By: Gina Dewar
Crisp cold air. Lights are everywhere, just off Times Square in the amazing New York City. The August Wilson Theatre was waiting for me (yes, I know. How egocentric, but that is how I felt).
The curtain opened, and the first person you see is the amazing Lea Michele, an award-winning actress, singer, and best-selling author. Seeing her so close on Broadway and hearing her voice live was an amazing experience.
I have followed Lea Michele ever since GLEE, where she portrayed the role of Rachel Berry, a high school student that demonstrated she had the voice of a Broadway star.
Ramin Karimloo, Jared Grimes, Tovah Feldshuh (celebrating this year 50 years on Broadway!), Peter Frances James, Ephie Aardema, Debra Cardona, Toni Dibuono, Martin Moran, and many others took us to the days when live entertainment was the only thing available. Long before television or streaming shows, everyone used to dress up and enjoy a live 3 hours show filled with singing, dancing, and magical moments.
Funny Girl, a movie I watched a long time ago (and one of my mother’s favorite) with the amazing Barbra Streisand seemed different when experiencing it live.
Don’t get me wrong, Barbra Streisand is the QUEEN, but the story of Funny Girl hit differently now that I am older.
Funny Girl is a story of a young woman trying to be a star. She is not the typical beauty everyone is used to in show business, but her divine voice and personality make her a star.
Her tormented romance and relationship with Nick Arnstein make you think, smile, laugh, and cry. You forget the show is set in the era after World War I in NYC and how as a woman today, you still face the same problems of misogyny and beauty standards expected at that time.
The story is told in a flashback of how she got where she is. The mother-daughter relationship is beautiful; her best friend’s support and her way of managing her life resemble every girl out there.
“Don’t rain on my Parade” and “People” were performed by Lea Michele in a way that guaranteed her name in the lighted marquee for a very long time and her place as one of the greatest voices on Broadway.
