Funny Girl (musical) Funny Girl (musical) Funny Girl is a 1963 musical (opened on Broadway in 1964) with a book by Isobel Lennart, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway star, film actress and comedian Fanny Brice featuring her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nick Arnstein. Its original title was "My Man." The musical was produced by Ray Stark, who was Brice's son-in-law via his marriage to her daughter Frances, and starred Barbra Streisand. The production was nominated for eight Tony Awards but, facing tough competition from "Hello,
Chip Deffaa "The Seven Little Foys," "Theater Boys," "The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue," "Irving Berlin: In Person," "Irving Berln & Co.," "Presenting Fanny Brice," and "The George M. Cohan Revue." Deffaa's most recent plays include "The Family that Sings Together..." (published by Drama Source), "Presenting Fanny Brice: The Original Funny Girl" (Eldridge Plays), "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (Leicester Bay Theatricals),"Song-and-Dance Kids" (Leicester Bay Theatricals), and "Irving Berlin: In Person" (Leicester Bay Theatricals). All of Deffaa's plays are available for licensing. He is represented by the Fifi Oscard Agency in New York City. Deffaa also produced, in 2002, "The Chip Deffaa Invitational Theater Festival,"