A little song and dance

Broadway musical Funny Girl comes to SIU

Factoid:Funny Girl opens at 7:30 p.m Friday at Shryock Auditorium. Tickets are $23 for adults and $18 for children 15 and under.

It’s an authentic tale of the American Dream come true.

It’s a tale of the zest and flair of turn of the century vaudeville.

It’s a tale of a roller coaster relationship.

Oh, there is some singing and dancing thrown in there too.

A production of the classic tale of Fanny Brice’s explosion to stardom, Funny Girl, is coming to SIUC. Funny Girl will be performed by the Candlewood/Mainstage Production Co., at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Shryock Auditorium.

The Broadway musical Funny Girl is a high energy song and dance romp about the career of comedienne Fanny Brice, born Fanny Broach. The musical approaches Fanny’s life in flashback form, highlighting moments in her career.

Fanny’s career began with a less than prestigious role in A Royal Slave. She soon garnered the attention of Florenz Zegfield Jr., proprietor of the extravagant vaudevillian Zegfield Follies, and landed her first assignment in the 1910 follies. She quickly became one of Zegfield’s main attractions.

The musical, written by Isobel Lennart and composed by Jule Styne, opened on Broadway in 1964 with Barbra Streisand in the lead role. Funny Girl deals with Fanny’s career, as well as her tumultuous relationship with gangster Nick Arnstein and their eventual break up.

Joe Abraham, an actor in the Candlewood/Mainstage Production Co., plays the role of Eddie Ryan, Fanny’s best friend who is secretly in love with her. Abraham said the musical has a little something for everybody, from dancing numbers to drama and comedy to the wonderful songs.

Everybody can relate to the relationship between Fanny and Nicky in some way, Abraham said. If you have ever been in a relationship that just falls apart or have seen a friend go through a relationship that is a struggle. It brings across the roller coaster ride of relationships.