=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S [tm] Volume 8, Issue 9 - October 31, 1996 DDDDD D D D D GGGG D D G DDDDD G GGG G G GGGG A Debbie Gibson Discussion Forum =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CONTENTS =- ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES INTRO BY PAULA SANDERSON - Paula Sanderson PLAYBILL ONLINE - Robyn Reed USA TODAY ARTICLE - Michael Christopher BEAVER COUNTY TIMES ARTICLE - Clair Hammill PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE ARTICLE - Rob Polinsky PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE REVIEW - Tara Young OBSERVER-REPORTER REVIEWS "FUNNY GIRL" - Jon Kallis RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH ARTICLE - Grayson Gosney DENVER CANCELLATION EXPLAINED - Richard Evans WHO'S WHO IN THE CAST - Rob Polinsky CLOSING REMARKS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DISCLAIMER =- Between the Lines (ISSN 1201-4826, electronic publication ISSN 1201-4834) operates on a non-profit basis. Distribution is permissible only under the condition that no part of it will be used for profit. "Between the Lines" and "BtL" are trademarks of Between the Lines. Copyright 1996, Between the Lines. This forum does not necessarily reflect the views of Deborah Gibson, GMI Entertainment, Inc., Electric And Musical Industries (EMI), or any organizations to which members belong or represent. Opinions expressed in Between the Lines are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire forum. All lyrics by Debbie Gibson are copyrighted by Deborah Ann's Music (ASCAP) or EMI April Music, Inc./ Possibilities Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES =- Between the Lines has a central account and e-mail address. Please send all administrative requests and submissions to: BtL@btl.org To submit articles by postal mail, please proofread and send them to the postal address listed below. Submissions should be typed or written legibly. To submit articles by FAX, please call (604) 322-5936. We reserve the right to edit, defer, or reject submissions without notice. Submissions become the property of BtL. BETWEEN THE LINES 2137 Qualicum Drive Vancouver, B.C. V5P 2M3 CANADA For those of you who do not have access to electronic mail, you may subscribe via postal mail. Issues are printed with a laser printer which allows six pages of text to be printed on both sides of one sheet of paper. Back issues are also available on one MS-DOS 3.5" or 5.25" high density disk (please specify disk format when ordering). Prices are at cost and are subject to change: Canada $4.25 Cdn. for 5 issues / $2.50 Cdn. for back issues on disk United States $4.25 U.S. for 5 issues / $2.50 U.S. for back issues on disk International $6.00 U.S. for 5 issues / $3.50 U.S. for back issues on disk Please make a cheque or money order payable to Felix Ng and mail it to the postal address mentioned above. We are not responsible for cash lost or stolen in the mail. Issues are always mailed via first class. BtL t-shirts are available for $7.50 U.S. plus shipping costs. Please send e-mail to BtL@btl.org for more information. -= BtL moderators =- Myra Wong : mkwong@btl.org Felix Ng : fng@btl.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY PAULA SANDERSON =- Paula Sanderson - Leyland, England August 25, 1996 My name is Paula Sanderson and I am 17 years old. I come from a place called Leyland in Lancashire, England. I was lucky enough to attend Convention '96 and was in the green team (my fave color). While I was in line I saw in front of me a tall thin guy who was wearing a London Grease t-shirt, so knowing that there were other Brits at the convention I sneaked a look at his name badge and strangely he had almost his whole address on his name label! James Minter was also from Preston, three miles away from where I live! Now the odds of that must be hundreds to one but, standing next to each other in the Meet and Greet line???? The first question from his lips was, "So where have you been to see Deb perform?" because I had won the Airmiles award at the convention. So James, everyone at BtL and D.G.I.F. who reads this, let me put the record straight: James: House of Blues, Grease in Vancouver and Columbus, and NY/NJ for the convention. Paula: (Almost the House of Blues!), St. Louis, and the convention. So, James Minter, YOU ARE THE TOP D.G.I.F. AIRMILES PERSON!!! But I am going to see "Funny Girl" first!! Which leads me onto my real reason for writing this, as you will already know, Deb is set to begin touring in a new production of "Funny Girl" this fall. For many of us too young to remember the musical or the Barbra Streisand film about the actress/comedian Fanny Brice, the strong willed New Yorker who was born in Brooklyn. She was determined to become a star and threw her own self belief and persistence to never give up on her dream (sound familiar?). She got her big break in Ziegfeld's Follies in 1910 which she abruptly left to follow future husband, gambler, Nick Arnstein. He who would later end up in jail and shortly after his release, their marriage would end. The idea for a movie came about from the husband of Fanny's daughter, Frances Arnstein. Ray Stark a producer agent who commissioned a screen play and had it approved by the 'very special person' shortly before her sudden death in 1951 at age 59. However it would be thirteen years and in the form of a musical that Fanny Brice's life story would be told. It would take numerous writers and directors (nine in all) to put this piece on the Broadway stage. Ray Stark even quitting and it was at this time that the title which it would be known forever was born as rights to two other titles "My Man" and "A Very Special Person" could not be obtained, and so "Funny Girl" began with Barbara Streisand at the helm and opened at the Winter Garden Theatre, New York on March 26, 1964 and range for 1,348 performances and closing on July 1st with Mimi Hines in the lead role. Ray Starks' original idea for a film was realised in 1968 with Barbara making her movie debut. It would be for this that "Funny Girl" was most remembered. It certainly looks like Deb has one of the most challenging roles in the theatre but it will be the ideal opportunity to show off another side to that powerful crystal voice and prove exactly how versatile she is. And so following Deb's announcement at the convention, as soon as I got home after I joined BtL, I started looking at my college holidays and prices for U.S. cities and when my first ever BtL arrived with the tentative tour schedule, my mom foolishly asked what I would like for my 18th birthday. A "Funny Girl" ticket was my reply. And