'Funny Girl': Broadway Revival Plans Dropped Due To Economy
NEW YORK -- Producers of a revival of "Funny Girl" aren't laughing – they've had to scrap plans to mount the Broadway-bound show.
"We have made the extremely difficult decision today to postpone our production of `Funny Girl,'" according to a statement released late Thursday by Bob Boyett, one of the producers.
The musical, which was to star "Six Feet Under" star Lauren Ambrose as Fanny Brice alongside theater veteran Bobby Cannavale, had been slated for an out-of-town tryout at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles before transferring to Broadway in April 2012.
"Given the current economic climate, many Broadway producing investors have found it impossible to maintain their standard level of financial commitment," said Boyett's statement. "This was not the right time to bring `Funny Girl' to the stage."
The show was to cost $12 million – the producers said it would be "one of the most expensive revivals in Broadway history" – and would have been the first full Broadway revival of the show since Barbra Streisand starred in it on stage in 1964. That production played for 1,348 performances, according to The Broadway League. It was adapted for the big screen in the 1968 film of the same name.
It has a book by Isobel Lennart, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill.
In addition to Boyett, the producing team assembled for the now ill-fated revival included Sonia Friedman, Jean Doumanian, Stacey Mindich and Tim Levy.
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By MARK KENNEDY 11/ 3/11 11:43 PM ET Associated Press