Curious about the history behind all the razzle dazzle? According to John Kenrick of Musicals 101.com …it was reshaped quite a bit for the stage!  

Fanny’s family name was Borach. After her career took off in burlesque, she changed it to Brice, but her mother was always known as Mrs. Rose Borach.

Fanny was not an only child, but the third of four. Fanny’s parents owned a chain of profitable saloons in Newark, New Jersey. So they raised their family in comfort, with household servants and trips to visit relatives in Europe. 

Fanny’s mother Rose spent years managing those saloons while her husband played cards and drank heavily. Rose finally got a legal separation, sold off the saloons and took the kids to Brooklyn, where she made a good living buying and selling real estate. While Fanny struggled towards fame, her family lived in a series of handsome apartments and townhouses, including one on Manhattan’s swanky Beekman Place – nothing like the lower class Henry Street life seen in the musical.

Fanny made her amateur debut as a solo singer at Frank Keeney’s popular Brooklyn vaudeville theatre. She was never part of the chorus, on roller skates or otherwise.

Fanny was fired from a chorus by Broadway legend George M. Cohan. He dropped Brice from the Broadway cast of Talk of the Town because she could not dance. To cover her disappointment, Fanny claimed she was dumped because of her "skinny legs." That incident inspired the Keeney scenes in the musical.

In her teens, Fanny was married to (and quickly divorced from) Frank White, a small town barber with a taste for young actresses. Although the union was brief, Fanny later claimed it was consummated, so she lost her sexual innocence years before meeting Nick.

Fanny was not in Brooklyn burlesque when Ziegfeld sent for her. In fact, she had already made her legit debut in a touring Shubert Brothers production.

While it is true that Fanny performed material her own way, the pregnant bride number depicted in Funny Girl never happened. Fanny actually made her Follies debut in 1910 singing the now forgotten song "Lovey Joe."  Fannny and Ziegfeld always treated each other with professional and personal respect. She always abided by his creative decisions, and never "gave him an ulcer."

Nick Arnstein, “gorgeous"? Oy vey! He may have been sophisticated, and at 6′6" he towered over most men, but he was not a beauty.

Fanny first met Nick in Baltimore while on tour in the Shubert Brother’s 1912 revue Whirl of Society. Betting on horses under the alias "Nick Arnold," his real name was Julius Arnstein. He used several aliases to cover his international criminal record.

Nick tagged along with the Whirl of Society tour, returned to New York with Fanny, and immediately moved in with her and her mother. He also began spending Fanny’s money. Mrs. Borach saw through Arnstein’s charms and distrusted him from day one.

Fanny had Nick investigated and learned he was still married to his first wife. Hopelessly in love, Fanny pretended it didn’t matter. She had to wait seven years for his divorce to come through, and married him in 1919 — just two months before the birth of their daughter Frances.

Funny Girl depicts Arnstein as a classy gambler who turned to crime because he didn’t want to live on Fanny’s money. Not so! Nick was a common criminal and had no qualms about sponging off Fanny for their entire marriage.

Before meeting her, he had already been arrested for swindling in three European countries. Shortly after they met (and before their marriage), he was jailed for wiretapping. The lovesick Fanny visited him weekly in Sing Sing, so she knew what he was long before they exchanged vows. 

Nick and Fanny had a daughter named Frances (who later married producer Ray Stark) and a son named William who became a respected artist and college professor. By mutual agreement, William was not mentioned in Funny Girl.

Fanny owned a Manhattan townhouse on West 76th Street and a large county place in Huntington, Long Island. Her money paid for both, so Arnstein’s financial losses never changed their living arrangements.

Funny Girl suggests Nick’s big "mistake" was selling phony bonds. In fact, he was part of a gang that deliberately stole five million dollars worth of Wall Street securities – a tremendous sum in 1920. Instead of gallantly turning himself in as depicted in the film, he stayed in hiding for four months, leaving Fanny to face intense press and police harassment while giving birth to their son William. When Nick finally surrendered to the authorities, he fought the charges on every possible technicality for four years - and three guesses who worked like a slave to pay off Nick’s gargantuan legal bills.

A federal court finally threw Nick into Leavenworth for 14 months, where Fanny used her influence to arrange for special treatment (including meals cooked by the warden’s wife!).

Fanny finally divorced Nick in 1927 after discovering that he was having an affair with an older, wealthier woman.

Nick attempted reconciliation with Fanny in the late 1940s, but she wisely chose not to risk dealing with him again.

Louisa Flaningam is brilliant on the WBT stage! She is a delight off stage too!  Read on!

