SEPTEMBER 21 • 2023 | 53

Temple in Los Angeles, where she currently 
lives.

FIVE FABULOUS DECADES
Fifty seems to be the magic number for 
Manchester these days. Besides embarking 
on the yearlong Funny Girl tour, Manchester 
is about to release her 25th album called 
“RE:VIEW,
” which features new vocal 
approaches and duets with guest artists of 
her top-charted hits. 
“I grew up with Funny Girl. I saw it on 
Broadway with Barbra Streisand. I knew all 
the music, and I just felt like I had grown 
into this role,
” Manchester says. “It’s writ-
ten in a way where it reminds me of all the 
women who were my aunts and grand-
mothers. The cadence of the language is 
beautiful and musical. And the score is spec-
tacular, so it seemed like a wonderful way to 
celebrate the 50th year of my career, which is 
happening right now.
”
When Manchester heard that a revival 
of Funny Girl was coming to Broadway, she 
knew she wanted a shot at the Jewish mother 
role. 
“So, I got the appointment for the audition 
and worked on the scenes that they sent 
me,
” said Manchester who happened to be 
performing on the East Coast at the time. 
“I went to the audition, in front of 20 to 25 
people, and then went back to work writing, 
composing and performing.
”
And then Funny Girl officially opened on 
Broadway on April 24, 2022, at the August 
Wilson Theatre with a revised book by 
Harvey Fierstein.
“I didn’t think much about it, and I let it 
go,
” Manchester recalls. “
And then, in May, 
my manager called with an offer for the 
national tour. But I had to think about it 
hard and long.
”
Manchester’s contract called for a year-
long tour commitment. And she was a new 
grandmother.
“I checked with my kids because I 
was going to be gone for so long,
” said 
Manchester. “My son and daughter said, 
‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure at a 
unique moment in your life and your career, 
so say yes.
’ And once I had my children’s 
blessing, I was able to say yes.
” 
Manchester says that audiences can expect 
a rare musical experience with Funny Girl.
“People start applauding at the overture,
” 
she says. “
As soon as they hear the songs 
‘People’ and ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade,
’ peo-
ple go nuts. There’s a lot of tap dancing. Lots 

of heart. It’s a love story. It’s a story of surviv-
al. It’s love in all forms — between mother 
and daughter, between man and woman, 
between a young woman empowered by her 
own drive. It’s spectacularly wonderful.
”

88TH AND BROADWAY
Growing up, Manchester had a very colorful, 
lively life. Her father was a bassoonist with 
the Metropolitan Opera for 30 years, and her 
mother was a pioneer in the fashion industry 
as one of the first women to own her own 
design and manufacturing firm.
“My mother had a lot of ambition and, 
because she grew up so terribly poor, she 
just kept looking for beauty. And if she 
couldn’t find it, she would create beauty. It 
was fascinating because her energy com-
pletely informed how I see the world and 
how I, hopefully, raised my kids and what 
I hope to share with my granddaughter,
” 
says Manchester, who will be performing 
in Funny Girl in Grand Rapids during Rosh 
Hashanah and Yom Kippur, though there 
will not be a performance after sundown.
“For Shabbat, I have my little electric 
flames that I turn on. And depending on 
the time zone that I’m in, there’s a partic-
ular service that I watch every Friday that 
keeps me company and keeps me ground-
ed. It’s a thoughtful way to experience 
Shabbat whether I’m working or not,
” says 
Manchester, who wrote and performed in 
the music video “Let There Be More Light” 
to celebrate Chanukah in 2016. 
Being raised in a highly creative environ-
ment, Manchester says they celebrated all of 
the Jewish holidays. But because her father 
was an atheist, Manchester said he was not 
terribly interested in attending services or 
being a member of a temple.
“But God, as it turns out, has a real sense 
of humor,
” Manchester laughed. “We grew 
up on 88th and Broadway, right next door 
to B’nai Jeshurun, [then] a Reform temple. 
And, in those days, nobody had air con-
ditioning, so everybody’s windows were 
open, and we would lay in bed and hear the 
service.
“Just hearing stories as a child, I knew 
there was a richness to the tapestry of my 
family’s life,
” Manchester added. “
And I have 
found that, as I’ve gotten older, that the 
experience of Judaism is very rich and there 
is much beauty in it. But, like the essence of 
Torah, there’s much to wrestle with and that’s 
what makes it alive for me. And that’s a very 
good thing.
” 

Details

Performance times for Funny Girl 
appearing Sept. 26-Oct. 8 at the 
Fisher Theatre (3011 W. Grand 
Blvd., Detroit) are: Tuesday through 
Saturday performances at 8 p.m.; 
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2 
p.m.; Sunday performances at 7:30 
p.m.; and a special open caption 
performance on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 
7:30 p.m.
Tickets range in price from $35 to 
$135 and can be purchased online at 
BroadwayInDeroit.com, Ticketmaster.
com or in person at the Fisher 
Theatre Box Office starting at noon. 

The national 
tour of 
Funny Girl 
the revival

EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE

