage, and I proved to myself with a couple of ventures that doing something first in the theater was a wonderful testing ground of material for an eventual film. That is why we are here now, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, direction by Garson Kanin and choreography by Carol Haney. I hired the best.”
Art Isn't Easy (The Development of “Funny Girl”) in Date Order
Irene Sharaff (who designed the costumes for the Broadway and film versions of Funny Girl) described the show's journey succinctly: “With the tenacity of barracudas both Ray [Stark] and Barbra hung on to this potential hit for months on the road, through changes in the script, juggling of songs, two directors, and five postponements of the opening night in New York. For their hard work and determination, Ray was well rewarded. This musical, based on his mother-in-law Fanny Brice's earlier years and first successes, was a sensation. Barbra deservedly leapt to stardom and became the new idol of the adolescents.”
(Above: Sydney Chaplin on the floor with writer Isobel Lennart and Streisand smoking a cigarette.)
- In the early 1960's, Ray Stark hired three-time Academy Award nominee Isobel Lennart to write a screenplay about Fanny Brice's life. After producing the stage-to-screen adaptation of The World of Suzie Wong, Stark believed his Fanny Brice film should take the same route. Stark asked Lennart to write the Broadway book and Stark aligned himself with Broadway producer David Merrick to bring the story to the stage first, as a musical.
- February 1962: Stark hired the Gypsy songwriting team: Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim. Stark asked Jerome Robbins to direct.
- Mary Martin was an early choice for the role of Fanny; Jule Styne told writer James Spada: “Well, Mary Martin, number one star, it's money in the bank, so Stark arranged a meeting for Mary, her director, myself, and Stephen Sondheim, who was to do the lyrics, but Steve said he was bowing out if Mary played the role. ‘You've gotta have a Jewish girl,’ he said, ‘and if she's not Jewish she at least has to have a nose.’ I said, ‘Steve, we're not going to find any girl with a nose. Now, come on!’ [Also important to note: Born in 1913, Martin was 49 years old in 1962! The early scenes featured Fanny Brice as a teenager.]
- Bob Merrill joined the production as lyricist to Jule Styne. Carol Haney hired as choreographer. Styne & Merrill write some songs for the show.
- Jerome Robbins and Ray Stark wanted Anne Bancroft as Brice. Bancroft declined after hearing some of the new Styne/Merrill songs.
- Playwright John Patrick came in for rewrites, concurrently with Lennart.
- Eydie Gorme and Carol Burnett were approached to play Fanny.
- October—November 1962: Margaret Brown Styne (Jule's widow) recalled, “We went to see [Streisand] at the Bon Soir, and Jule was immediately enthusiastic. We went back four or five nights in a row. Even Jerry Robbins applauded when she did her audition. But Fran Stark — Fanny's Brice daughter — said, ‘That girl play my mother? I wouldn't hire her as my maid!’ She never liked her, even through the success. But I've since realized that the world is split into those who love Barbra and those who don't.”
- Summer 1963: Streisand called back seven times to audition for Robbins, Merrick, Styne, Lennart, and Stark.
- July 25, 1963: Ray Stark announced Barbra's casting as Fanny Brice.
- Stark's Fanny Brice musical had several titles before they settled on Funny Girl. At various points the show was called Fanny, My Man, The Fanny Brice Story, and A Very Special Person.
- Jerome Robbins quits the production, rumored to be miffed that Stark will not replace writer Lennart.
- Bob Fosse was hired to direct, then quit. Jule Styne elaborated: “We worked together for quite a while and Bob made some tremendous contributions that we kept in the show.” It was Fosse's idea to stage “Who Are You Now?” with Nicky behind Fanny, gambling. It's said that Fosse also wanted to cut “People”.
- Director Sidney Lumet considered Funny Girl but declined because of the messy script.
- September 1963: Garson Kanin replaced Fosse and Robbins as director.
- October, 1963: David Merrick and Ray Stark have a falling out; Merrick sold his share of the show back to Stark. Streisand's manager took advantage of this. Jule Styne's diary entry for this date reads: “Oct. 20, 1963: Barbra's lawyers found loopholes. She made large demands, Ray said he couldn't afford it. Ray and Barbra agreed. All seems well.”
- December 6, 1963: First rehearsal for Funny Girl.
- Jan. 13, 1964: Funny Girl “tried out” at Shubert Theatre in Boston. Second act and over-length problems. Bad reviews.
- Streisand's acting coach from the Cherry Lane Theatre, Alan Miller, began working with her surreptitiously on Funny Girl scenes, strengthening her performance.
- Feb. 4, 1964: Funny Girl previewed in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theater.
- Playwright John Patrick left the show.
- Feb, 19, 1964: Garson Kanin left the production. Jerome Robbins was rehired to direct with the official credit “Production Supervised By...”
- Choreographer Carol Haney was fired but retained her choreography credit. (Haney died in May 1964 of pneumonia. Her ex-husband, by the way, was Larry Blyden, who starred as Warren with Streisand in On A Clear Day You Can See Forever).
- Stark postponed the Broadway opening five times in order to allow Robbins time to fix the show.
- March 26, 1964: Funny Girl opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre. Reportedly, there was a standing ovation and 23 curtain calls. The opening night gala took place at the Rainbow Room atop the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center.
(Above, Left to right: producer Ray Stark, author Isobel Lennart, Streisand, composer Jule Styne, production supervisor Jerome Robbins, and lyricist Bob Merrill.)
(Above: Newspaper clippings that show an earlier opening night date that was changed — Feb. 27, 1964; an illustration of Streisand as Fanny by Al Hirschfeld; some Funny Girl ticket stubs from 1965—Streisand live for $9.60?!)
Final Funny Girl running order:
| Act I | Act II |
| "Overture" – Orchestra | "Entr'acte" – Orchestra |
| "If a Girl Isn't Pretty" – Mrs. Strakosh, Mrs. Brice, Eddie Ryan and People | "Sadie, Sadie" – Fanny Brice and Friends |
| "I'm the Greatest Star" – Fanny Brice | "Find Yourself a Man" – Mrs. Strakosh, Mrs. Brice and Eddie Ryan |
| "Cornet Man" – Fanny Brice, Snub Taylor and Keeney Chorus | "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat" – Ziegfeld Company and Fanny Brice |
| "Who Taught Her Everything?" – Mrs. Brice and Eddie Ryan | "Who Are You Now?" – Fanny Brice |
| "His Love Makes Me Beautiful" – Ziegfeld Tenor, Ziegfeld Girls and Fanny Brice | "The Music That Makes Me Dance" – Fanny Brice |
| "I Want to Be Seen With You Tonight" – Nick Arnstein and Fanny Brice | "Don't Rain on My Parade" (Reprise) – Fanny Brice |
| "Henry Street" – Henry Street Neighbors | |
| "People" – Fanny Brice | |
| "You Are Woman, I Am Man" – Nick Arnstein and Fanny Brice | |
| "Don't Rain on My Parade" – Fanny Brice |
