Funny Girl (film) Funny Girl (film) Funny Girl is a 1968 American biographical romantic musical comedy-drama film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Isobel Lennart was adapted from her book for the stage musical of the same title. It is loosely based on the life and career of Broadway and film star and comedian Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein. Produced by Brice's son-in-law, Ray Stark, with music and lyrics by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, the film stars Barbra Streisand (in her film debut reprising her Broadway role) as Brice and Omar Sharif as Arnstein,
Funny Girl (musical) until the show closed. The First National Tour gave top billing to Lillian Roth as Mrs. Brice, Anthony George as Nicky and Marilyn Michaels third billed as Fanny. The Australasian premiere season commenced March 4, 1966 at the Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney. The production starred Jill Perryman as Fanny Brice. A 1996 United States National tour starred Debbie Gibson as Fanny Brice and Robert Westenberg as Nicky Arnstein. The planned 30-city tour started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October 1996, but ended prematurely in November 1996 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1999, The Production Company produced "Funny Girl" in Melbourne, starring