so on October 26 I will leave Manchester airport a 17 year old and on the 27th, spend my whole 18th birthday at the State theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota seeing "Funny Girl" and meeting Deb hopefully. Why walk when you can fly? Paula Sanderson 79, Kingswood Rd Leyland, Preston PR5 1TX England =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= PLAYBILL ONLINE =- Robyn Reed - Los Angeles, California (Rniki@aol.com) September 19, 1996 The following is a great article I found on AOL's PlayBill, in Theater News Online: On Oct. 1, Pittsburgh will get the first major production of "Funny Girl" since the 1964 original took New York by storm. Members of the New York press were given a sneak preview of the show Sept. 19, featuring an introduction by director Sammy Dallas Bayes, four songs from the production, and interview sessions with the show's star, 26-year-old pop singer Debbie Gibson. Press agent Peter Cromarty shmoozed with writers and photographers on sunny West 42nd Street, outside the door of the aptly named "Raw Space" rehearsal hall. The production, set to tour the U.S. For over a year, began rehearsals Labor Day. Upon entering the industrial-looking building -- after scarfing a danish and coffee in a side room -- the world that greeted the spectator was one of a controlled chaos that only exists in rehearsals of good old fashioned American musicals. The rehearsal space was nothing unfamiliar -- black, shiny tap floor, scuffed white walls, a huge mirrored wall to the rear. The only unusual sight being a pyramid-shaped, all-sided staircase painted blue at the center of the room. Even more absurd was the sight of roughly two dozen young singers and dancers in rehearsal togs, tapping away as they carried very imposing-looking rifles. Of course, those would be used in the show's production number, "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat." For those unfamiliar with the show that made Barbra Streisand a legend ("I Can Get It For You Wholesale" simply made her a star), it's about the life of vaudeville superstar Fanny Brice. A girl who rises in show business through sheer moxie -- and sensational talent -- Fanny falls in love with suave gambler, Nick Arnstein. The role was originated by Sydney Chaplin (Charlie's son) but is most closely associated with Omar Sharif, who played Arnstein opposite Streisand in William Wyler's 1968 film. Isobel Lennart wrote the original book, while Bob Merrill (lyrics) and Jule Styne (music) composed the songs. Merrill is the only one of the three still living, and he's adding new material to keep things fresh. According to musical director Sheila Walker, Merrill and Styne originally wrote more than a hundred songs for the show. "We were like painters who never wanted to quit," Merrill is quoted as saying. "Before Jule passed away, we rewrote two of the songs and added a completely new song to the score, and I did a rewrite of the book. I maintained everything that was in the show but tried to strengthen the character development." Walker told Playbill On-Line that the toughest part of the new material was finding the time to work it into the show before the Oct. 1 launch. "The new songs need to be orchestrated," she said, "although they did cut `Who Are You Now.'" Soon, director Sammy Dallas Bayes called the assembled to order and announced what we were going to see during this half-hour preview. Dressed charmingly down in a baseball cap, blue jeans and New York Mets uniform (#17), Bayes made clear the major change in this "Funny Girl's" structure: "In the original, you started in the present, then went to flashback, then back to the present. Now it's in flashback from the opening moment. You always see the New Amsterdam theatre backstage -- except during the two major production numbers." Earlier, the amiable Casper Roos, who plays Flo Ziegfeld, had told Playbill that the production was staying current with the 90s by eliminating the "cross-in-ones" -- a necessary evil of Broadway's pre-mechanized days. "Cross-in-ones are when two characters would walk slowly across the stage, talking, and setting the scene for what's to come," Ross said. "What's really going on is the scenery is changing behind the curtain." Director Bayes added, "We've eliminated the drops between scenes. Audiences don't want to see that; now everything is fast fast fast. That's why this is more a 'revisal' than a revival." Bayes then set up each song for the rehearsal and begged our indulgence for the imposing staircase, a set design element that had just been incorporated the day before. Before the show opens in Pittsburgh, the cast will spend a week in Richmond, VA, getting comfortable with the production's technical elements. As choristers put away their guns and readied for the first number, Playbill asked Mamie Bensinger, who plays Mrs. Strakosh, how she felt to be part of this huge touring event. "I was doing Hortense in "Zorba" at the Bristol Riverside Theatre," Bensinger said, "and they called me in to read for Emma the dresser. Then the part was cut, with the lines given to the stage manager. But two weeks later they called again and gave me Mrs. Strakosh." The role was originally played on Broadway by Jean Stapleton. Before he brought on Debbie Gibson and her co-star, Robert Westenberg, Bayes praised Gibson's approach to the character of Fanny: "A lot of actresses try to do Fanny Brice by going through Barbra Streisand. But this is Miss Deborah Gibson, and it's got to be "her" Fanny Brice, from her point of view." With that, Gibson and Westenberg came out as the piano and drums struck up the first tune. Gibson looked as sweet as the teeny-bopper world remembered her, in a white, terri-cloth robe with "Debbie" in gold letters over the breast-pocket, moppy pink slippers, and a blue hat. Westenberg looked starchly commanding in his white shirt and pressed black pants. They dueted on wooden stools on "I Wanna Be Seen With You," Westenberg handing her a floral bouquet which she later used as an oar to mime paddling in a canoe. Everyone in the room knew the second number would be the test. There are two legendary songs in "Funny Girl"; one of them is "People." The other is "Don't Rain On My Parade," which Gibson, now in a black and white checkerboard coat, sold with much acting savvy and a lovely, if light, belting voice. Without a microphone, it was difficult to understand her words, but judging by reactions around the room, she was able to sell the song. (By the time Gibson reached her final held note, the appreciative Bensinger was in tears.) The next number was supposed to be "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat", but one cast member was missing and another was having costume trouble, so we were treated to "Sadie Sadie (Married Lady)," a comic number that satirizes Fanny's friends' idea of what it means to be rich, married and living on Long Island. Gibson, looking a lot sexier than a Manhasset matron, wore a see-through lace top with polo shirt underneath and shiny pants. Through this sequence and the others, musical director Walker stood, hunched, near the band and in front of the cast, guiding them with her ever-tapping pencil. "It's the same size as the baton I use in the pit," she later told Playbill. "But I save the actual baton for the show as a good luck kind of thing." Finally it was time for the big closer, "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat," the ensemble once again grabbing their guns for what Roos (Ziegfeld) called "a classic military tap number." There they were, in two lines across the floor (in front of the steps), tapping away and flipping their rifles in and out of position. A momentary glitch occurred when the muscular actor playing Eddie Ryan slipped, but he bounced back up and the number continued in full swing. After three minutes of solid dancing, Gibson appeared on the steps wearing comic, coke-bottle glasses, rifle in hand, ready to pop the Kaiser -- which she did, literally. Removing a hat-pin from her silly pink chapeau, she grabbed a large white balloon from a garbage can (the Kaiser's face drawn on it in black magic marker) and popped it to end the song and the open rehearsal with a more-than-proverbial bang. Jimmy Litten, in the ensemble and understudying the role of Eddie, said of the rehearsal process that Bayes directs by letting the cast experiment a lot. He'll put up sketches of what the numbers should be and then goes back and changes what he needs to." Asked what he thought of the star, he said, "Oh, she's just like one of the kids, yet we all respect her." As Joe Sheridan, the stage manager, tried as politely as possible to rush the press out of the rehearsal room -- every rehearsal schedule operates under huge time pressure -- Debbie Gibson came into the lobby for questions and photos with the press. Wearing a black t-shirt fronted with the phrase "knownohatred," Gibson joked and smiled a lot, even when fielding the obvious question: how does it feel to be following La Barbra? "When you have a ten-hour rehearsal day, you're just not thinking about that. I love and admire Barbra Streisand enormously, but I'm not intimidated. I know I'm right for this role." What about stage fright? "I do vocal exercises and lots of breathing. You can't let it affect you, I mean, you might have had a horrible breakup, a relative passes away, you still have to come onstage and make people happy and laugh." Asked if the Brice character and the show conveyed a specific message to audiences, Gibson joshed, "Yes, don't rain on my parade!" More seriously, she said the show's moral is, "You're stronger than you think you are. Especially if you use your strength in a positive way. Fanny uses her dramatic flair to get what she wants -- even if it isn't always what's best for her." Playbill later asked Gibson if "Funny Girl's" Brice made the right choices. "Fanny probably should have married Eddie," Gibson admits, "but there are things you can't explain. And she's in love." Gibson, who has also appeared on Broadway in "Les Miserables" and as Rizzo in "Grease", noted that singing for the legit stage isn't that different from making pop music records. "The hard part is going from a beautiful ballad and then having to do a big ensemble number, and then back again." In praising Robert Westenberg, director Bayes noted that he wanted an Arnstein who was tall, strong, charming and suave -- much like the well remembered Omar Sharif -- but also a go-getter, and more specifically Jewish in tone. Asked if her own character's Jewishness presented a problem to a decidedly blonde shiksa, Gibson laughed, "I'm Italian. We eat a lot and talk with our hands." She also recalled the embarrassment of going to her first Passover Seder -- and bringing a box of Dunkin' Donuts for dessert. These are sweet times, though, for Gibson, who also has an album coming out on Nov. 15. It'll be a pop-oriented record of original songs, plus two from "Funny Girl", "Parade" and "People." After the full day's rehearsal, Gibson will join her mom and her publicists at B. Smith's Restaurant for a launch party of her CD, titled "Deborah." One wonders where she also finds time to work on the Broadway musical she's writing. Based on a screenplay that almost, but didn't quite, get made, "Skirts" has overtones of "West Side Story" and many 1980's hip-hop films. It's about girl-gangs settling their differences via a huge dance contest. But right now Gibson is more concerned with skits than "Skirts," gags over gangs, and -- judging by the reaction to her sweetness and professionalism -- her Fanny won't be landing on her fanny. -- By David Lefkowitz Transmitted: 9/19/96 5:10 PM (n3112) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= USA TODAY ARTICLE =- Michael J Christopher - Orlando, Florida (mjc29670@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu) October 1, 1996 The following is a transcription (copied without permission) of the article located in the U.S. edition of USA TODAY Monday, September 30, 1996. The article, located on page 4D (Life section (the PURPLE one)), is two columns wide and about 13-15 inches tall (about 2/3 the length of the page), with a picture of Deborah in Fanny Brice costume embracing a rail or lamppost, below the picture, inset box, are the dates for Pittsburgh, Richmond, Hershey, Minneapolis, Green Bay, Denver, San Diego, Omaha, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver, spanning from Oct 1, 1996 to February 2, 1997. Gibson enters 'Funny Girl' stage by David Patrick Stearns USA TODAY NEW YORK - When the film "Gone With the Wind" was first being made, casting Scarlett O'Hara was so protracted that people thought the studio was waiting for Shirley Temple to grow up. Something similar has happened to pop-music princess Debbie Gibson en route to her national tour of "Funny Girl." "I'd heard about a possible revival about four years ago, and the day I auditioned (for the show's composer Jule Styne), I broke out in hives," she says. "I don't think I was fully ready." Now, at 26, the singer of hits like _Foolish Beat_ and _Lost in Your Eyes_ is opening "Funny Girl's" national tour in Pittsburgh Tuesday. But despite her greater maturity, the gulf between Gibson and the title character - comedian Fanny Brice - appears