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At the
Winter Garden: Streisand
and Brice
September 1,
2008
 Did you know that
Barbra Streisand and Fanny Brice performed on the very same Broadway
stage? Though the two performers played the Winter Garden
theatre a couple of decades apart, the significance of Brice and
Streisand having performed in the same theatrical space can not be
overlooked. One might even wonder if the spirit of Fanny Brice was
present in the theatre, somehow inspiring Barbra in her nightly portrayal
of one of the most legendary comediennes of all time.
Fanny
Brice (billed as "Fannie" back then) first starred in "The Ziegfeld
Follies of 1934" at the Winter Garden. She would return to the
Winter Garden for the 1936 edition of The Follies. Fast forwarding
to 1964 would find Barbra Streisand performing as Fanny Brice at the
Winter Garden in "Funny Girl."
Brice and Streisand both
triumphing on the same stage - it's the stuff of Broadway legend.
The Ziegfeld
Follies of 1934
Their theatrical paths crossed and came full circle, though
decades apart, when Barbra Streisand portrayed Fanny Brice at the
Winter Garden in 1964. As it so happened, Fanny Brice was also a
headliner on those very same boards where Barbra achieved her Broadway
stardom.
Fanny Brice became a regular performer at the Winter Garden, starring
in two editions of "The Ziegfeld Follies." Brice's first performance
at the Winter Garden was on January 4, 1934 when she starred in that
year's edition of The Follies. And some believe that the Winter
Garden was the Broadway debut of Baby Snooks, the character
Brice would, of course, go on portray throughout the rest of her
career.
 Fanny Brice
performed three solo numbers in the '34 Follies: "Soul Saving
Sadie," "Countess Dubinsky" and "Sarah, The Sunshine Girl."
Fanny's husband at the time was Billy Rose (right), and he wrote the
lyrics for each of the songs his wife sang.
Other notable
performers in the cast of "The Ziegfeld Follies of 1934" included
Buddy Ebsen and Eve Arden. Brice performed in three comedy
sketches: "Baby Snooks," "Sailor, Behave!" and "Barnyard Theatre,
Inc.". Both Buddy Ebsen and Eve Arden played opposite Brice in the
Barnyard Theatre sketch. In total, the '34 Follies boasted a
cast of over 100 players. If you can find it, the touring edition
of "The Ziegfeld Follies of 1934" was recorded in its entirety. It
was initially sold as a series of 78 rpm records. A CD which
includes highlights from the original masters was released in
1997. Each of Fanny Brice's musical performances is preserved on
the recording.
"The Ziegfeld Follies of 1934" had a
run of 182 performances at the Winter Garden.
The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936
 Brice
opened at the Winter Garden in January of 1936 with a new edition
of
The Follies, supported by some of the day's major entertainers.
She shared the bill with Bob Hope, Josephine Baker, Eve Arden and
Gypsy Rose Lee, among others. Famed choreographer George
Balanchine crafted the musical dance numbers for this, his first
show. Vernon Duke (music) and Ira Gershwin (lyrics) wrote most of
the show's score. Future Streisand director Vincente Minnelli did
the costumes and scenery, no doubt a daunting task since the
monmouth cast included over 60 performers.
Florenz Ziegfeld was not at the helm of either the '34 or '36
Follies. He died a few years earlier (in 1932), so it was up to
his widow, Billie Burke, to continue the Follies in the Ziegfeld
tradition. She was the producer of both the '34 and '36 shows with
controlling rights to the title "The Ziegfeld Follies." Other than
being Mrs. Flo Ziegfeld, Billie Burke is perhaps best known for
her film portrayal of
Glinda The Good Witch in "The Wizard of Oz."
One of the highlights of
"The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936" had to have been Fanny Brice's on stage
portrayal of her most famous character, Baby Snooks. In the sketch
called "Baby Snooks Goes to Hollywood," legendary comedienne Eve Arden
played opposite Brice as Baby Snooks' mother. During the final leg of
the show's run, legendary burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee replaced
Arden to share the stage with Brice in the Snooks sketch.
Fanny Brice
performed two Gershwin and Duke numbers in "The Ziegfeld Follies
of 1936":
"He Hasn't A Thing Except Me" and
"Modernistic Moe." In ""He Hasn't A Thing Except Me," Brice
had fun with one of her own comic signatures. She began the number
by leaning against a lamppost. As she continued to perform, the
lamppost came to life and walked off the stage. As an homage to Fanny Brice's
trademark sketch, Barbra Streisand recreated the comedienne's
routine in the 1975 film, "Funny Lady."
In addition to Snooks,
Brice appeared in five other sketches, some as spoofs of movie
musicals: "A Sweepstakes Ticket," "Fancy Fancy," "Gazooka," "Dr.
Fradler's Dilemma" and "Amateur Night." Brice later performed "The
Sweepstakes Ticket" in the 1946 film, "The Ziegfeld Follies."
On May 9, "The
Ziegfeld Follies of 1936" went on hiatus and returned to finish
the engagement at the Winter Garden in September. When the final
curtain of "The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936" came down on December
19, it marked the end of an era. It was the last time Fanny Brice
would appear on a Broadway stage. "The Ziegfeld Follies of
1936" had a run of 115 performances at the Winter Garden. |
Brice and Hume
Cronyn on screen in
"A Sweepstakes Ticket" (1946)
Barbra does
a vintage Brice routine
in "Funny Lady" (1975) |
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