Kay Medford high school and working as a nightclub waitress. She was the original "Mama" in "Bye Bye Birdie" on Broadway, garnering excellent reviews, but lost the film role to Maureen Stapleton. Medford appeared in the Warner Bros. rock and roll film, "Jamboree" (1957). She made her Broadway debut in 1951 in the musical "Paint Your Wagon". She was cast in "Carousel" before she appeared onstage in "Funny Girl" as the mother of Fanny Brice (played by Barbra Streisand); for this performance she was nominated for a 1964 Tony Award for Featured Actress (Musical), and when she repeated the role in the
Fanny Brice University of New York (SUNY at Stony Brook) had a Fannie Brice Theatre, a small 75-seat venue which was used for a variety of performances including a 1988 production of the musical "Hair", staged readings, and a studio classroom space. The building was razed in 2007 to make way for new dormitories. The Fanny Brice Theatre is one of three situated in the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts Complex, completed in 2010. Mexican comedian Maria Elena Saldana was influenced by Brice and created a character similar to Brice's Baby Snooks, La Guereja. In 2006, Brice was featured