WSU prepares showstopping ‘Funny Girl’

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Jule Styne, Bob Merrill and Isobel Lennart’s 1964 musical comedy “Funny Girl,” chronicling the rise of vaudeville comedienne-turned-Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice and her ill-fated romance with gambler Nick Arnstein, will be presented at Wright State University beginning Thursday.

Set before and after World War I in New York City, “Funny Girl” notably features a slew of terrific songs by Styne (“Gypsy”) and Merrill (“Carnival”) that rank among the best in the musical theater canon. “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade” are the most popular, enduring showstoppers (both have been rediscovered by a new generation thanks to Fox’s hit comedy “Glee”) but “I’m the Greatest Star,” “Who Are You Now?” and “The Music That Makes Me Dance” in particular are equally dynamic.

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