by James Rach
Funny Girl is the bittersweet story of film and stage star Fanny Brice as she waits for her husband/gambler Nicky Arnstein to be released from prison. This musical is what helped Barbara Streisand to become a star.
Director Dan Kaye says he hasn't done "Funny Girl" since 1977 and he had the vocal talent in his cast to pull it off. Finally, Tiny Samantha Spiro, with all the heart of a brave Maltese terrier, found the part of her life.
Miss Spiro plays tragicomic showgirl Fanny Brice in Chichester's polished new production of the vintage American musical Funny Girl. Emotional, humorous, with some wonderful songs, this show is both old-fashioned and sprightly. Much of the tale revolves round Ziegfeld's Follies, the New York dance troupe.
The director of the musical, Angus Jackson, has not only found 8 statuesque chorus girls with 16 ladder-length legs, but has also managed, with Stephen Mear's choreography, to get them dancing complicated high-kick numbers on the tiny stage of Chichester's smaller theatre.
Fanny Brice was a Jewish froglet, born in 1891 Manhattan without the usual actress looks but possessed of a giant personality. Fanny Brice and Barbara Windsor might not have been so terribly different.
There may be times when she almost slips back into the Barbara Windsor role she once played at the Royal National Theatre, but maybe that is no bad thing.
The part doesn't just call for comedy. Fanny has to fall in love with the unsuitable Nick Arnstein and combine the harsh with the susceptible.
Miss Spiro manages the 2 with rare subtlety. Her voice may not quite match that of Barbra Streisand, who played Fanny for a long run on Broadway, but she has more than enough bubble and anxiety to overcome any musical impurity.
Jackson works his cast fearfully hard. One moment the chorus line is playing members of Fanny's extended Jewish family, who fuss over her like mobbing crows.
It's on stage is also where Samantha Spiro comes very much to life, producing a presentation of weepy, broad-hearted, full throttle commitment.
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