Melissa Manchester Funny Girl North American Tour

Melissa Manchester Set to Star in Funny Girl North American Tour

The Grammy-winning music icon will portray Mrs. Brice in the touring smash revival, starting Sept. 9

As she celebrates a remarkable 50-year career in show business, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester is set to make her debut in the North American Tour of Funny Girl. Manchester has been cast as Mrs. Brice in the sensational musical comedy revival that will introduce audiences to Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice.

The tour will officially open at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI, from September 9-16, 2023, before continuing on to more than 30 cities coast-to-coast, including Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Dallas and Philadelphia.

“I’m absolutely thrilled and delighted to be joining the tour of such a brilliant show,” Manchester says. “To be accepted into this role is the completion of a circle. I’ve loved Funny Girl from the very beginning – it’s as if it’s always been in my life. Many years ago, I saw the original production on Broadway. My mother saw it, as did my sister and my aunt. The Manchester women were huge followers of young Barbra Streisand.”

Manchester, whose composition with Tom Snow “Just One Lifetime,” was sung by Streisand at her wedding to James Brolin, reveals that, at one point in the early ‘80s, she almost took on the role of Fanny Brice. “The musical’s composer, Jule Style, had called me at home and asked me to star in a revival,” she says. “For several reasons, the timing wasn’t right. My kids were very young then, and I was on the road doing concerts. Also, at that time, Barbra Streisand in that iconic performance loomed very large.”

She adds, “But at this point in my career, to be playing Fanny’s mother, Mrs. Brice, feels entirely right – it’s the sweet completion of an ephemeral circle.”

Originally, Manchester auditioned for the first-ever Broadway revival, which premiered in the spring of 2022. She credits her manager, Susan Holder, with contacting the production’s casting director, Jim Carnahan, and his associate, Jason Thinger. “Even though I’ve performed thousands of concerts, and I’ve done musical theater, auditioning is a little different,” Manchester says. “As the Broadway show was happening, Susan stayed in touch with everybody, and when the offer came to me of the national tour, I was like, ‘Holy Toledo!’ When you’re accepted based on an audition, it’s really something. My hat is off to people who do this all the time.”

Manchester also tips her hat to past performers who have portrayed Mrs. Brice. “The original was Kay Medford, a fantastic character actress who was also in the movie,” she says. “I’m thrilled to carry forward the role that Jane Lynch brought back to Broadway. And, of course, there’s Tovah Feldshuh. There have been many brilliant talents who have played the part.”

The singer’s luminous voice has graced a stunning collection of classics over the years – “Midnight Blue,” “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” are just some of her hits – and in Funny Girl she will perform such beloved selections as “If A Girl Isn’t Pretty” and “Who Taught Her Everything She Knows?” But Manchester, whose musical theater experience includes national tours of two Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, Song & Dance and Music Of The Night, notes that the role of Mrs. Brice is primarily a speaking part. “This is the first time I’ve been hired for a role with very little singing,” she says. “It’s so wonderful to have this kind of adventure during the 50th year of my career.”

A dedicated mother of two adult children – and just recently, a grandmother – Manchester explains that Funny Girl’s script rings especially true. “The scenes between Mrs. Brice and Fanny are so beautifully written, and they’re very conversational,” she says. “Mrs. Brice is the heart and conscience of the show. She sees her daughter Fanny make many of the same mistakes that she had. She loves her daughter deeply, but she can’t always protect her. Sometimes she can be a nurturing guide, but other times she has to let Fanny go into the inevitable crisis. It’s a very touching role.”

She adds, “The show takes place over several years. The language of love in 1903 is different from today; it’s rougher around the edge, the language of first- or second-generation immigrants. That’s very interesting to explore. What I know to be true of Rose Brice in Brooklyn in 1903 came through to me as I started to learn the dialogue. I could hear my aunties in my head.”

The Funny Girl North American Tour will hit 30 cities from September 2023 to September 2024. Of the demanding performance schedule, “I haven’t done eight shows a week in a long time – it’ll be rigorous,” she says. “This is a big show with a big cast. I’ve never been part of something so large, but I know it’ll be thrilling. I’m looking forward to a joyful and creative experience with everybody involved. With theater, there’s a camaraderie that develops, and you become family.”

She adds with a laugh, “Of course, I’ll be FaceTiming with my granddaughter and my kids while I’m putting on my makeup. This is going to be a fantastic way to celebrate my 50th anniversary – a remarkable adventure.”

The Funny Girl tour is produced by NETworks Presentations in special arrangement with Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Landis and David Babani.

For more information, visit https://www.funnygirlonbroadway.com/tour/
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