Maltz Jupiter Theatre: Fanny Brice; the Real Funny Girl (1 review)

The Maltz Jupiter Theatre opened Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl on November 10, 2009.

From her start in burlesque as a teenager, to being the toast of the great Ziegfeld Follies, Fanny Brice was captivating, charismatic and the queen of comedy. This not-to-be-missed exploration of her life, featuring unforgettable standards such as My Man and Second Hand Rose, will celebrate the laughs, loves and life of Fanny Brice. Great for the entire family!

David H. Bell directed a cast that included Marya Grandy, Stef Tovar, Lance Baker, and Frank Kopyc.

Hap Erstein reviewed for the Palm Beach Post:

...from the title he chose, you might think Bell decided to debunk the liberties taken by the 1964 musical biography of Brice that was Barbra Streisand’s first and only starring role on Broadway.

In fact, the new show’s first act closely follows the outline of Funny Girl, without any substantial differences of fact.

Bell does do one thing very right and that is casting Marya Grandy as Brice. She encompasses the woman’s talent extremes, from truly inspired clowning in that ballet number to a full-out chilling rendition of the torch song, Aggravatin’ Man... remember her name, because she has what it takes for stardom, even if this vehicle is insufficient to get her there.

Three men handle the rest of the roles, from Stef Tovar’s exasperating Rose to Lance Baker’s Arnstein to Frank Kopyc’s Flo Ziegfeld. Each works plenty hard, but when called on to double and triple in assignments, the conceit seems more economic than artistic.

Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl plays at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre through November 22.