#78: Funny Girl

July 17, 2025
  • Performances: 1,348.
  • Open / Close: March 26, 1964 – July 1, 1967
  • Theater: Winter Garden Theatre, eventually transferring to the Majestic Theatre then ending its run at The Broadway Theatre.
  • Tony Awards: Nominated for 8 but didn’t win any. As discussed in the podcast, Barbra Streisand lost to Carol Channing in “Hello, Dolly.” Ray Stark nominated as Best Producer, one of the last times the category was utilized.
  • Fun Fact: The podcast is chock full of fun facts so please listen to it! Here’s a deep cut though: Streisand’s first Tony Award nomination was for the show “I Can Get It for You Wholesale.” The understudy for her in that show was Louise Lasser!

Podcast

The highlight of “Chasing Phantom’s” brief history happened in May 2025 with the recording of what I hope will be the first of many live podcast events. Phil Crosby, the executive director of Richmond Triangle Players, has been a guest 6 times before so, after many times inviting him over to my house to record, he returned the favor!

As with the end of the first season, this is an episode largely about Barbra Streisand and there is no one I can think of better equipped to talk about her than Phil. After some fun trivia, we get into the development of “Funny Girl,” the rise of young Barbra’s career, and how that that convergence resulted in a once-in-a-generation phenomenon.

There is plenty to talk about after that: how Streisand loved rehearsing but hated doing the show once it opened, Sydney Chaplin’s horrendous behavior, replacements who had to follow in Barbra’s shoes, the movie and the recent revival and much much more.

Phil and I have a great time as we always do but we (well, mostly Phil) also drops conspicuous amounts of Broadway and show-biz anecdotes in along the way. Oh, and perhaps best of all, there are two live performances of complete songs from “Funny Girl,” not just the snippets I usually include. What a blast!

Bonus episode! Phil and I take questions about Funny Girl, the movie adaptation of the musical, Barbra’s autobiography, and more in this extra slice of content from the live Chasing Phantom event.

Phil and I cover a lot of this same territory but there are nice clips of Fanny Brice included in this overview.
Barbra’s last performance on Broadway where she sings “My Man”
An interesting re-creation of the big scene that led to Streisand first getting Broadway attention.
The footage is horrible but it gives you a sense of the staging of the show.
Barbra’s first appearance on late night TV at the age of 19. Fascinating. Boy, does she work this song!
You can see almost the entire movie of “Funny Girl” via clips on YouTube. I won’t post them all but this is a fun one from early on in the movie.
The Barbra Archives have a lot of fun seldom scene bits of video like this one. Worth checking out!
A play-by-play of the revival’s nasty casting transition.
Here is the second part of that first clip. Just to complete the circle.