I was born in a small town in South Carolina.  I’m actually a pre-baby boomer as I was born a few days before VE Day!  I lived the first few years of my life in that town in S.C where my grandmother was the county auditor.  My parents were trying to get set up in Washington, D.C. but it was hard after the war.  We didn’t really settle down as a family ‘til I was 6 in our new house in the suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.  I started dancing as a child and loved it.  However, when I started college at the University of Maryland I thought I had to study for a more “normal’ career.  Maryland had a modern dance department and it didn’t take long for my passion for dance to have me leaping about the stage and dream of New York!

I remember one day I was working on costumes for the dance company at university and the head of the department, Dorothy Madden, looked and me and said “you’re happy here, aren’t you?”  She had been a part of the early modern dance world of Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham and I thought she was a very wise woman.  I realized she was right…so as soon as I graduated I packed the U-Haul truck and headed to NYC.

I have been so fortunate to have worked with so many great people who were always willing to answer questions and give advice or just teach by example.  I got my first job and my union card by sneaking into an equity audition a couple months after I got to NY.  The next thing I knew I was at the Goodspeed Opera House in a revival of ALLEGRO.  The cast found out it was my first job and just took me under their collective wings.  They taught me how to sing harmony lines and not be afraid to ‘act’ even when I wasn’t dancing!  Years later Grover Dale who was the choreographer gave me my first Broadway job playing Charmin in the MAGIC SHOW with Doug Henning.  I learned there is the magic of the theatre but real magic can be very tricky, dangerous and make for a lot of bruises as you get sawed in half and transformed into a cougar!

I think I have been so blessed to have done such wonderful shows as COMPANY and have Elaine Stritch coach me on how to get a laugh….PIPPIN and knowing Bob Fosse…

singing along side Georgio Tossi in the 1979 Broadway revival of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA and walking into Sardi’s opening night with my mother and father and having the whole place stand up and applaud.  To have Tony Randall tell you the most important thing an actor can do is….listen! Wow!  Traveling across this great country and playing all kind of theatres.   I particularly love the old theatres.  I remember that Penny Singleton once told me that in the vaudeville days they called each other “artists”.  How lucky to have spent the last 41 following in the footsteps of so many “artists and carrying on such a grand tradition!  So, I’ve done so many dream roles from Ma Joad in GRAPES OF WRATH to Daisy in DRIVING MISS DAISY to Bea in QUEEN OF THE STARDUST BALLROOM.  I just want to keep trying to do good work and who knows what the future holds!

FUNNY GIRL became a favorite show of mine ever since I worked as a dresser in a summer stock production on the Guber, Ford and Gross circuit in 1967 when I was still in college.  George Hamilton played Nick Arnstein and I actually did a play with him years later.  I wore the album out and Cornet Man was my up tempo audition song for probably 30 years!!!  So it is a real treat for me to play Mrs. Brice….particularly with such a glorious Fanny as portrayed by Jill!!!  And…sharing a dressing room with Karen McDonald and having her play my dear friend Mrs. Strakosh is just icing on the cake!!

My dear parents have passed on but were the best “stage” mom and dad.  They worried at first as all parents do when they think you’re crazy to try show biz but then relaxed and were great fans!! 

My husband, P.J. Benjamin, is not only a fabulous actor…he’s currently the Wizard in the Broadway show WICKED but he’s also a great guy.  It means so much to have such great understanding and support at home.   We first met on the National Tour of PIPPIN in 1975 and re –met on the national tour of TORCH SONG TRILOGY.  He was playing Arnold and I was playing Laurel.  It was September 5^th, 1984 and the ‘first sneaked kiss in the elevator’ and we have been inseparable ever since.   And….that’s really the most important part of my life…home.  I love the theatre but as Fanny says…”you can’t take an audience home with you”.  I do work I love in order to enjoy my house and garden and trips and exploring and nights with candle light and a big white cat with a very loud meow and dreams of seeing Italy again and someday owning a boat and going out on the Chincoteague Bay on my beloved eastern shore of Virginia and watch the sun set with the man I love and enjoy all the beauty of this world for as long as I can.

Local girl, DARCY Plays multiple roles in Funny Girl as well as understudying FANNY! We caught up with her between performances…..

I am originally from Manhattan’s upper eastside Yorkville area.  At the age of seven, due to education decisions my parents made for my brother and I, we moved to Rye Brook here in Westchester.  Growing up my brother and I were always encouraged to do whatever we had immediate interest in.  And just as it happens neither one of us could care one bit for sports.  So, from a very very young age I was taking art classes, acting, dancing, you name it.  My family is very very small and close and we are extremely grounded together, always have been.

