"Funny Girl" is good old-fashioned theater the way Broadway was meant to be, and actress Hannah Shankman, who plays Miss Fanny Brice, has a voice that stuns audiences with depth and consistency, and it would surely make the movie great Barbra Streisand, who played the movie role, proud.
After its success on Broadway, the show is now touring on the road and it's in Fort Myers and perhaps the headline should read it stars singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester.
The musical brings the Ziegfeld Follies to life as stage-struck Fanny Brice, a Jewish teenager who lands her first job in vaudeville. Her mother, Rose Brice, is played by the Grammy Award-winning Manchester, and while Mrs. Brice may be her daughter's biggest fan, her mother's card-playing poker friends aren't so convinced because Fanny is not a stage beauty.
Manchester is delighted in her caricature role as the strong New York Jewish mother.
The suave Nicky Arnstein is played brilliantly by Stephen Marcus Lucas, who visits Fanny backstage and convinces her she is a beautiful star, and it isn't long before the two fall in love and get married as Fanny becomes a Broadway star, but not without paying a dear price.
The show is a biographical look at the life of vaudeville star Fanny Brice and provides a close-up look at the dreams and struggles of the girl who believed in herself and insisted on being the clown.
The bottom line: This show is a musical experience with some great jazzy hits, including "Don't Rain on My Parade", What Do Happy People Do?" and The Music That Makes Me Dance.
This show has a phenomenal cast donned in some great period costumes and they don't stop moving in this fast-paced musical backed by the sound of a big orchestra which is delighting audiences nationwide.
Funny Girl runs through Jan. 26 at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 239-481-4849 or online .
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