so substantial, theater wags joke the show should be named _Perky Girl_. Gibson is less worried. She's such a WASP, she admits to having shown up at a Passover Seder with Dunkin' Donuts. But when she consulted some dialect tapes to capture Brice's Yiddish-tinged New York accent, it was exactly what she'd heard as a stage-struck teen growing up on Long Island. Like Brice, she crashed auditions and wormed her way into talent contests. "Being a concert artist has helped me. Brice was a solo artist, growing up on the road and dealing with personal hardships and 10 minutes later facing an audience." The show tells the story of an ugly duckling who elbowed her way to stardom in the Zeigfeld Follies and was romanced by the shady Nicky Arnstein. Gibson doesn't appear to have deficits in the looks department, "But when I was a kid and going to commercial auditions and such, they'd say, 'You've got a lisp and a crooked nose. Get those fixed.' I'm not a beauty queen. I don't have a dancer's body. I've always felt quirkier. Of course, Fanny felt downright ugly." Perhaps Gibson's biggest qualification for the role - besides stints in Les Miserables and other musicals - is that she has the guts to do it. Despite the show's hit-filled score, including "People" and "Don't rain on my Parade," its association with the towering talent of the original Fanny, Barbra Streisand, has kept it off the stage. "A lot of women have been intimidated by the Streisand thing," says co-producer Gary Gunas. "But people compete in the Olympics year after year. You can't retire a good show for that reason." Gibson believes she can resist Streisand's influential precedent, and besides, the show differs from what people saw in 1964 because it's creators have made revisions. Styne had long planned a "Funny Girl" revival, and before dying two years ago, he and lyricist Robert Merrill rewrote two songs and added a new one, "He's My Fella." Merrill also revised the libretto: "I maintained everything that was in the show but tried to strengthen the character development." Though he may seem to be tampering with a classic, the show had one of the most difficult gestations in Broadway history, full of revolving personnel (both Mary Martin and Anne Bancroft were considered), delays and rewrites. Streisand was so overwhelmed, she hired a private acting coach. Similarly, Gibson is mobilizing herself for the nine-month tour with an acting coach as well as a new singing coach. And from the sounds of rehearsals, she has definitely learned to belt. She continues to work on purging herself of pop-song styling. That doesn't mean she's putting her pop career on the shelf. She formed her own record label ("I got sick of getting lost in the shuffle.") and is releasing a new album in December, _Deborah_ featuring two songs from the show. "In the midst of eight shows a week I can't do a concert," she says, "but I'll be doing all the morning shows (for nine months), and it takes that long to build up awareness of an album." A few personal comments: Yeah!!!!!! This is about the best press I've seen Deborah get in a VERY long time. It appears that the writer likes what he discovered in researching the article, and the only negative comment is from "theatre wags." (What is a wag???) It sounds as if Deborah would like to do some concerts in support of the new album, but if the tour dates are extended, or it goes to Broadway, we may have a while to wait. We will, however, have plenty of press/media opportunities for Deborah, especially since she's "doing all the morning shows". I'd interpret that to mean we'll be seeing her on television a fair bit, and probably showing up on a lot of radio stations. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= BEAVER COUNTY TIMES =- Clair Hammill - Utah (Chskialta@aol.com) October 2, 1996 You know, every now and then your parents surprise you. This time, it was my dad. Dad usually sends me clipouts from the various Pittsburgh papers about the Penquins, politics, and so on. In today's batch, he included an article from Monday's Beaver County Times newspaper (a local paper to my parents that I used to deliver it many eons ago). THANKS DAD! The following is the article, reprinted without permission. It is a long article with a large black and white version of the picture that was in the USA Today paper. I think the article is good, and does Deborah credit. Wow, my little dinky hometown actually has a good thing! "Singer becomes a 'Funny Girl'" By Gladys Blews Wilson, Beaver County Times Staff PITTSBURGH - The role of Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" is a change of pace for Debbie Gibson, the award winning singer/songwriter. Tuesday night "Funny Girl" opens at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, the first stop in a 30-city international tour featuring revised songs by Bob Merrill and the late composer Jule Styne. It's the first show in a series of nine Pittsburgh Broadway Series offerings. "Funny Girl" is based on the life of Fanny Brice, who was discovered by Florenz Ziegfeld in 1910 when she was 17. Her immediate success led to 22 years as a "Ziegfeld Girl". Brice was a stage and film celebrity, but after Ziegfeld's death in 1932, she developed the character of Baby Snooks. Between 1937 and 1950 her radio role as Baby Snooks usurped much of her time. It gave Brice another type of national audience. Hers was a legendary career and a catastrophic personal life. Gibson could identify with Brice's early rise to fame and her accomplishments in various media. She hit the audition circuit at age 5 and began a meteoric rise to fame as a pop recording artist in her mid-teens. Her string of top 40 hits includes two No. 1 hits - "Foolish Beat" (1987) and "Lost In Your Eyes" (1989). She was named ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 1989 and has sold over 10 million albums worldwide. Gibson also felt comfortable with the comedic timing that was Brice's hallmark. "My chief concern was making a connection with Fanny when she was older and suffering because of another divorce in a string of unsuccessful marriages. "I've had some boy-girl breakups, but nothing like hers. I've never been married. I have no children. I had to turn to friends who were willing to tell me their experiences so that I could try to make an inner connection with the pain." Gibson, who at age 25 has accomplished more than most artists do in a lifetime, wants to break out of the public's conception of her as a pop artist only. Before she landed a record deal with Atlantic Records at age 16, among other accomplishments, she appeared in the New York City Metropolitan Opera