There was never a point in my life when I decided I wanted to BE AN ACTOR.  I was singing and dancing straight out of the womb.  It has always just been a part of my very being and fibers as a human to emote and perform.  I have been very fortunate to have many mentors in my life through every age and stage.  For about the past 10 years my voice teacher, Richard Lissemore has been my main source of growth and progression.  He has always been more than a teacher, he is family.
The funny part of about my dream role is that I am currently fulfilling that desire.  Fanny Brice in Funny Girl would hands down be my dream role.  At 23 years of age, to be understudying such a massive personality is most certainly a dream come true.  My top three favorite shows would have to be Cabaret, Gypsy and West Side Story.

I absolutely love the film.  I probably saw it for the first time when I was about seven.  Barbra has always been such an idol and icon to me.  Brilliant film and no one could fill that part more beautifully than her.  After seeing the film I first became aware of Fanny Brice.
My favorite moment in the show is when Fanny sings “Who are you Now”. For the first time the whole vibe of the show is brought to a very simple and beautiful moment.  So much of the story revolves around Nick and Fanny’s relationship and yet the script never really lends itself to letting you inside of the relationship. This song, besides being perhaps one of the most gorgeous “pull at my heart strings” songs, it takes you aside and reveals the tender mature Fanny.

Difficult would never be the word I would use to describe the multiple role switching I do in this show. It’s fun, keeps things interesting.  Now if I had to play Fanny and 2 other roles in one show, that would be a whole other story, and actually impossible.  No, it’s fun to be a forty something card player one moment and a Ziegfeld showgirl the next!
Fanny may be the biggest role created for a female.  With Rose and Dolly leading behind.  The biggest challenge with this role, as with all of these tour de force roles is stamina and endurance.   I don’t know how Jill does it.  She is Wonder Woman to me, made of steel!  There was no challenge for in terms of memorizing lines or understanding the essence and attitude of Fanny.  It’s one of my absolute favorite stories/shows; Fanny is a role I pray I have another chance to play.

When I’m not stage you can usually find me going to as many concerts as possible, cleaning my apartment (I’m a little crazy about the cleanliness of my living space..keeps me sane), squeezing in as much time possible with my boyfriend, and practicing with the band I currently just joined: I LOVE MONSTERS.
My little 2gig ipod is an extension of my soul.  Music is my life.  Currently you can find The Dresden Dolls, Ani DiFranco Andrew Bird, Jeff Buckley, Ingrid Michaelson, Kings of Leon, Radiohead, Metric, Portishead, The Postal Service, No Doubt, The Strokes, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  Just to name a few favorites!

Dan, Carla and Shayne  are busy taking your calls at the box office! Ask them about our special offers.

“OPPORTUNITY” WEDNESDAYS – JUST $30 PER TICKET Come and Enjoy the performance at an unbeatable price! One Wednesday per month, we’ll be shutting down our kitchen for the night and giving you an unbeatable, show-only price. Although you’ll be missing out on your choice of our six delicious entrees, we will be offering bar service and snacks to tide you over before the performance.
Offer applies to May 13, June 10, July 22 and August 19, 2009 only.

“BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF” THURSDAYS.  Purchase a full price ($73) adult ticket to a Thursday Evening performance of Funny Girl, and we’ll give you 50% off a full priced adult ticket to a Thursday Evening performance of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change! That’s a savings of over $36 for two great nights out. Offer limited to six tickets per reservation.

Check out what our audiences are raving about!!

THE CAST OF FUNNY GIRL at WBT!!

JILL ABRAMOVITZ as Fanny Brice

GRANT  NORMAN plays gambler, Nicky Arnstein, in Funny Girl.

I was born in Two Harbors, MN, and grew up in the Midwest, around Minneapolis. I was the only one in our family to enter the performing arts…and when I say family, I mean the entire family tree! I started singing at a very young age, and remember being in my first choir in the 5th grade.  I definitely got the bug, and continued to sing throughout high school and into college, where I auditioned for a dance company, and got in!  From there it was on to theater as a dancer, and eventually…leading roles.  I never had in my mind that I wanted to be an actor when I was young, it just happened.  I was aware how difficult the industry was, so I just played it by ear.  As long as I enjoyed it, and could make a living from it…I continued.  Fortunately, that led me all the way to New York City, and Broadway.
I learned from so many people along the way, but didn’t really have any mentors for the business.  Kathy and Eddie Gasper were my mentors for dance.  I was in their dance company for 4 years (13 shows).  I learned an awful lot from them.  Eddie was a one time Bob Fosse dance asst. on Broadway and the movies.  He had many stories to tell.
I don’t have a dream role. My favorite show is still "West Side Story".  The combination of story, music & dance makes it uniquely stand out for me as a master work of theater.       I’ve never seen the film of Funny Girl.  I try not to watch a movie version of a show I will be working on. 

