Funny Girl Concert - September 23, 2002

Went to an Actor's Fund benefit concert performance of Funny Girl at The New Amsterdam Theatre last night. Very hot ticket - been sold out forweeks. The New Amsterdam is absolutely the most beautiful theatre onBroadway. If you ever get a chance to go inside, check it out. Amazingrestoration job.

In the audience, I saw Linda Gray (from TV's Dallas) and Phyllis George(Miss America 1971 - she looks amazing). Also David Paymer (movies & TV),Lonny Price (original cast of Merrily We Roll Along & now a director), JeffBlumenkrantz (Broadway actor - H2$, A Class Act, Damn Yankees, Joseph, lotsof TV work - we had an ongoing email correspondence a few years ago and onedate), Joyce Randolph (Trixie Norton from The Honeymooners), Celeste Holm (original Aunt Eller in Oklahoma, countless movies), Jason Robert Brown (composer/lyricist of Parade and The Last 5 Years), Ann Reinking (choreographer, bad actress and pretentious Broadway person), Dina Merrill (heiress & actress - not sure, but if it was her, she looks great), HunterFoster (star of Urinetown & brother of Tony winner Sutton Foster), BillyPorter (Teen Angel in the Grease revival - big, loud, singer - like a gayer James Brown), Gregg Edelman (Broadway actor currently in Into theWoods), Taye Diggs (original cast of Rent and movie star), Danny Gurwin(Broadway actor, excellent Henrik in DC Night Music) and probably a few others that I forget.

Liz Smith introduced the show. Her right pant leg was stuck in her cowboy boot. She's an odd woman.

The show starred a variety of women as Fanny Brice (role created by BarbraStreisand on stage & in the movie). Each had a scene or a song. Theyincluded Whoopi Goldberg (completely out of place & looking like a an old leather armchair with a puke green velvet blanket thrown over it), Judy Kuhn(Les Miz, Passion in DC - kind of weak acting but sang Who Are You Now?),Jane Krakowski (from Ally McBeal, Grand Hotel & Once Upon a Mattress -having a ball singing Sadie, Sadie), Carolee Carmello (Parade, Kiss Me Kate- sang the Music That Makes Me Dance), Sutton Foster (Thoroughly ModernMillie, great doing I'm the Greatest Star and then rushing out of thetheatre at about 7:50 for the 8pm curtain of Millie), Julia Murney (morefamous for dropping out of shows than being in them - but she sure did singPeople well), Lillias White (The Life, H2$, Dreamgirls - she tore down thehouse with Don't Rain on My Parade), Alice Playten (Ermengarde in originalcast of Hello Dolly, Oliver!, Gypsy, Seussical), Ricki Lake (doing quitewell - much better than you'd ever expect), Bebe Neuwirth (Lillith fromCheers, Damn Yankees, Chicago - very funny dancing & mugging doingRat-a-Tat-Tat), Idina Mendel (original cast or Rent, Aida), La Chanze (starof Once on This Island), Andrea Martin (SCTV & the current Oklahoma -singing Funny Girl and looking absolutely stunning), Ana Gasteyer (SaturdayNight Live, Rocky Horror replacement & movies - singing the You Are Woman,I Am Man duet and doing some funny stuff when she flubbed lines), KristinChenoweth (Tony for You're a Good man Charlie Brown, had her own sitcomlast year, Marion in upcoming Music Man TV movie - sang His Love Makes MeBeautiful and was a total riot as the pregnant bride).

Peter Gallagher (Guys & Dolls, Noises Off, American Beauty, Sex Lies &Videotape, etc.) was amazing as Nicky Arnstein - sounded great and had toplay against a different woman as his love interest in every scene. He wasexcellent and needs another starring role in a show.

Kaye Ballard played Mrs. Brice. She was great and a total pro. MarciaLewis Bryan (Chicago, Fiddler, Grease and tons of TV) was Mrs. Strakosh andwas hysterical.

Others in bit parts included Christine Pedi (Forbidden Broadway), BradOscar (Current lead in The Producers), Gary Beach (original Lumiere inBeauty & Beast, Tony winner for The Producers), Len Cariou (Tony forSweeney Todd, original A Little Night Music), John Scherer (terrific asEddie Ryan). Also some bizarre walkon bits by 3 Rockettes, NY cable TVporn hostess Robyn Byrd, Stephanie Mills and Sam Harris.

During the big Ziegfeld production number, they had Varla Jean Merman, Edie, a Streisand impersonator and another drag queen come out as the Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter brides. It was rather funny as they were allalmost 7 feet tall in heels and were then followed by Chenoweth (all 4'10"of her) as Fanny.

The show was great and there were a number of standout performances. The audience went nuts for everything beginning with the overture.

After the show, I met Kristin Chenoweth and Kaye Ballard and got their autographs (I was loaded with CD covers for people to sign but couldn't get them out fast enough for all the actors that passed by me). I also talked with Tim Pinckney who I met 3 years ago in Provincetown and run into in the city on occasion. He adapted the original book of the show for this concert version and was a producer of the show. It was nice to get caught up with him.

So it was a big Broadway night and a lot of fun.