Caroline O’Connor and Ensemble in The Production Company’s Funny Girl. Photo by Jeff Busby.
Caroline O’Connor, a multi-talented actor, singer, dancer who has won more awards, world-wide, than there is room to mention here, has given the people what they came to hear. Clever lyrics by Bob Merrill, sung clearly in a magnificent voice, good acting, brilliant dancing, choreographed by Kelley Abbey and great music by Jule Styne, delivered by The Production Company’s own orchestra under the baton of Anthony Gabriele. If Barbra Streisand had been there I’m sure she would have risen to her feet as well.
Whether it was O’Connor’s Irish lineage, or simply another talent to add to her list, this consummate performer became Brice through her special understanding of the comedienne’s rapid-fire, verbal delivery of witty dialogue. Growing up in New York in a Hungarian-Jewish family in the early 1900s, Brice (original name, Borach) would have probably communicated in Yiddish, the classic language vehicle for Jewish humour. Only she could describe herself as ‘a bagel on a plateful of onion rolls!’
Nancye Hayes was also attuned to this special connotation and what a wonderful veteran of the stage she is! Thank heavens enforced ‘retirement’ is not a given in the entertainment industry. Hayes, at 73 years young, playing Brice’s mother, Rose, displayed all the energetic professionalism she had in her Sweet Charity days. A perfect foil for O’Connor, she kept the momentum at a high level, along with Luke Alleva as Eddie Ryan, Brice’s friend and choreographer who tried to dissuade the ambitious Brice from a stage career because she didn’t ‘look like the others’ and had a ‘nose with deviation’!
Keep the memories of Kelly and Astaire alive, but Alleva, every bit as versatile and light on his feet, has a well-deserved reputation as a dancer and choreographer. The song, ‘Cornet Man’ eventually won Ryan’s support and Brice was soon on her way to Broadway with an offer from the great Florenz Zeigfeld, perhaps a little underplayed by David Ross Paterson to depict an entrepreneur of such feared and revered stature!
Fanny Brice was the epitome of the idiom, ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it.’ She was funny, versatile and courageous, even opposing Ziegfeld in outrageous ways if she didn’t agree with his decisions. Yet, on meeting the equally charismatic, Nick Arnstein, her relationship with her close family and friends on Henry Street resonated in a need for something more than show business. O’Connor’s strong voice would hardly need a microphone and has an extensive range, if a little harsh on the top notes. however, her spine-tingling rendition of ‘People’, sung to Arnstein, beautifully demonstrated her command of the instrument.
The set design by Shaun Gurton took you straight back to Ziegfeld days with its matching ascending staircases to the stars and the clever positioning of the large orchestra allowed actors and dancers to move seamlessly around the stage.
A fabulous show and nobody was going to rain on O’Connor’s parade, least of all me. Book early. It would be a mistake to miss it.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
​Funny Girl
Presented by ANZ and The Production Company
Director: Gale Edwards
Musical Director: Anthony Gabriele
Choreographer: Kelley Abbey
Set Designer Shaun Gurton
Costume Designers: Tim Chappel, Own Phillips
Lighting Designer: Trudy Dalgleish
Sound Design: System Sound
State Theatre, Arts Centre, Melbourne
Saturday 23 July 2016
Performances to 31 July 2016
