Funny Girl is a must-see the Fox Theatre. The show’s North American tour has brilliant leads in a marvelous production.

The show is based on the life of Fanny Brice, who was a headliner on stage and radio in the first half of the 20th century. Her early attempts to break into show business were unsuccessful because she did not look like a conventional chorus girl. Her comedic genius could not, however, be ignored. She became a star of the highest magnitude in the Ziegfeld Follies.

The other main plot follows Fanny’s exhilarating but trouble relationship with the debonair but undependable gambler, Nick Arnstein.

Funny Girl opened on Broadway in 1964 with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and a book by Isobel Lennart. The touring show at the Fox is based on the 2022 Broadway revival with a revised book by Harvey Fierstein. I found the updated show much more engaging than the original, which I saw about a decade ago.

The national tour has a scintillating star in Katerina McCrimmon. She sings with great beauty, dances with irresistible comic flair, exhibits razor-sharp comic timing in Fanny’s self-deprecating humor, and encompasses the full range of joy and sorrow in her romance with Nick.

As Nick, Stephen Mark Lukas is a terrific singer, dancer, and actor. He could not be more charismatic when Nick is at his zenith or more crushed when he hits rock bottom. Izaiah Montaque Harris is a superb tap dancer as Fanny’s friend, Eddie Ryan, and Barbara Tirrell captures both the heart and the personality of Fanny’s mother.

The staging and the musical numbers are a continual delight thanks to Michael Mayer’s direction, Ellenore Scott’s choreography, Ayodele Casel’s tap choreography, the splendid ensemble, and the fine orchestra under music director and conductor Elaine Davidson. The production has glamour befitting the highest achievements of vaudeville thanks to David Zinn’s scenic design, Susan Hilferty’s costumes, Kevin Adam’s lighting, and Brian Ronan and Cody Spencer sound.

Funny Girl continues through February 4 at the Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard.

—Gerry Kowarsky

Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Bryce and Stephen Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein in Funny Girl.