Photo by Matthew Murphy
Katerina McCrimmon and Izaiah Montaque Harris in Funny Girl
Katerina McCrimmon and Izaiah Montaque Harris in ‘Funny Girl’
Call it “the role of a lifetime.” Comedienne. Singer. Actress. Known professionally as Fanny Brice. But famously known for her life story as one of the most beloved performers of the early 20th century.
The original Funny Girl was a stage musical and hit film by the same name. The 1968 movie made a star out of Barbra Streisand. And the recent stage revival of the musical is now crossing the country in its first national tour starring Katerina McCrimmon in the title role. And she recalls exactly where she was and how she felt when got “the call.”
“When I found out I was going to play Fanny on this tour, I was on a pier in New York City with my husband a few hours after my final callback getting ready to go babysit,” she explains. “I got the call from my manager and the shock didn't wear off for a long time … perhaps not till my first day of rehearsal. I still pinch myself sometimes.”
McCrimmon’s incredible vocal range and emotional depth have plenty to do with her getting the role in addition appearing in contemporary musicals like the 2023 off-Broadway revival of The Light in the Piazza. And McCrimmon has found that she does have much in common with the character she’s playing. “Becoming Fanny came quite easily to me,” she says. “I feel like I was born to play this role. We both have this drive and zest for life and we know our purpose on this Earth is to share our gift in artistry and make people feel something.”
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“During the rehearsal process I strived to always have fun like I know Fanny would and connect to the emotional life of Fanny through her fears and desires,” she continues.
Out of Mind
She did see the recent Broadway revival as well was the movie—as a teenager. But points out that “I put them out of my mind. I didn’t want anybody else’s performance to influence my own because I can’t be anyone else but myself. So I’ve simply learned to trust in my essence and remind myself I was chosen for a reason. It’s worked out pretty well for me so far.”
That includes a standout moment after a performance when she was leaving the theater. “My favorite memory? Meeting a fan outside the stage door who made his own hat that said: ‘Give 'Em Hell McCrimmon!’ I got to sign it and everything.”
All About People
Like the show’s most memorable song that still remains timeless, Funny Girl is after all, all about people.
“When people tell me I’m ‘famous’ now, I laugh because it doesn’t feel that way at all ... I think the only time I really notice people’s changed perception of me is at the stage door after the show” she says. “It’s really touching to see people so emotional because of my performance and to know we’re transporting the audience through this story. That’s exciting to me.”
Funny Girl runs January 9-14 in the Marcus Performing Arts Center’s Uihlein Hall. Run time: hours, 50 minutes with one intermission. For more information, call: 414-273-7121, or visit: marcuscenter.org
