It was March 15, one of the first sunny days of spring. New York had finally awakened from its hibernation and the trees in Fort Tyron Park were beginning to bloom. The world felt new, fresh…ready to bloom. As a group of three roommates, we headed to our apartment, located in the northernmost borough of Manhattan. Suddenly, my phone started ringing: it was Jeremy, my agent. Something in me knew he’d gotten the job, even as I swiped to accept the call. “Would you like to play Fanny Brice?” asked my manager, Rachel. Tears welled up in our eyes: “Absolutely!”
That’s how Jenna Lea Rosen described her casting as the lead in Maine State Music Theatre’s production of “Funny Girl,” the show’s first appearance in Maine since its initial run on Broadway in 1964.
The show follows the journey of comedian Fanny Brice, a pioneering Jewish entertainer, as she rises from New York’s Lower East Side to become one of the Ziegfeld Follies’ biggest stars. The score, written by Jule Styrene and Bob Merrill, includes the insistent song “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and the reflective ballad “People.”
Artistic director Curt Dale Clark and choreographer Kenny Ingram say MSMT’s performance will be nothing like avid fans have seen before, as they have infused the production with “fresh energy and creativity.”
Lea Rosen agreed. In a recent interview with The Times Record, she talked about taking on the important role that made Barbara Streisand a star. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What did the audition process entail?
TO: Fanny Brice is my dream role, always has been. I was just waiting for the right time to come. And indeed she did.
Last year, one of my friends texted me when he saw that MSMT was doing a production of “Funny Girl.” I tagged my agents and they told me they were already on it. A couple of months later, I received a recorded audition. Over the years, this has become a common procedure. Basically, it’s you, an iPhone, and a tripod trying to squeeze all the scope out of a script in a matter of minutes.
My tape was 17 minutes long (longer than most) and featured four of the five songs and three scenes. However, the length seemed justified, as the script covers decades of Fanny’s life. At the beginning of the play, she is 19 years old: she is young and clumsy. As the plot develops, she grows into a woman and becomes a star. She wanted to capture that transformation on tape.
After landing the role, I partnered with several vocal coaches to perfect the musical score. The vocals range from E below middle C to high F, so we got to work. I also tried a new and effective way to memorize the script and wrote all my lines by hand.
Q: Do you see a reflection of yourself in your character?
TO: I see many similarities between Fanny and me. To begin with, we are both Jewish women who have been fed our entire lives with the narrative that we are “extraordinarily beautiful.” Fanny is beautiful, but she herself cannot see it. My story has been the same. …A continuous journey to find myself, find myself and accept all my curves and edges.
Fanny was also born, as we say in the theater, “born in a trunk.” We were both born into families of artists. My parents met at the Sacramento Music Circus during “Fiddler on the Roof.” Years later, on tour with the first national tour of “Beauty and the Beast,” my mom performed until she was six months pregnant with me. I spent the first few years of my life traveling!
Q: Fanny’s rise to fame is half the story; “Funny Girl” is also about her ruined marriage to gambler Nick Arnstein. The halves of the show can seem as mismatched as the couple themselves. Can you delve deeper into this dichotomy?
TO: “Funny Girl” is much more than a comedy, it is a very human story with elements that everyone can identify with.
Fanny’s life is torn between her love for Nick Arnstein and her love of the theater. The tension lies in how she struggles to reconcile the two. At first she loved the theater. Her biggest dream was to be a star. What makes her so human is that while she is on stage she knows her worth, off stage she doesn’t.
As a performer, I can relate. I often feel more like myself on stage, but there are also days when I need a different kind of validation, from a partner or a loved one.
Deep down, Fanny longs to feel beautiful and worthy of romantic love. From the moment she meets Nick, she puts him on a pedestal, placing herself beneath him. Immediately, their relationship becomes unbalanced and she is unfortunate. It’s a story as old as time: you can’t love another person if you don’t love yourself. However, Fanny fights against fate, prolonging the relationship and relying on humor to overcome the lowest moments.
But all this means that despite Fanny’s relationship with Nick, she is not dependent on him. She is the breadwinner of the relationship and when they break up, her heart breaks, but she still says, “The show must go on, he won’t ruin my life.” There is this moment of strength, even in the midst of raw anguish. And ultimately, her story isn’t tragic…it’s triumphant.
Q: How do you manage all the demands of show business?
TO: Sometimes theater makes you feel larger than life. Other times it makes you feel small. I often talk about this with my support system: my grandmother, my mom, and my stepdad. We address the ups and downs that come with this line of work and how to manage them.
I was lucky to have grown up with a supportive town. As an only child, I became very close to my nuclear family, as well as my honorary aunts and uncles. After years in business, I have had the privilege of having excellent mentors. I know there are people I can turn to when I feel overwhelmed.
My connection with my mother has been especially formative. She knows the industry and is my biggest fan. Whenever I have a weak audition I always call her to get perspective. She validates my feelings and reminds me that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. She reminds me that selecting a career doesn’t happen overnight – it’s an ongoing process that requires you to move forward and grow.
Q: What do you hope to achieve in the future?
TO: Right now, I’m working hard to stay present since getting this position was a huge milestone to begin with. So my short-term goal is to give this production everything I have and savor every moment. Looking ahead, my sights are set on a Broadway debut. That being said, this trip still hasn’t been what I expected. I have no idea what’s coming next, but I know I’m in good hands.
Q: What would you say to those considering attending?
TO: I hope those who come laugh, cry, and finally see themselves through the many characters they can identify with. The score is timeless and includes some of Broadway’s best songs, so even those who aren’t theater fans will likely recognize the tunes. And the creative team has gone to great lengths to ensure this interpretation is unique. I assure you that there will not be another version like this!
I would also like to point out that the art of theater has its roots in storytelling. As such, it is as cathartic to create as it is to consume. As a performer, you have a feeling of magic in your hands: you can make audiences cry and even (hopefully) take them to a different world. That’s the most rewarding part for me. There is such an intimate connection; For hours, cast and audience feed off each other’s energy. That cannot be found in any other type of media.
Performances will run from June 26 to July 13 at the Pickard Theater in Brunswick. To purchase tickets, visit msmt.org or call the MSMT Box Office at 725-8769.
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