North American Tour of Funny Girl Names Its New Fanny Brice

National Tour News

North American Tour of Funny Girl Names Its New Fanny Brice

Michael Mayer directs the classic musical, which arrives in Seattle, Washington, later this month.

The North American tour of Funny Girl, which launched from Providence, Rhode Island’s Providence
Performing Arts Center in September 2023, will welcome a new title player beginning September 24 at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington.

Hannah Shankman, whose Broadway and touring credits include Hair, Wicked, Side Show, The Band’s Visit, Rent, and Les Misérables, will step into the role of Fanny Brice, succeeding Katerina McCrimmon.

Shankman, previously the standby for the role of Brice, will now star alongside Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester as Mrs. Brice, Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, Izaiah Montaque Harris as Eddie Ryan, Walter Coppage as Florenz Ziegfeld, Leah Platt as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Christine Bunuan as Mrs. Meeker, David Foley Jr. as Tom Keeney, and newcomer Cheryl Stern as Mrs. Strakosh.

Rounding out the company are Vinny Andaloro, Jack Bianchi, Courtney Brady, Kate E. Cook, Connor Coughlin, Joel Douglas, Annabelle Duffy, Mathew Fedorek, Alex Hartman, Kathy Liu, Missy Marion, Bryan Charles Moore, Sami Murphy, Emily Anne Nester, Myah Segura, Brendan Sheehan, Jordon Taylor, Sean Seamus Thompson, Travis Ward-Osborne, and Annaliese Wilbur.

“Hannah
is a marvelous Fanny Brice. She brings great intelligence, humor, and
authenticity to the role, and she’s a terrific singer. I’ve had the
pleasure of seeing her rousing theatregoers to their feet for a year
now, and I am delighted that new audiences across America will also
revel in her performance as she takes on the role full time,” said
director Michael Mayer in a statement.

Funny Girl, which premiered on Broadway in 1964, features a
score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill and a book by Isobel Lennart, newly
adapted by Tony winner Harvey Fierstein for this revival. The original
production propelled a young Barbra Streisand to international fame; she
would reprise her stage performance in the 1968 film adaptation,
winning an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in the process. The
biomusical tracks real-life singer and comic Fanny Brice from her humble
beginnings in Brooklyn, New York, to fame and fortune onstage in the
Ziegfeld Follies and as a radio and screen performer.

The revival, which opened on Broadway April 24, 2022, at the August
Wilson Theatre, was also directed by Mayer with choreography by
Ellenore Scott and tap choreography by Ayodele Casel. Much of the
Broadway creative team reprise their work for the tour, including music
supervisor Michael Rafter, scenic desiger David Zinn, costume designer
Susan Hilferty, lighting designer Kevin Adams, sound designer Brian
Ronan, and hair designer Campbell Young Associates. Joining the creative
team for this tour are music director Elaine Davidson and co-sound
designer Cody Spencer. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Jason Thinger.

The production also includes orchestrations by Chris Walker; dance,
vocal, and incidental music arrangements by Alan Williams; and
additional arrangements by Carmel Dean and David Dabbon.

The touring stage management team includes production stage manager
Jovon E. Shuck, stage manager Kyle Dannahey, and assistant stage
manager Rachael Wilkin. 

The company management team is led by company manager Justin A. Sweeney with associate company manager Ryan Mayfield. The tour music director/conductor is Elaine Davidson.

Funny Girl‘s national tour is produced by NETworks
Presentations in association with Sonia Friedman Productions,
Scott Landis, and David Babani.

See the full touring itinerary at FunnyGirlOnBroadway.com.