production of "Hansel and Gretl," "La Boheme" and "Le Nozze di Figaro." She wants to be accepted as the versatile performer and composer she is and "Funny Girl" is a giant step in breaking out of the "pop" mold. She knows that the role of Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" was pivotal in Barbara Streisand's singular success in balancing her career as both singer and actress. Many of the show's memorable songs, such as "People" and "Don't Rain On My Parade" have been identified with Streisand as they pass on to a second or third generation of fans. When Gibson was chosen for the Brice role in "Funny Girl," she rented the 1968 Streisand movie version, knowing that Streisand had also played to sellout crowds in the role on Broadway. "I watched the movie four times," Gibson says. "She is fabulous, but I knew I had to create my own characterization, not to try to copy her." Before she felt prepared to do that, Gibson thoroughly researched Brice's life. "My research helped to make Fanny real to me and then I began to make the role my own. I keep in mind that even though the musical depicts her life, it's a musical, not 'This is Your Life.'" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE ARTICLE =- Rob Polinsky - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (robbie@nauticom.com) October 1, 1996 PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE October 1, 1996 ELECTRIC GROWN-UP ...Debbie Gibson makes her national premiere tonight at Heinz Hall in FG By Ed Masely Post-Gazette Staff Writer Reprinted without permission. Electric Youth? Forget it. Debbie Gibson, the youngest artist ever to write, produce, and sing her way to No. 1, is 26 these days and ready to show the world another side of the "Shake Your Love" sensation. She's starring as Fanny Brice in the touring production of "Funny Girl," making its national premiere tonight at Heinz Hall. And about that other '60s Fanny... "Barbara Streisand doesn't cross my mind a lot when I'm in rehearsal concentrating on what I'm doing," Gibson says. "I mean, I knew the production was gonna happen. *Someone* was gonna be up there playing Fanny Brice and I would have absolutely kicked myself if it wasn't me, 'cause I've wanted to do it forever. It's great that for a lot of new people, I can be Fanny." The only time Streisand really crosses her mind, she says, is when other people bring her up. "I made up my mind that i didn't want to do a Barbra Streisand impersonation, because that's obviously only one of her," she says. "And she's pretty amazing." Gibson wasn't even alive in 1967, the last time Streisand stepped on stage as Fanny. In fact, the last time Gibson saw "Funny Girl," the movie, was "well before I found out I got this role. And I purposely kept it on the shelf so I didn't repeat something someone else already did." Instead, she went right to the source. "I spent many hours at the Museum of Television and Radio pulling up clips of sketches," she says. That's how she discovered all the parallels between her life and Fanny Brice's, from talent shows and managing moms to the way they approached auditions. "She used to worm her way into auditions, which I would do all the time," says Gibson. "It would come to the 10 finalists for a role and I'd say to my mom, 'They must have made a mistake. I'm just gonna go sneak into the group.' I always felt like if I had the chance for them to really seriously listen to me, I could do it." And then there were all the personal hardships on the road. "One minute you're in tears, and the next minute you're on stage making people laugh," she says. "That, I think, is the part I understand most of all." The first time Gibson auditioned for "Funny Girl" was at the request of Julie Styne. "That was about four years ago," she says. "I never got nervous. My adrenaline always goes haywire, but I never get scared. Well, that would be the one and only day in my whole life I broke out in hives. I was so aware of the fact I was in the presence of a legend. I had done 'Gypsy' several times as a kid, and grew up listening to the music." She got into musical theatre at a very young age, before the "Shake Your Love" days. "I had my Equity card before I had my first record deal," she says. "As a kid, I was 'Annie'-obsessed. I wanted to be Annie in the worst way. In fact, if I have one regret in life, it's that I'm too old to play Annie." From 5 to 15, her mother would take her from one play to another. "I'd be doing a children's show during the day and then a college production at night." She only gave it up when "Out Of The Blue," her debut album for Atlantic, hit the streets in 1989 [sic]. "It was heartbreaking to me, to have to put it on hold," she says. "So when the opportunity came up later to do 'Les Miz,' I thought, "Well great, I'm finally going to get to strike a balance between the two." Her first two albums yielded eight hit singles, written *and* produced by Gibson. And that seemed fair. "For the amount of whirlwind activity I had just been through to try and get those songs there, I felt like I was *supposed* to be happening at that point," she says. So how did the kids at school respond? "My friends, who knew how hard I'd been working on it, understood completely," she says. "They were like, 'OK, that's supposed to be happening, because she gave up going to this football game and this party.' They knew I was demo-ing every night after school." And then there were those who resented her for it. "Kids would say, 'You think you're so great,'" she says. "And in my head, I'm thinking I didn't do anything to them, I didn't say anything to them that would have led them to believe that." Gibson's career took a walk on the wild side last year when she sang with the Circle Jerks on record and on stage at CBGBs, New York's cradle of punk. "Niko Bolas, who mixed my album, was producing their album and they were like, 'We think she's cool. Do you think she would ever come and sing with us?' So I just thought it would be a hoot." Debbie is Deborah now, by the way. Not Debbie Cougar Gibson, just plain Deborah Gibson. "It's funny, because I always preferred to be called Deborah and other people had a very difficult time calling such a young girl what they considered to be such a formal name," she says. "So I kind of went with it, thinking we'll make everyone else feel comfortable. But I'm really sick of it now. My name is Deborah, my friends and family have always called me Deborah." The name, she knows, is an uphill climb. For some, she'll always be Debbie Gibson, Renaissance Teen. "That's cool. That's all a part of my life and what I've done. It's not like I'm putting something terrible behind me." And what does Deborah think when she hears herself on "Only In My Dreams" or "Shake Your Love"? "I can't say that I listen to them too often," she says. "But when I do happen to hear them, I kind of marvel at how munchkin-y my voice sounded at the time. ... But it sounds like what was going on in Top 40 at the time. The '80s music scene was very cool because you could be as cheesy as you wanted to be, and I *am* cheesy. I admit it." