Lauren Ambrose to Star in Broadway's Funny Girl Revival
Lauren Ambrose
Lauren Ambrose is Broadway's new Funny Girl.
It's a huge and legendary role to fill, as Barbra Streisand originated it in the musical's first Broadway run back in 1964. She also starred in the 1968 film adaptation and won the Best Actress Oscar.
"Let's face it, there is obviously more than a lot to live up to playing Fanny Brice, but I am humbled and thrilled by the opportunity to be a part of this revival," Ambrose conceded.
See photos of Lauren Ambrose
The 32-year-old Ambrose, who played Claire on HBO's Six Feet Under and now appears in Torchwood: Miracle Day, made her Broadway debut in 2006's Awake and Sing! She's also appeared in Exit the King and Shakespeare in the Park's Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.
Bartlett Sher, a Tony winner who's directing the revival, told Playbill: "It's important that people not see this casting process as trying to find the next Barbra Streisand. She is one of a kind. ... Lauren Ambrose has enormous accomplishments as an actor, especially a truthfulness in her acting that leads to great comedy, as well as a wonderful, rich voice that is fully trained and can genuinely soar."
Funny Girl follows the life and career of Broadway and film star Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur-gambler Nicky Arnstein. The Funny Girl revival will open with a short run in Los Angeles from Jan. 15 to Feb. 26, then move to New York City in the spring.