#dariuscampbell

Just over a month ago the London cast recording of Funny Girl was released featuring Olivier and BAFTA winner Sheridan Smith in the role of Fanny Brice. Funny Girl ,composed by Jules Styne and Bob Merrill, is a musical based on the life of comedian Fanny Brice and her turbulent marriage to gambler Nick Arnstein. The score is demanding emotionally and vocally for any actress taking on the roles of Brice, with seven solo numbers resting on her shoulders. The vocal abilities of the actress playing her has the potential to make or break the show. That being said, as Brice's solo numbers are so contrasting in style and mood said actress has an amount artistic freedom in relation to the performance of the score. Something proven by the different interpretations of “Cornet Man” sung by Shoshana Bean and Alysha Umphress listed below. The first voice we hear in full is that of Miss Smith's singing "I'm The Greatest Star". When first listening to this recording I had high hopes for Smith, although her comedic talent is faultless her vocal ability isn't. It was clear from listening to Greatest Star that the song is simply to big for her, her voice is small and wavers throughout. As the recording progressed I realised that many of the songs were too big a sing for Smith, her voice is overpowered by the orchestration. In the slower numbers, “People” and “Who Are You Now”, the lack of vocal technique distracts the listener from the sentiment of the song. The only song that Smith really shines is in “Rat-a-tat-tat” however I put this down to the fact she is required to speak for the duration of the song In a German accent. As I said her skill as a comedian is faultless. As a fan of the original 1964 cast recording, with the incomparable Barbara Streisand, throughout this review I will naturally make comparisons of the two albums. In some aspects I favour this cast recording over the original, I feel the west end orchestrations are jazzier and generally has a fuller sound. Credit must be given to Chris Walker for the orchestrations. The orchestra, conducted by Theo Jamison, has a brilliant brass section whose sound take the spotlight in the majority of numbers on the recording. This recording also gives us more light on the ensemble, featuring numbers such as "What Do Happy People Do?", as well as allowing the male ensemble to take the vocal spotlight in “Rat-A-Tat-Tat”. However as the ensemble don't take a pivotal focus in the show, it revolves solely around Brice, it's understandable that in other albums they don't feature. Turning my attention to Nick Arnstein, played by Darius Campbell, not only does Campbell fit the description of tall,dark and handsome but his smooth voice matches perfectly with his characterisation of the adoring gambler. I was delighted to see that this production featured “A Temporary Arrangement” a song that was cut from the original Broadway production. Styne did revisit the song for the 1968 version of the film, Omar Sharif played Arnstein, however it was cut again. The song makes perfect sense contextually and is not out of place. I praise the production team for including the song within the show, breaking down Arnstein’s strong persona and allowing us to peer at his feelings of vulnerability within his marriage. Another interesting choice was to to turn “Who Are You Now”into a duet between Arnstein and Brice. Again giving us a sense of the couples feelings towards their marriage. Although the voices of Smith and Campbell have a nice blend you can't help but listen to Campbell who overpowers Smith with his vocal ability. The duet is clever addition that presents an evolution of their relationship that has evidently progressed since the naïve couple sang “I Want To Be Seen With You Tonight” and “You Are Woman, I Am Man. As much as I enjoy the album I have to say it's a shame Smith isn't a stronger singer, her talent as an actress is not matched by her voice. Even Jules Styne noted he wrote a technically challenging score that only Streisand could take on , hence why he wrote it for her and she got the role. Smith definitely resides in Streisand’s vocal shadow whereas her understudy, Natasha Barnes, steps out of it. Yet the album has to be praised for its inclusion of songs that were originally cut, making them contextually relevant and proving why they should be there. Although special mention should be given to Valda Aviks, Marilyn Cutts, Gay Soper (Mrs Meeker, Mrs Strakosh and Mrs Brice) and Joel Montague (Eddie Ryan) whose musical interludes and vocal chemistry are equally touching and entertaining. It is Daruis Campbell who steals the show, his vocals are faultless whilst Smith’s just have faults. Cornet Man- Shoshana Bean: SKIP TO 0;34 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XA-8cCMdfUA Alysha Umphress: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FGcNUHIRwZE

Colourblind- Darius Campbell