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE REVIEW =- Tara Young - Boston, Massachusetts (tyoung@lynx.dac.neu.edu) October 3, 1996 There was a review in the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE Magazine Section, October 3rd about the opening night of "Funny Girl." The following is a complete transcription of that, reprinted without permission. "FUNNY GIRL" OPTS FOR LAUGHS OVER DEPTH By Ron Weiskind Post-Gazette Entertainment Critic I know what you're thinking. "Funny Girl" without Barbra Streisand? "Funny Girl" starring Top 40 diva Debbie Gibson? But the current Broadway revival of "The King and I" proves that a musical doesn't have to be buried alongside the star most associated with it. Lou Diamond Phillips in place of Yul Brynner? Critics raved and the box office hums. And it's not like Gibson has never seen a Broadway stage from the other side of the footlights, having played Eponine in "Les Miserables." To quote Gibson's program bio, "Anything is Possible." To be sure, she brings some solid qualities to the table. Gibson displays a strong voice and she's a gamer, which should be a prerequisite for the role of Fanny Brice, the entertainer who steamrolled her way to stardom through the blunt force of her personality and talent. Brice wasn't what anyone would call pretty, so she compensated by trying to be funnier than anyone else. Gibson is at her best in the comedic songs, which take advantage of Brice's brass and her willingness to do anything for a laugh. But there is more to Brice, and to "Funny Girl," than laughing through your insecurities. The character's drive and stubbornness border on self-destructive. She even tries to top master showman Florenz Ziegfeld (Casper Roos) at his own game, and only her shamelessness keeps her from being fired. This is more than just compensating for one's looks, but Gibson smooths out the character's rough edges. She's pushy and confident, but underneath she's a scared little girl--even after she's matured and married slick Nick Arnstein (Robert Westenberg), a gambler who is mostly flash posing as substance. When they hit rocky times she still games it out by reverting to humor, although Gibson never gets past that facade to exhibit any real pain. But she's not alone. Westenberg displays Nicky's charm and superficiality but not a hint of danger, and his voice sounds thin in his one solo, a reprise of "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade." The production numbers seemed listless, notably the tap tune "Rat a Tat Tat" in Act 2. And for every seemless scene change, there's another that literally clunks into place. But this was opening night of the show's national tour, which may explain the clumsiness. The other problem with "Funny Girl" is the padding. Seemingly, every other scene takes us back to Fanny's humble origins on Henry Street, where her mother, Rose (Barbara Spiegel), owns a saloon. These scenes are filled with tired ethnic humor and songs that do little except fill up time, a problem in a show that runs three full hours. If the parade drags on long enough, a little rain is bound to fall. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= OBSERVER-REPORTER REVIEWS "FUNNY GIRL" =- Jon Kallis - California, Pennsylvania (jakallis@ryker.itech.cup.edu) October 4, 1996 'Funny Girl' was rain on his parade By Doug Shanaberger Observer-Reporter October 4, 1996 Call it a challenge or call it a handicap. Either way, as a friend of mine commented at Heinz Hall Tuesday night, Debbie Gibson has taken on the responsibility of "filling shoes that are bigger than Gulliver's." Long before the pianos were tuned and the wardrobe department had polished up enough high-button shoes to fill a station wagon, Miss Gibson and everyone else connected with the national touring company of "Funny Girl" were facing a hurdle that would scare National Velvet out of her riding togs. Most of the time, musicals are remembered for their content, not their stars. The diehards notwithstanding, how many can name the original Laurie in "Oklahoma!" or the first Skye Masterson in "Guys and Dolls"? But Jule Styne and Bob Merrill's biography of comedienne Fanny Brice, with its lustrous score and a book that falls disappointingly short of the mark, has had one identity, and only one, in 32 years. Full of great songs and thickly peppered with sardonic throwaway lines, it was - and always will be - the vehicle that lifted Barbra Streisand out of New York's nightclub circuit and cannonballed her into superstardom, the kind that happens once in a generation. Though some of its virtues were overshadowed by Miss Streisand's talent, "Funny Girl", on stage and later on film, was more about the emergence of a magnetic personality than it was a valentine to Miss Brice. The trouble with the new version isn't as black and white as everyone may have predicted: the "she doesn't compare" argument. Debbie Gibson gives the Fanny Brice role a pushy buoyancy, and the defiant edge in her voice allows for the full-throttle treatment in "Don't Rain on My Parade" and other numbers that spell out Fanny's audacity. Miss Gibson's comic timing also has a generous dash of punch and eagerness, most notably in an early scene that lets the audience tag along while teenage Fanny stumbles and schleps her knocked-kneed was through a chorus line audition at Keeney's Music Hall. As a performer, she's clearly a good sport, someone who's anxious to give whatever the audience wants. What she lacks is the technique to play the full range of emotions in "Funny Girl". More that anything, this is the story of a woman who wins when she's on stage and loses when the curtain comes down_the classic theather drama. Or rather, it has the potential to be. While Miss Gibson's energetic portrayal misses the necessary division of humor and pathos, the actress doesn't get much help from director Sammy Dallas Bayes, catering to the musical numbers at the expense of dramatic tension, or from Robert Westenberg, stiffly playing Miss Brice's irresistible husband and looking extremely easy to pass up. Unfortunately too, creative retooling has affected the structure of "Funny Girl". Fanny's terrific honky-tonky