Preview: Funny Girl at Newcastle Theatre Royal

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SHERIDAN SMITH REPRISES HER SMASH-HIT PERFORMANCE AS FANNY BRICE

Funny Girl  

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Tuesday 16^th – Saturday 20^th May 2017

Following critically acclaimed and record-breaking sold-out runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Savoy Theatre, Sheridan Smith will reprise her highly praised performance of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.  Further casting will be announced shortly.

Photo: Johan Persson

Funny Girl brought global fame to Barbra Streisand 50 years ago and boasts some of the most iconic songs in film and theatre history, including People and Don’t Rain On My Parade. This ‘iconic, legendary, laugh-out-loud’ (The Times) musical tells the story of Fanny Brice, whose vocal talents and comedic ability see her rise from Brooklyn music hall singer to Broadway star.

Sheridan Smith reprises the role of Fanny Brice. Her other theatre work includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Michael Grandage Company at the Noel Coward Theatre), Hedda Gabler (Old Vic), Flare Path (Theatre Royal Haymarket – Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress, Evening Standard Theatre Award and Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress), Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre – Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical), Tinderbox (Bush Theatre), The People are Friendly (Royal Court) and Into the Woods (Donmar Warehouse). For television, her credits include Blackwork, The C Word, Cilla, The Widower, The 7.39, Dates, Mr Stink, Mrs Biggs (BAFTA Award for Best Actress), Accused, Scapegoat, Little Crackers, Jonathan Creek, Gavin & Stacey, Larkrise to Candleford, Grown Ups, Love Soup, Two Pints of Larger and a Packet of Crisps, The Royle Family and Wives and Daughters; and for film, The Huntsman, Powder Room, Quartet, Tower Block and Hysteria.

Photo: Johan Persson

Director Michael Mayer’s West End credits include Spring Awakening (Lyric Hammersmith and Novello Theatre) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Shaftesbury Theatre). For Broadway his work includes Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award nomination for Best Director), On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, American Idiot (Drama Desk Award for Best Director of a Musical), Spring Awakening (Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Drama Desk Award for Best Direction of a Musical) and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical).  For television, his work includes Smash and Alpha House, and for film his credits include A Home at the End of the World, Flicka and currently in post-production, Chekhov's The Seagull.  He made his Metropolitan Opera debut with a celebrated new production of Rigoletto.

Creatives:

Music by Jule Styne   Lyrics by Bob Merrill

Book by Isobel Lennart from an original story by Miss Lennart

Revised Book by Harvey Fierstein

Director: Michael Mayer; Choreographer: Lynne Page Set Designer: Michael Pavelka

Costume Designer: Matthew Wright; Sound Designer: Richard Brooker

Musical Supervisor and arrangements: Alan Williams; Orchestrations: Chris Walker

Tickets:

Funny Girl plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 16^th – Saturday 20^th May 2017.  Tickets are from £23.00 and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).