Barbra's Replacement in "Funny Girl"
Nov 19, 2006
No doubt, Mimi Hines has seen Barbra Streisand perform on stage before, numerous times
in fact, since she was Barbra's replacement in "Funny Girl" on
Broadway. The only two women in history ever to star on Broadway
in "Funny Girl" crossed paths once again last night.
Mimi Hines,
a Las Vegas resident,
took in Barbra's show at the MGM Grand, enjoying the show from a front
row VIP seat. In a profound moment,
these two funny girls arrived full circle when Barbra gave Mimi a
special welcome from the stage. Introducing Mimi to the audience,
applause erupted when Barbra informed her fans that Mimi was her
replacement in "Funny Girl."
Mimi
Hines kept "Funny Girl" running on Broadway, quite
successfully, until 1967. She gave nearly the same number of
performances as Barbra.
Success as Fanny Brice
To her credit,
Mimi Hines was enormously successful in the role of Fanny Brice when
she took over for Barbra in "Funny Girl" and managed to keep
the show running with a very healthy box-office for eighteen post-Streisand months. When the 33 year old
Mimi made her Broadway debut in "Funny Girl," the show had moved from
the Winter Garden to the Majestic Theatre, a few short blocks away,
and then ultimately to the Broadway Theatre where the show played out
the duration of its run.
Hines played opposite Johnny Desmond (as Nick) and her real life
husband, Phil Ford (as Eddie Ryan). At the time, Phil and Mimi were
well known as the comedy team of Ford and Hines. When "Funny
Girl" entered their lives, Ford and Hines had already made a
name for themselves on television, in New York showrooms, and on the
Las Vegas strip. They were extremely popular, so casting them in
"Funny Girl" insured full houses well into 1967, when the show
ultimately closed for good.
In 1967, "Funny Girl" composer Jule Styne wrote the liner notes for
Mimi's new album:
"When Barbra
Streisand left the Broadway production of 'Funny Girl' to play the
role in the London production, I knew there was only one person to
get for the Broadway production - and that person was you. You have
played this very difficult dramatic and comic vocal role for a year
now - and the audiences adore you. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!"
Mimi Hines, who began
her career in 1958, is still performing. She recently appeared in the
2007 revival of "Follies" at City Center in New York, prompting one
critic to say that "she is the living embodiment of show business."
Also in 2007, Mimi Hines celebrated the 40th anniversary of her run in
"Funny Girl" with a series of performances at Feinstein's at the
Regency Hotel in New York. In honor of this most auspicious occasion,
Mimi Hines performed several numbers from "Funny Girl":
"Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat," "I Want To Be See With You," "Who Are You Now,"
"The Music That Makes Me Dance," "I'm The Greatest Star," and of
course, "People."
And
Dolly, Too