Connie Fisher Considers Following Maria Von Trapp with Fanny Brice
Connie Fisher
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After playing an iconic role in Maria von Trapp in
The Sound of Music, Connie Fisher is now being considered for another. The actress is eyeing the part of Fanny Brice in a new production of
Funny Girl, according to
The Guardian.
"Connie would love to play the role and she would make a wonderful Fanny Brice,” The Sound of Music producer Andrew Lloyd told the newspaper. “Connie is a major star, and I believe she's going to be around for a long time."
Funny Girl, which originally premiered at Broadway’s Winter Garden in 1964, famously propelled Barbra Streisand to stardom in a performance she subsequently recreated on the London stage (at the Prince of Wales in 1966) and to Oscar-winning success on film (in 1968). With a semi-biographical plot based on the life and career of Broadway and film star Fanny Brice and her stormy first marriage with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein, the musical features a book by Isobel Lennart and score by Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics). Amongst the score’s songs are “I’m the Greatest Star,” “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade.”
No theatre has been booked yet, and there are no further casting or creative details. A Broadway revival has long been mooted, but has never taken place. In 2002, a one-night Actors’ Fund charity performance was given of the show at Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre with the role of Fanny shared by a roster of stars that included Carolee Carmello, Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, Ana Gasteyer, Whoopie Goldberg, Spencer Kayden, Jane Krakowski, Judy Kuhn, LaChanze, Ricki Lake, Andrea Martin, Indina Menzel, Julia Murney, Bebe Neuwirth, Alice Playten and Lillias White