Funny Girl

Funny Girl is a musical with score by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and book by Isobel Lennart, that first opened on Broadway in 1964. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of comedian and Broadway star Fanny Brice, featuring her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein. Barbra Streisand starred in the original Broadway musical, produced by Brice's son-in-law Ray Stark. The production received eight nominations at the 18th Tony Awards. The original cast recording of Funny Girl was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. A Broadway revival, with a revised book by Harvey Fierstein, opened on April 24, 2022, starring Beanie Feldstein as Brice. Feldstein departed the production in July 2022. Lea Michele joined the show as Brice in September 2022, and a new Broadway cast recording featuring Michele was released two months later. It closed on September 3, 2023, having recouped its capitalization of $16.5M. Background Stark married Fanny Brice's and Nicky Arnstein's daughter Frances Brice in 1940. In telling Fanny's story, Stark would produce the Broadway musical, film version and film sequel Funny Lady.