It's Happening! Funny Girl's Back on B'Way

It's true. Beanie Feldstein, bless her heart, is taking the giant leap into musical theatre history as Fanny Brice, the role Barbra Streisand made legendary, and Broadway is holding its collective breath.

So far, so good: previews began March 26th. Here's a video from the Sitzprobe (initial run-through without staging in which the orchestra and singers rehearse together and the singers sit or stand at microphones). From this tantalizing evidence, it looks like we're in for a damn good time.

Opening night is April 24th.

Here's a list of the whole cast:

Ramin Karimloo as Nick Arnstein

Jane Lynch as Mrs. Rose Brice

Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan

Peter Francis James as Florenz Ziegfeld

Ephie Aardema as Emma/Mrs. Nadler

Debra Cardona as Mrs. Meeker

Toni DiBuono as Mrs. Strakosh

Martin Moran as Tom Keeney

Julie Benko as the standby for Fanny Brice (now there's another girl with chutzpah)

Ensemble members are Amber Ardolino, Daniel Beeman, Colin Bradbury, Kurt Thomas Csolak, Leslie Donna Flesner, Afra Hines, Masumi Iwai, Aliah James, Jeremiah James, Danielle Kelsey, Stephen Mark Lukas, Alicia Hadiya Lundgren, John Thomas Manzari, Liz McCartney, Katie Mitchell, Justin Prescott, Mariah Reives, and Leslie Blake Walker.

Michael Mayer directs the production, with choreography by Ellenore Scott, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kevin Adams, sound design by Brian Ronan, hair and wig design by Campbell Young Associates, orchestrations by Chris Walker, music direction and supervision by Michael Rafter, casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA and Jason Thinger, orchestrations by Chris Walker, dance, vocal and incidental music arrangements by Alan Williams, and additional arrangements by David Dabbon and Carmel Dean.

Funny Girl has a score by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne, with original book by Isobel Lennart, and a new book for this production by Harvey Fierstein.

Whew. Everybody should break legs.