'Funny Girl' announces full Broadway cast

The musical revival will begin performances March 26.

Don't rain on their parades! The full cast for the Broadway revival of Funny Girl has been announced. The classic musical will begin performances March 26 ahead of an April 24 opening at the August Wilson Theatre.

New cast members include Peter Francis James as Florenz Ziegfeld, Ephie Aardema as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Debra Cardona as Mrs. Meeker, Toni DiBuono as Mrs. Strakosh, Martin Moran as Tom Keeney, and Julie Benko as the standby for Fanny Brice. They join previously announced stars Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice, Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ramin Karimloo as Nicky Arnstein, five-time Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch as Mrs. Rosie Brice, and Jeff Award winner Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan.

The newly announced ensemble includes Amber Ardolino, Daniel Beeman, Colin Bradbury, Kurt Thomas Csolak, Leslie Donna Flesner, Afra Hines, Masumi Iwai, Aliah James, Jeremiah James, Danielle Kelsey, Stephen Mark Lukas, Alicia Hadiya Lundgren, John Thomas Manzari, Liz McCartney, Katie Mitchell, Justin Prescott, Mariah Reives, and Leslie Blake Walker.

Funny Girl is inspired by real-life Ziegfeld Follies showgirl Fanny Brice and her relationship with the gambler Nicky Arnstein. As a young woman, she rises to stardom as a comedy actress and falls in love with Arnstein along the way, but his past casts a shadow over their romance. The 2022 production marks the first-ever Funny Girl Broadway revival; the show premiered in 1964 and made Barbra Streisand a household name.

Funny Girl features music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill, and Harvey Fierstein has revised Isobel Lennart's original book for the revival. Tony Award winner Michael Mayer directs, and Ellenore Scott choreographs.