Jill Abramovitz (Fanny Brice) is wonderful to work with.  I have found so many moments in the show that are moving with her.
When not on stage, I enjoy spending time with my wife and soon to be little girl.

My Ipod holds a wide variety.  The song that is currently on it is "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden.  A hit from the 90’s.  I love pop and rock songs from the 60’s all the way to the present.  I LOVE classical music!  There’s some Country Music, Jazz, R&B, Show Tunes (of course), New Age… Music is very important to me.  I try to appreciate and expose myself to all kinds of music.

                                                                                                                                           JILL ABRAMOVITZ stars as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL.

I grew up in Morristown, New Jersey.  A lovely place.  (My sister will mock me when she reads this because I overuse the word "lovely.") Went to Morristown High and had a great time.  Did all the school shows and played field hockey - at which I stunk.  I’m not one of those people who hated high school.  I actually loved it.  Then I went to the University of Pennsylvania for college, which I also loved.  I Majored in French literature and Psychology.  I wanted a liberal arts education.  

I’m emotional, I’m expressive, and I have a big mouth and large opinions.  But I did have some of those incredible experiences in the theatre that steered me more strongly in the actor direction.  I remember when Peter Pan flew out over the audience and I lost my mind.  Or when I sat in one of the first few rows of Song and Dance and fell in love with Bernadette Peters.  She was so alive and passionate and beautiful and it was a transformative experience going through that journey with her.   I cried like a little girl.  Well, I was a little girl, but still.  I suppose, like most people, I’m still having those experiences, so they continue to make me want to be an actor. Except when I have to audition, then I don’t want to be an actor.  That’s when I dream of being an accountant or a fish.  I tell my husband that all the time.  I get jealous of fish because they don’t have to audition.  

Mentors are everywhere.  I hate to sound corny, but you get so much from watching people perform.  Movies, TV, theatre, everywhere.   I saw an actress in a show a few years ago and I remember the power of her stillness - how much command she had when she stood in one place and sang.  The entire cast of  Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me  on Broadway taught me about bringing in fresh ideas every single day to rehearsal.  Always throwing a new batch of spaghetti on the wall and seeing what stuck.   My high school director, Jane Wintz, taught me about discipline - being on time, shutting up backstage, and not missing rehearsal.  A guy I did one day on a film with said to me, "You don’t have to look at me just because you’re yelling at me."  I loved that.  Jason Bateman on “Arrested Development” - he is the all-knowing guru of deadpan and perfect timing.  So, yeah, I think mentors are everywhere.   

I would love to play Cordelia in Falsettos.  I would love to do a Christopher Durang play.  ANY Christopher Durang play.   I would love to pay the Baker’s Wife in Into The Woods.  

How could I not be a fan of the film?  Barbra Streisand is perfection.  Brazen and beautiful and on fire - and so impossibly young!  I learned of the real Fanny Brice through the show - which I don’t necessarily think is a bad thing.  I appreciate how theatre can immortalize historical events and characters, and introduce them to a wider audience.  Art is a vehicle for history.  It electrifies the past.  

My favorite moment in this show?   “Don’t Rain on my Parade”.  I love how it sounds like a big LOOK AT ME moment - but it’s not. She’s on a mission.  It’s almost a DON’T look at me moment.  Like - just leave me alone and let me live my life, make my own mistakes.  

I have a lot of writing going on right now - so that takes up a lot of time.  Other than that - I like to hang out with babies - there are a lot of them in my life suddenly, including my one-year-old niece.  I love hanging out with my brilliant and funny friends - but I haven’t done enough of that lately.  I love walking in Central Park and going to this killer class called Core Fusion.  And I enjoy my fair share of reality television.  (Watched The Real Housewives of NYC tonight. Yes I did.)   

What music I listen to the most:  Tied for first place are Ben Folds and Jonathan Brooke, followed by Shawn Colvin and Stevie Wonder. There are obviously musicals on there - I’d say "The Last Five Years" is in first place this week.  I also listen to my husband’s (Brad Alexander’s) music a lot.  And I’m not biased - he’s amazing.  I listen to my own stuff, too - I’m a lyricist and I’m usually obsessing about something that needs rewriting.  I have a lot of genius writer friends who are not famous yet, but will be.  So I listen to their music.  I seriously listen to my friend Adam Overett’s demo on the treadmill.