After a sold out (and fastest selling ever I believe) year long run in London, Funny Girl is currently touring the UK. I got the chance to see recently and I was not disappointed. I didn’t really know much about it beforehand and I find these are usually the best shows!
The musical is set in 1920s New York and follows a women’s journey in becoming a star. Her relationship with big shot gambler Nick Arnstein also plays a big part in the story. It has the right mix of drama and comedy that makes you out laugh out loud but still keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The show’s female protagonist Fanny Brice is played by Natasha J Barnes, Sheridan Smith’s understudy from the show’s London run. I’ve found from seeing previous musicals that the understudies can be better than the star billed names and yet again with this one as she was an incredible lead! Darius Campbell plays Nick Arnstein who you may remember from Pop Idol or his one time hit single Colourblind (which I have listened to non stop since seeing this show). He was also very good and the pair had a great dynamic on stage. The whole production was pretty spectacular and you’ll find yourself really rooting for the characters by the end. It also features some real toe tapping music.
You can catch Funny Girl in this week in Glasgow or when it pops up again in various venues over the summer. If you get a chance to see it, you really should. For a musical that is 50 years old, it is not dated and still very entertaining.
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