Funny Girl: Lauren Ambrose to star, expected 2012

Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) will star as 'Fanny Brice' in Funny Girl, in the first Broadway production of the musical since it originally opened in 1964. Funny Girl, which features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart, will be directed by Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher.

Funny Girl will play at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from 15 Jan through 26 Feb 2012 prior to opening in spring 2012 on Broadway at a theatre to be announced.

Lauren Ambrose said, "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. The character is complex, the music beautiful and challenging. I can't wait to get into that rehearsal room with the team Bart is assembling - wish we could start tomorrow!"

Bartlett Sher (director) said, "For me the key to any revival is finding the balance between respecting and unearthing all the deepest intentions of the original, and yet pushing the work ahead to see it in a new way. I know with Lauren that we can do that. We couldn't be more thrilled to get to work and make something special and something new."

Funny Girl is the road-to-stardom story of legendary entertainer Fanny Brice, from her start in a Brooklyn music hall to her meteoric rise as a headliner in the Ziegfeld Follies. While her career soars, she falls in love with charming gambler Nick Arnstein, just as his own lucky streak is running out.

For Funny Girl, Bartlett Sher reunites the design team of his acclaimed Tony Award-winning production of 'South Pacific': scenic design by Michael Yeargan, costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Donald Holder and sound design by Scott Lehrer. Music director is Kimberly Grigsby. Choreography is by Christopher Gattelli.

Bios:

Lauren Ambrose (Fanny Brice) received two Emmy Award nominations and two SAG Awards for her role as "Claire Fisher" in the critically acclaimed television drama, "Six Feet Under". She has previously appeared on Broadway in "Awake and Sing!" and "Exit the King" and starred in the Shakespeare in the Park productions of "Romeo & Juliet" and "Hamlet" and in "Buried Child" at the National Theatre in London. Her film roles include "In & Out," "Can't Hardly Wait," "Psycho Beach Party," "Swimming," "Admissions," "Diggers," "Starting Out in the Evening," "Cold Souls," "A Dog Year," "The Other Woman," "Where the Wild Things Are" and the upcoming films, "Wanderlust," "Think of Me" and "Grassroots." Her television credits include "Torchwood," "Party of Five," "Loving Leah," "The Return of Jezebel James," "Saving Graces," and "Law & Order."

Bartlett Sher (Director) LCT: Resident director; "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" (Tony nomination), "South Pacific," "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," "Awake and Sing!" (Tony nomination), "The Light in the Piazza" (Tony nomination)."