Sheridan Smith is gearing for the opening night of Funny Girl at the Menier Chocolate Factory on 2 December 2015, and the news just dropped that the production will transfer to the Savoy Theatre in the West End on 9 April 2016 for a 12 week run, soon after the run finishes at the Menier on 5 March 2016.
Kinky Boots book writer and musical theatre legend Harvey Fierstein has been flown in by producers Sonia Friedman and Scott Landis to make some changes and shape up the script for Funny Girl, all pointing to a West End and even a Broadway transfer.
The revival of Funny Girl has also become the Menier Chocolate Factory’s faster-selling show, with the entire run selling out in just over 10 hours.
Directed by Michael Mayer, this is the first time Funny Girl has been revived on the London stage since it premiered back in 1966. The show tells the rags to riches story of Fanny Brice, a down and out New Yorker who rose to Broadway stardom with the help of producer Florenz Ziegfield. Funny Girl’s iconic score contains songs such as ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’, ‘People’, and ‘You Are Woman, I Am Man’.
Written by Isobel Lennart and with music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill, the original Broadway production stared Barbra Streisand and was nominated for eight Tony Awards.
Funny Girl begins previews at the Menier Chocolate Factory on 20 November 2015, with the opening night schedule fro 2 December. Look out for more news on the West End transfer coming soon…
The acclaimed National Theatre production of Duncan Macmillan’s new play People, Places and Things has announced its transfer to the West End in March next year.