number, "Cornet Man", has been given to another player, and the ballad "Who Are You Know?" was deleted from Act Two. Changes like that, plus the shabbiest costumes and sets I've ever seen in a major touring poduction, felt like rain on my parade. RATING: * * =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH ARTICLE =- Grayson Gosney - Richmond, Virginia (ggosney@vt.edu) October 6, 1996 RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH Sunday, October 6, 1996 Successful singer turning talents toward stage BY ROY PROCTOR Times-Dispatch Staff Writer Debbie Gibson feels she was born to portray Ziegfeld Follies singer-comedian Fanny Brice. In "Funny Girl," which opens Tuesday at Richmond's Landmark Theater on the second stop of a 30-city North American tour, she has her chance. "I would have done this show anywhere for any amount of money," the 26-year-old pop singer and musical actress, said recently at the start of tour rehearsals at the Landmark. "This is my dream role because there are so many similarities between Fanny Brice and myself. "We both started quite young. She used to do shows in her alley on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I used to do shows in my back yard on Long Island. She used to talk her way into talent shows and auditions. I would do the same." The blond, fashion model-thin Gibson, who was carefully made-up and dressed in a tight sweater and jeans, paused as she leaned across the back of a seat in the empty theater. Carpenters were noisily hammering and sawing scenery on the stage. "I absolutely hope my personal life doesn't suffer the way hers did," she said. In the first "Funny Girl" tour in 30 years, Gibson plays Brice at the height of her fame from 1918, when she married gambler Nick Arnstein, to 1927, when she divorced him after he returned from two years in federal prison on fraud and forgery convictions. It was not Brice's first marriage. Her midteens union with a barber lasted two days and was annulled. Nor was it her last. Her 1929 marriage to Broadway showman Billy Rose could not weather Brice's greater fame and ended in divorce in 1938. "Up to now, my choices in men have been better," Gibson said, adding that she's "single, but in a relationship." It's in the "Funny Girl" flashback to Brice's teen years that Gibson makes the biggest connections. Brice first stepped on a stage in a Brooklyn amateur night at age 14. She began honing her comedic and singing skills on burlesque stages. At 17, she caught the eye of Florenz Ziegfeld, who signed her to a seven-year contract despite her being underage. The rest is show biz history. Gibson's career began even earlier. She started composing at age 5, launched her professional stage career at age 12 and continued to write and compose songs in her home studio. She landed a recording deal with Atlantic Records at age 16. Her first international release, "Out of the Blue," sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. At 18, her "Foolish Beat" hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The following year, she repeated that feat with "Lost in Your Eyes." Gibson's recording and concert career has had its ups and down, but she leaves no doubt that she's eager to cash in on opportunities and will create her own when necessary. Returning to theater six years ago, she made her Broadway debut as Eponine deep into the run of "Les Miserables." She played Sandy in the London revival of "Grease" and Rizzo in the "Grease" tour that played the Carpenter Center last spring with Mackenzie Phillips in the role Gibson had vacated. If Gibson had to choose between theater and songwriting and recording, which would she pick? "I can't answer that because I don't have to choose," she said with a laugh. "One keeps me sane enough to do the other. "I'm a creative person. I have to get that creativity out of my system by writing and producing and recording, but I love the family feeling of being part of a cast. I don't love living in hotels, but I do love the idea of bringing theater to the people." Gibson said she's not intimidated by the specter of Barbra Streisand, who rose to stardom as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" on Broadway and who later won an Oscar for her film portrayal. "The only time I ever think of Barbra Streisand is when people ask me," Gibson said. "My philosophy is that somebody has to bring 'Funny Girl' to a '90s audience, so why not me? "I'm making musical and acting choices based on my own experience of what I know to be true in show business. I would never do a Barbra Streisand riff if it didn't come from somewhere deep in me. "Funny Girl" is being promoted as the "pre-Broadway tour," but Gibson and tour officials acknowledge that nothing is concrete. "Broadway is a hope," Gibson said. "The only indication this might go to Broadway is that they have a cut-off point on the tour. I'm signed at the moment for nine months with the option of doing this on Broadway." Neither does Gibson worry about her sweet-teen recording voice not being up to the demands of a Broadway musical, especially not after her work in the demanding 'Les Miserables.' " "I'm constantly learning to sing in new ways for every project I do," she said. "It was more of a stretch to take the theatrical sound out of my voice to record. I'm a natural belter." Whether "Funny Girl" ends up on Broadway, Gibson has her own Broadway project afoot. "I'm composing my own musical, and I've already done basic arrangements and preliminary recordings of 10 songs," she said. "It's called 'Skirts,' and it takes place at the New York World's Fair in 1964. "It's a combination of 'Moonstruck' and 'West Side Story.' It involves family life and racial tensions, and music and dance are key elements." She smiled mischievously. "Oddly enough I'd be a good choice for the lead role, a teen-aged girl who ends up being a motivating force through difficult circumstances in many people's lives." The book is based on an unproduced film script. "We have producers interested in this, and I'm waiting for the next draft from the book writers," she said. If "Skirts" doesn't pan out, something else no doubt will. "I just have a lot of creative energy I haven't used," Gibson said before rushing off to her first rehearsal at the Landmark. "I have a fiery side. I relate to every word in that 'Funny Girl' song, 'Don't Rain on My Parade.'" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DENVER CANCELLATION EXPLAINED =- Richard Evans - Gainesville, Georgia (neppie@mindspring.com) October 30, 1996 I just pulled this article from the Denver Post. This account is more in sync with the reviews we have seen. It is much better (for Gibson) than the generic reason ("awful") that was first given as the reason for cancelling the show. Show sought to fill 'Funny Girl' dates By Sandra Brooks-Dillard Denver Post Theater Critic Oct. 29 - Letters have gone out to Denver Center Attractions subscribers holding tickets to "Funny Girl" from DCA executive producer Randy Weeks saying that the show has been canceled and that he is looking for a suitable replacement. Non-season subscribers who bought "Funny Girl" tickets through Denver Center Attractions will receive direct refunds. Those who bought tickets through Ticketmaster will have to go back to the original Ticketmaster location for refunds. The musical, starring Debbie Gibson in the role immortalized by Barbra Streisand, was yanked from its Nov. 12-24 slot at the Buell Theatre after Weeks saw the show in Minneapolis. "He said Gibson was good, and if everyone else was working as hard as she was, the show would be good," said DCA spokesman Jeff Hovorka. "He also thought... that the whole thing just didn't live up to the standards the DCA thinks its subscribers deserve." Other DCA shows for which tickets are available include "It Ain't Nothin' but the Blues," through Nov. 9 at the Auditorium Theatre and "Tap Dogs," Nov. 5-10 at the Buell Theatre. For tickets or more information, call the DCA at 893-4100 or Ticketmaster, 830-8497. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= WHO'S WHO IN THE CAST =- Rob Polinsky - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (robbie@nauticom.com) October 3, 1996 This is the entry for Deborah in the "Who's Who In The Cast" section of the "Funny Girl" program: DEBORAH GIBSON (Fanny Brice) began her love affair with the theatre at the age of five when she started performing in local talent shows and community theater on Long Island and then moved on to sing professionally with the Metropolitan Opera's Children's Chorus. Like the character she portrays in _Funny Girl_, as a child Deborah often fearlessly "crashed" auditions for Broadway musicals, frequently making it down to the final cut on raw talent and ambition. As her theatrical career began to flourish, she found that writing songs and playing piano also became passions and theater was temporarily put on hold so she could pursue another lifetime dream: recording. With over 10 million albums sold worldwide, ten Top 40 hits and three international concert tours under her belt, Deborah still wanted to return to the theatrical world. After singing through the scores of _Les Miserables_, for the show's executive producer, Richard Jay Alexander, Deborah landed the role of Eponine and made her Broadway debut at the age of 21. She went on to play Sandy in the West End revival of _Grease_ in London for a sold-out-nine-month engagement, followed by Rizzo, Sandy's nemesis, in the official Broadway production of _Grease_ in 18 American cities. Deborah's two proudest career moments were receiving ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year Award (tying with Bruce Springsteen) and being invited onstage by her idols Elton John and Billy Joel at a Madison Square Garden concert. "Anything is possible," notes Ms. Gibson, because after years of using Fanny Brice as an alias and four years after singing "People" and "Don't Rain On My Parade" for the late, great Jule Styne, Deborah is living out her long-time dream of performing in _Funny Girl_. Thanks to family, friends, teachers, coaches, Chris, cast and crew. Thank you, God! Mom, this one's for you! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CLOSING REMARKS =- VARIETY featured a color picture of Deborah Gibson as Fanny Brice in the September 9-15 issue. VARIETY also publishes the weekly road grosses of touring shows. The following is the date from the first three weeks: SHOW DATES CITY, STATE THEATRE TOPTIX SEATS POTENTIAL GROSS % 10/01-10/06 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz $47.50 2,697 $903,290 $641,110 71% 10/07-10/13 Richmond, VA Mosque $39.50 3,566 $892,013 $282,008 31% 10/14-10/20 Hershey, PA Hershey $45.25 1,904 $644,096 $384,577 60% Key: TOPTIX = highest price for tickets; SEATS = seating capacity of theatre; POTENTIAL = maximum amount possible from ticket sales; GROSS = actual amount from actual ticket sales; % = percentage of gross out of potential The following is the schedule of the remaining show dates for the 1996-1997 national Pre-Broadway tour of "Funny Girl" starring Debbie Gibson. Lines that have been changed since the last issue of BtL are marked with an asterisk (*). The show has been cancelled in Denver, Colorado and Omaha, Nebraska. Schedule subject to change without notice. Please call individual theaters for show times and ticket prices. Oct 22 - Nov 3 Minneapolis, MN Historic State Theatre Nov 5 - Nov 10 Green Bay, WI Weidner Hall * Dec 10 - Dec 15 San Diego CA Civic Theatre Dec 17 - Jan 12 San Francisco, CA Golden Gate Theater Jan 14 - Jan 26 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre Jan 28 - Feb 2 Portland, OR Civic Center Feb 4 - Feb 9 Spokane, WA Opera House Feb 11 - Feb 16 Las Vegas, NV Aladdin Hotel Feb 18 - Feb 23 Costa Mesa, CA Orange County Performing Arts Center Feb 25 - Mar 2 Pasadena, CA Civic Center Mar 4 - Mar 9 Houston, TX Jones Hall Mar 11 - Mar 30 Chicago, IL Shubert Theater Apr 1 - Apr 6 Baltimore, MD Lyric Opera House Apr 8 - Apr 20 Cincinnati, OH Aronoff Center Apr 22 - Apr 27 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theater Apr 29 - May 4 Indianapolis, IN Clowes Memorial Hall May 6 - May 25 Philadelphia, PA Merriam Theater May 27 - Jun 1 Schenectady, NY Proctors Theater Jun 3 - Jun 8 Norfolk, VA Chrysler Hall Jun 10 - Jun 15 Columbus, OH Palace Theater Jun 17 - Jun 23 TO BE ANNOUNCED Jun 24 - Jul 6 Toronto, Ontario O'Keefe Center Jul 8 - Jul 20 Dallas, TX Music Hall Jul 22 - Jul 27 TO BE ANNOUNCED Jul 29 - Aug 3 St Louis, MO To Be Announced * Aug 5 - Aug 24 TO BE ANNOUNCED * Aug 26 - Aug 31 Vienna, VA Wolftrap * Sep 2 - Sep 7 Hartford, CT Bushnell * Sep 9 - Sep 21 New Haven, CT Shubert Theatre * Sep 23 - Oct 5 Boston, MA Colonial Theatre * Oct 7 - Oct 12 Buffalo, NY Shea's * Oct 14 - Oct 19 Providence, RI Performing Arts Center * Oct 21 - Oct 26 TO BE ANNOUNCED * Oct 28 - Nov 16 Detroit, MI To Be Announced * Nov 18 - Nov 30 TO BE ANNOUNCED * Dec 2 - Dec 7 Tulsa, Oklahoma Music Hall BtL 8.10 will be released sometime in November. This issue is filled with media articles and reviews of "Funny Girl." If you have had the pleasure of attending a "Funny Girl" performance and/or meeting Deborah Gibson, we would all love to hear about it. Please write about your experiences and share them with BtL.