Beanie Feldstein as Fannie Brice in “Funny Girl.” (Photo by Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The much-anticipated revival of \u201cFunny Girl<\/em>,\u201d with Beanie Feldstein in the Barbra Streisand role as pioneering Jewish comedienne Fanny Brice, came up almost empty-handed, despite Feldstein\u2019s star status and the fact that the book was revised and updated by stage and screen legend Harvey Fierstein.<\/p>\nThe show received only one nomination in total, for featured actor Jared Grimes, leaving Feldstein and Fierstein (and other top draws like co-star Jane Lynch) in the cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunny Girl<\/em>\u201d debuted last month to mediocre reviews. Critics said Feldstein drew a poor comparison to Streisand and that the entire show\u2019s packaging felt dated.<\/p>\nAlso snubbed: \u201cPlaza Suite<\/em>,\u201d a revival of the Neil Simon play starring real-life Jew-ish couple Sarah Jessica Parker, the child of a Jewish father who identifies as culturally Jewish, and Matthew Broderick (Jewish-descended mom), only garnered one nomination, for costume design.<\/p>\nJews and Jewish-themed shows were more successful elsewhere across the nominees, however. \u201cThe<\/em> Lehman Trilogy<\/em>,\u201d an epic multi-generational history of the infamous Jewish family of financiers, received eight nominations, including best play; all three lead actors were also nominated, including Adam Godley, who is Jewish.<\/p>\n\u201cGirl from the North Country<\/em>,\u201d a jukebox-style production built around Bob Dylan\u2019s songbook, received seven nominations, including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical; the Great Depression-era orchestrations of Dylan\u2019s tunes were also recognized. \u201cNorth Country<\/em>\u201d was the second musical to be built around Dylan\u2019s songs, but reviews and ticket sales have indicated it was far more successful than a much-maligned first attempt, \u201cThe Times They Are a-Changin.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\nIn addition, \u201cNorth Country<\/em>\u201d star Mare Winningham was nominated for lead actress. Winningham was raised Catholic, but converted to Judaism in her 40s, writing and performing a \u201cConvert Jig\u201d for the occasion.<\/p>\n\u201cMr. Saturday Night<\/em>,\u201d Billy Crystal\u2019s musical comedy based on his 1992 film about a fading TV comic, received five nominations, including best musical and best actor for Crystal. He also co-wrote the nominated book with Jewish writing duo Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. Featured actress Shoshana Bean, who is Jewish, was also nominated, as were the Jewish writers of the show\u2019s music, composer Jason Robert Brown and lyricist Amanda Green.<\/p>\nWhile \u201cFunny Girl<\/em>\u201d failed to light up the revival circuit, several other Jewish-adjacent revivals did. \u201cCompany<\/em>,\u201d a gender-swapped restaging of the Stephen Sondheim classic, scored nine nominations, including best revival of a musical; the show was initially intended to be timed to Sondheim\u2019s 90th birthday, but COVID-19 delays resulted in it not opening until after his death this past November at 91. And \u201cAmerican Buffalo<\/em>,\u201d a revival of caustic Jewish playwright David Mamet\u2019s 1975 play about a junk shop, was nominated for four Tonys, including best revival of a play, as was \u201cTake Me Out<\/em>,\u201d an exploration of a professional baseball player coming out as gay, by Jewish playwright Richard Greenberg. <\/p>\n\u201cHow I Learned to Drive<\/em>,\u201d a revival of the Pulitzer-winning 1997 play dealing with taboo topics such as pedophilia and incest, was nominated for three Tonys, including best revival. Its author, Paula Vogel, had a Jewish father and has also written other Jewish-themed plays.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s been a rough year overall for Broadway, which returned after a two-year pandemic hiatus and saw multiple logistical hiccups as some cast members contracted COVID-19. Many shows had scrambled to premiere in time for the Tony deadlines. The 75th annual ceremony will air June 12 on CBS and Paramount Plus.
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Beanie-Feldstein-Photo-by-Matthew-Murphy.jpg\")