Funny Girl to open at the Theatre Apr 2012

The up-coming Broadway revival of Funny Girl, starring two-time Emmy Award nominee Lauren Ambrose as 'Fanny Brice' and two-time Tony Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Bobby Cannavale as 'Nick Arnstein,' will open on Broadway Imperial Theatre in Apr 2012.

The announcement follows the news made earlier this week that the Imperial Theatre's current inhabitant, 'Billy Elliot the Musical,' will play its final performance on 8 Jan 2012.

The production, the first Broadway revival of Funny Girl since the original 1964 premiere, arrives on the Great White Way following its engagement at Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from 15 Jan - 26 Feb 2012.

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.

Producer Bob Boyett said, "It's been 47 years since Funny Girl has been on Broadway, but I'm sure that everyone is as thrilled as I am to have it back in New York this spring, following our Los Angeles engagement. Fanny Brice was the greatest star of the early 20th century and we cannot wait to examine this fascinating woman's life and career, with our great stars Lauren Ambrose and Bobby Cannavale and the incredibly talented Bart Sher at the helm with his extraordinary creative team."

Funny Girl tells 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.

Funny Girl originally opened on Broadway on 26 Mar 1964 at the Winter Garden Theatre and played for 1,348 performances. The show was directed by Garson Kanin, and starred Barbra Streisand as 'Fanny Brice' and Sydney Chaplin as 'Nick Arnstein.' The production was nominated for eight Tony Awards.

The musical was a hit on national tour and in London and was adapted to the screen for the popular 1968 movie version, but has not played Broadway since the original production closed in 1967.