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The Best of Broadway Comes Out to Celebrate Opening Night of FUNNY GIRL
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Oct 25, 2022
On Sunday night, FUNNY GIRL celebrated its opening night at the August Wilson Theatre. All the greatest stars of stage and screen came out to celebrate and BroadwayWorld is taking you to the red carpet for an inside peek. Click here to watch interviews with the cast!
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World
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The classic musical Funny Girl is back on Broadway for the first time since 1964
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And stepping into the iconic role of Fanny Bryce is Beanie Feldstein. And we're here on the opening night, Red Carpet
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It feels like a golden age of Broadway musical. It has that feeling
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All of a sudden I go in there and I hear that overture, which we don't have anymore with shows
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And you see that curtain, which we don't have anymore with shows. and you see a story told with actual sets
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rather than having to imagine where they are. And it's like, I'm a kid again
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I'm a kid at Broadway again. And it's wonderful to feel that
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If you're going for another reason, Beanie is her own Fanny. That sounds dirty, but you know what I mean
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Carolee, for you, how excited you are to be here today? Well, unlike Liz, I don't know anything
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about the ins and outs of this production, but I mean the show's never been revived
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So bring it on, I can't wait. It's one of the great scores that we have
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in musical theater history, so can't wait. I get to watch one of my oldest best friends in the world
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live out her actual dreams since she was three years old. Every time I've gone to her parents' house
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and I walked up the stairs I seen that photo that has now been everywhere of Beanie dressed as Fanny Bryce at her third birthday party This is like it going to wreck me This is one of the most magical things to get to watch your friends live out their dreams
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It just feels great to be back and living again, you know
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We're so stoked to be here for this epic event. I did Anastasia with Ramin Karamalou
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I hear he does some dancing in the show, so I'm excited to see his dance skills
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It's a requirement as a comedy Jew to see this. Yeah. Like, it's an imperative
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Like, I think it's in the Talmud that you have to enjoy this show of your comedy, June
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I feel so excited for Beanie. I feel so excited that this show is finally back on stage
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It's been, what, they said 58 years. So, obviously, I've never seen it on stage before
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So, I'm super excited to see this live. This is the big one. Yeah. I mean, it's a very exciting season, but I feel like this is the big one
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I'm excited to see Jane Lynch. I adore her. I love her
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I'm one of her biggest fans. I'm excited to see Beanie Feldstein. And I'm excited to be out and like in a theater
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And this is just my first time back in a theater since I think 2019 or something
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So I'm very excited. It is so exciting to finally be on Broadway
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This is my Broadway debut as a choreographer. And it is just wild to me that the world is going to be seeing a show that I helped choreograph on the stage
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I basically spend every night doing the show in my dressing room along with Beanie so that I am ready at the drop of a hat and that my voice stays as healthy as it can be And every move every line and it been changing night to night
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So yeah, I've done other understudying before, but I've understudied many roles in one show
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And Fanny Bryce is more than all of that put together. Working with Jared Grimes, what is that like
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Jared is a brilliant young artist that I've known since he was 14 years old
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So I'm super proud of him. I think that he is going to change the world
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He brings so much joy and skill and heart to his performance
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And he's just a beautiful representation of this lineage. So I'm so proud of him. This is one of my favorite shows
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I think it's really overdue for a revival. I saw it originally because that's how old I am
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I actually saw it three times. Originally, twice with Ms. Streisand and once with Mimi Hines
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And I actually directed it in summer stock with Pamela Myers of Company playing Fanny
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So I know the show. I love it. And it's way overdue for a revival
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I'm really looking forward to seeing it. He called me and I knew exactly what I wanted to make
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And I draped it. And then we built it over the last few weeks And it like here it is Hello gorgeous It funny girl i feel like i been waiting my entire broadway loving life to see this show and here we are is your first night seeing it no i seen a
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few nights previews previews previews but um but nothing like opening night now there were a lot
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of broadway debuts in this show tonight now do you remember your broadway debut and how magical
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that night more. I remember my Broadway debut like it was yesterday. There's so much heart
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there's so much love that your body, your feelings, everything feels. So I hope that everybody that's
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making their Broadway debut cherishes it and holds on to that moment because you never get it again
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Well, we're really excited. Beanie Feldstein is a genius and we just want to see everything she
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does. So yeah. Hello Dolly 16 times. I think she's going to be great. The movie Funny Girl
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changed and shaped my whole freaking life. And I've probably seen it 6,000 billion times
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and I'm such a fan of Beanies and her meteoric rise to the top so quickly
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at her young age. And so the whole night is very exciting to me
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I feel like Carolee. I feel like Carolee. That's what I feel like
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Carolee and I are switching voices. There is nothing like the theater
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but TV money is pretty good, too. TV money is great, I'm sure
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