Steadstyle Chicago
	January 2010 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
	Funny Girl After twenty-six years of reviving one classic Broadway musical after another, it's hard to believe Drury Lane Oakbrook is just now getting around to doing "Funny Girl".  The reason why it has taken so long can probably be summed up in two words: Barbra Streisand.  To many this classic from the end of the Golden Age of musicals will forever lie in the shadow of its original star and no matter how talented the successors may be, it was, is and will always be Streisand's star vehicle.  But those inclined to look at the work with open eyes will discover an absolutely rip-roaring score by the incomparable Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, including a few songs that never made it to the 1968 film with Streisand hogging nearly all the musical moments to herself.  It also offers a workable bittersweet backstage romance loosely based on the real Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice and her ill-fated marriage to dapper gambler Nick Arnstein.  It may not be as seamless as Styne's other backstage musical smash "Gypsy," but compared to most of the negligible productions passing for Broadway musicals these days, it's a glorious old-fashioned treat.  And co-directors Gary Griffin and William Osetek get it almost completely right in this rousing Drury Lane rendition.  Comparisons may be a bit unfair, but I will suggest that this production has a far better grasp than Chicago's last revival of "Funny Girl" at the Marriott Theatre, which was truncated and miscast.  The Drury Lane team understands that this is a memoir of a woman who was only completely at home on a stage, and thanks to Jack Magaw's handsome and expansive brick and proscenium framed set, that's precisely where the production stays. With all of the great Chicagoland talent out there, you might wonder at first why Drury Lane's production marks the Chicago debut of an actress whose big claim to fame was the short-lived "Cry Baby" on Broadway and the National Tour of "Legally Blonde".  Sara Sheperd soon puts any qualms to rest with a truly heroic and magnetic performance.  Sheperd can belt with the best of them, but she's not simply giving a cover version of Barbra's greatest hits here.  Her choices are smart and well considered, often speaking the lyrics as a dramatic entry before unleashing the big sound.  Her acting choices are outstanding as is the fact that she is actually playing Fanny Brice rather than an imitation of Streisand. Paul Anthony Stewart is a beautiful Arnstein, possessed of the killer matinee idol looks that could fill a movie magazine, as well as the grace and polish to utterly beguile both his leading lady and audience.  Stewart can also sing, a bonus even though Nick's vocal material is a bit limited.  And there is rich support from Catherine Smitko as Fanny's "tell it like it is" mother and Marc Grapey as a staunch Florenz Ziegeld.  Yet another Chicagoland newcomer Jameson Cooper makes a most winning impression as Fanny's mentor and friend Eddie Ryan, and Patrick Gagnon relishes his hilariously pompous cameo as the Ziegfeld Tenor, crooning "His Love Makes You Beautiful" to a very pregnant bride (Fanny, of course). "Funny Girl" isn't the kind of ensemble affair that allows its minions to shine too brightly, but veterans Iris Lieberman, Tammy Mader, Michael Accardo, David New and Adam Pelty are always a delight to have on hand.  And the ensemble kicks up their feet in Choreographer Matt Raftery's show-stopping tap specialty, "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat".  Perhaps the twenty-six year wait has been well earned for Oakbrook audiences as this production is one more notch in the upwardly mobile regime of Producers Kyle and Drew DeSantis.  My one complaint: cutting the overture, even in the interest of running time, is a sacrilege.  Those songs are gems and the best reason to revive "Funny Girl".  Give them their due!  "Funny Girl" will run through March 7, 2010 at Drury Lane Oakbrook.  The show runs 2 hours 30 minutes with intermission.  Performances are Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Fridays at 8:30 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Sundays at  2 p.m. and 6 p.m.  Tickets range from $29-$38 and lunch/dinner packages are available fro $43.70-$61.00.  Student and senior discounts are available as well .  For reservations call 630-530-0111 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.  Drury Lane Oakbrook is located at 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook (just north of the Oakbrook Shopping Center) and has plenty of free parking.   About Joe Stead Joe Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for the past twenty-five years.  He served as founder, producer and Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida.  Favorite productions have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap," "The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Godspell".  He has also performed leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin," "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for Waukegan Community Players.  Joe holds a degree in Commercial Art from Tampa Technical Institute.  As a critic, he has reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.  Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America.  He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers.  He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene.  Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays.  His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).   Second Thoughts by Alan Bresloff One might call Kyle DeSantis the Rocky Wirtz of Chicago's theater scene.  Since taking over as the Executive Producer of this wonderful suburban venue, Chicago area audiences have seen a tremendous and powerful change in the productions staged in this beautiful setting in Oakbrook.  He has taken this theater to a new level and like Rocky Wirtz has done with the Blackhawks, has shown that our younger executives want to make sure that those who pay to see what is offered are able to see the best that can be offered.  Congratulations to Kyle and his staff, who have truly made a name for themselves. Their current production, "Funny Girl," a powerful musical depicting the life of Ms. Fanny Brice written by Isobel Lennart with Music by Julie Styne and Lyrics by Bob Merrill is something to behold.  While many think of "Funny Girl" and think Barbra Streisand, they need to re-examine the woman that this story is about, a woman of great talent and power in a time when women never spoke out, but she did.  A woman who while not attractive in a physical way had the power over the audiences who watched her on stage and the men who wanted to be a part of her life and career. Directed by Gary Griffin and William Osetek, with Mr. Osetek handling the majority of the actual direction, and assisted by David New, this is a solid production that utilizes the stage at Drury Lane Oakbrook to its full advantage.  Matt Raftery, a solid dancer himself struts his stuff in his choreography of this period piece and never sways off course of the type of dance one might expect for the era in which this story takes place.  Jack Magaw has created a clever set that moves with ease allowing us to move from scene to scene with little or no delay, and Elizabeth Flauto has created costumes that are out of this world fantastic! While many claim that this is a one woman show that was designed and written for Streisand, this is not true.  It is show about a special woman in the entertainment field, a woman who may have changed the attitude of what Burlesque and Vaudeville was all about and perhaps made the musical stage for women more than being a chorus girl, Ms. Fanny Brice.  Playing Ms Brice is the wonderful Sara Sheperd who has a powerful voice and a true feeling for the woman that she is portraying. One can feel her happiness and her sadness as we go back in time with her and watch her story unveil in the two hours and 30 minutes of this powerful story.  We begin in her dressing room as she waits for the return of her husband from jail.  Nick Arnstein is a gambler, a man of class who changes the life of Ms. Brice, but a man who wants to be "the Man" and takes chances that cause him to go to prison for 18 months.  Paul Anthony Stewart is just a little less "macho" than I would hope for in playing this character and his voice is a little less powerful than called for.  As she waits, Fanny thinks back to her early days of trying to be that star she knows she is.  We go through this life story meeting the people who are of importance to her, Eddie Ryan (Jameson Cooper), her dance-coach who tries very hard to get her on the right road, her mother (a solid and very funny Catherine Smitko, who once again shows that she has what it takes to handle character roles), a neighbor, Mrs. Strakosh (another memorable role for Iris Lieberman), and of course "THE" Flo Ziegfeld (deftly handled by Marc Grapey), the man who made "Follies" a word.  But this show wouldn't work without a glorious ensemble, a group of actors/singers/dancers who take on a myriad of roles and make the show complete. While this show belongs to Ms Sheperd, without the ensemble it would only be a walk down memory lane of some of the history of the theater in this era.  They make it happen!  Tammy Mader, Michael Accardo, Anne Acker, Adrian Aguilar, Gary Carlson, Dan Collins, Jarret Ditch, Ariane Dolan, Patrick Gagnon, Kent Haina, Nicole Hren, Mary Mulligan, David New, Katheryn Patton, Adam Pelty, Megan Simmons, Holly Stauder, Joey Stone (who did a great job with "Cornet Man"), Erin Thompson and Zach Zube are a powerful part of this entertainment experience and should be proud of what they bring to the stage. "Funny Girl" is a musical that almost everyone of my generation knows with songs that we all remember, "People", "Don't Rain on My Parade", "Who Are You Know", "You are Woman, I Am Man" and "I Am The Greatest Star," just to name a few.  It was great to see the young people in the audience respond to these songs from yesteryear.  It shows the power of musical theater, that it lives on and can be enjoyed by generation after generation.  As long as our regional theaters keep reviving and allowing our young audiences to enjoy the true musicals, they will continue to live on.  For this, we need to thank Kyle DeSantis and other theater producers of our area.  This is a must see show.  Don't come with the idea of comparing Ms. Sheperd to Ms. Streisand, but do come to see this young actress with a powerful voice depict the character of one Fanny Brice.  This she does to perfection, except she is much prettier.