Double Olivier Award winner Sheridan Smith will return to London’s West End next year when the Menier Chocolate Factory production of Funny Girl transfers to the Savoy Theatre in April for a 12-week season.
The production, which also stars Gone With The Wind and From Here To Eternity star Darius Campbell, runs at the hit-making off-West End theatre from 20 November to 5 March, though tickets for that run are already sold out.
Speaking about the transfer, David Babani, the Artistic Director of the Menier Chocolate Factory, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm for Funny Girl – the show broke Menier box office records when it sold out its entire run in just 90 minutes. We felt it was very important to respond to demand so we’re delighted to be joining forces with Sonia Friedman and Scott Landis to give Funny Girl a future life. We want to share it with as wide an audience as possible and to make Michael Mayer’s production as accessible to all, we’re offering £15 day seats – available for every performance at the Savoy Theatre.”
Funny Girl, which has not been staged in the West End since its premiere in the 60s, is the musical that shot Barbra Streisand to fame. It tells the story of Fanny Brice, who rose from being a music hall singer to becoming one of Broadway’s biggest stars. Though on stage she was loved, her off stage life was far more turbulent.
The new production is directed by Broadway’s Mayer and features a book revised from Isobel Lennart’s original by Kinky Boots writer Harvey Fierstein.
Producer Sonia Friedman commented: “2016 will mark the 50th anniversary of the original London production of Funny Girl. It’s enormously exciting to be bringing this legendary musical back to the West End for the first time since 1966, in a brand new production starring the incredible Sheridan Smith.”
Funny Girl runs at the Savoy Theatre from 9 April to 2 July following two more musical theatre classics: current award-winning hit Gypsy, which plays until 28 November, and Chichester Festival Theatre’s acclaimed production of Guys And Dolls which runs from 10 December.
Tickets for Funny Girl’s West End run go on sale on 16 November.