Actress elated to be performing role that made Streisand a star
When Gallery Players cast Paula Shtein in the title role of “Funny Girl,” the New York actress wasn’t daunted by Barbra Streisand’s legacy.
“It’s been a dream role of mine,” said Shtein, a Columbus native who moved to New York in 2017.
Gallery Players’ 70th season continues with the musical, which will open Saturday in the Jewish Community Center.
Streisand became a star by singing “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade” as Fanny Brice in the 1964 Broadway bio-musical, later winning an Oscar for best actress in the 1968 film.
“Barbra has always been a huge inspiration to me, but I’m not trying to copy Barbra’s performance,” Shtein said. “I’m excited to bring my own experience to Fanny Brice.”
“People” became one of Streisand’s greatest hits.
“Some people are so self-sufficient that they feel like they don’t need anyone and can do it on their own,” Shtein said. “This song is about needing people to share what you go through in life.”
A Jewish comedian, singer and actress, Brice in 1910 became an unlikely star in the iconic Ziegfield Follies series.
“She’s strong-willed, quirky, funny and clever,” Shtein said. “What I love about Fanny is her laser focus on what she wants. ... She’s willing to go after it, no matter how many people tell her she can’t.”
The two-act musical, which focuses on Brice’s rise to fame and her troubled relationship with a gambler, is rarely revived.
“I suspect it has something to do with “Funny Girl” being an iconic showcase for Barbra Streisand. Many people think there isn’t an actress who could live up to her reputation,” director Keely Kurtas-Chapman said.
At Gallery Players, Shtein has appeared in “Fiddler on the Roof” (2013) and “Bad Jews” (2014), which KurtasChapman directed.
“Paula is very strong vocally and has good comic Chris Bullwinkle plays Nick Arnstein and Paula Shtein portrays Fanny Brice in the Gallery Players’ production of “Funny Girl.” What: “Funny Girl” Who: Gallery Players Where: Jewish Community Center's Roth/Resler Theatre, 1125 College Ave. Contact: 614-231-2731, www.jccgalleryplayers.org Showtimes: 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 23; also at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 Tickets: $30, or $25 for members, $22 for students and senior citizens
timing,” Kurtas-Chapman said.
Shtein has been singing the first-act finale, “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” since she was 12.
“The song shows Fanny’s determination,” she said. “She’s convincing herself, through the song, that she’s not going to give up.”
Chris Bullwinkle plays gambler Nick Arnstein, who falls in love with Brice.
“He’s charming but headstrong and stubborn,” Bullwinkle said. “Nick knows how to get his way and win over people. He has the best of intentions but ultimately loves money more.”
Arnstein and Brice develop a rocky romance.
“They’re kind of the same. She gets what she wants through the force of her personality, and he does, too,” Bullwinkle said. “Their relationship sparks a power struggle. Nick wants to be the head of the house and be seen as the provider and breadwinner. ... Through her work at the Follies, Fanny is pretty much all of that. It wounds his pride and ultimately leads him astray.”
The show is known for its songs by composer Jule Styne and lyricist Bob
Merrill, including “I’m the Greatest Star,” “The Music That Makes Me Dance” and “Sadie, Sadie.”
“It’s an old-style musical ... with an overture, entr’act and hummable songs that people know,” said Allan Finkelstein, vocal director and conductor, who also served as conductor of Gallery Players’ first production of the musical in 1985. (The center will host a post-show dessert reception Saturday honoring Irene Braverman, who has appeared in more than 50 Gallery Players shows, including the 1985 production of “Funny Girl.”)
“I’m delighted,” Finkelstein said, “to be doing a traditional musical that's representative of Gallery Players’ 70 years.”