'Funny Girl' Brings Ziegfeld's Brightest Star to the Dutch Apple

Funny Girl took the world by storm as a Broadway musical in 1964 starring Barbra Streisand, was adapted into a movie musical in 1968 where Barbra reprised her role, and is now hitting the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre’s stage from March 26th to May 2nd, 2015. It’s a production full of big musical numbers as well as big personalities!

Funny Girl is the true story of Fanny Brice, who ruled Broadway as Ziegfeld’s brightest star and brought the house down as an outrageous comedienne and singer. Fanny had to fight for her fame, and after her rise to stardom she falls in love with a handsome gambler, but his luck does not quite hold up. You will hear the songs "Don’t Rain On My Parade," "I’m The Greatest Star" and the song made popular by Barbra Streisand, "People."

Portraying the lead role of Fanny Brice is Emerson College graduate, Anna Baker. Professionally, she has been featured regionally in New York and Tennessee, and her favorite roles include Fiona in Shrek the Musical and Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun.

Galloway Stevens is back on the Dutch Apple stage as Nick Arnstein, the handsome gambler that Fanny falls for. Audiences loved Galloway as Lank Hawkins in Crazy For You, and he starred in several of Dutch Apple’s other productions such as The Drowsy Chaperone, 9 to 5 and The King and I. Galloway describes this role as “an unforeseen achievement that fills him with such pride.”

Mrs. Brice, Fanny’s mother, will be played by Kathi Osborne, who has been in over 30 productions with Prather Entertainment Group. Kathi has been performing since age nine and has been around the world in over 500 productions. Playing Eddie, Fanny’s dance director, is Christopher Russell. You may remember Christopher as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, Alex in I Love A Piano, and more recently, Harry in Crazy For You. Mrs. Brice’s three friends, Mrs. Strakosh, Mrs. Meeker, and Mrs. O’Malley will be played by Lisa Coday, Megan Gill, and Megan Orlowski respectively. This will be Lisa’s fourth show straight at the Dutch Apple. Most recently, she was Dinah in Dixie Swim Club. Megan Gill, a 2014 Wichita State University graduate, will be making her Dutch Apple debut! Megan Orlowski was recently seen as Vera in Crazy For You and is also a published author in the Young Adult genre.

Funny Girl will be at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre March 26 through May 2, 2015. Ticket prices range from $49 to $56 for meal and show with a special group discount for groups of 16 or more. A limited number of show-only seats are available for $34. Call 717-898-1900 to make a reservation or order your tickets online at DutchApple.com.

Schoolhouse Rock Live at Dutch Apple is the Perfect Cure for Spring Fever

I don't know about you, but I've had enough of all this cold, ice, cold, snow, cold, wind, and more cold! Spring just can't come fast enough in my house. While I love my children dearly, I think one more game of Go Fish, Uno, or Checkers might just send me the over the edge. Fortunately, I managed to escape the house with my almost-5-year-old son for a few hours over the weekend to catch a performance of Schoolhouse Rock Live! at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, and let me just say that it was the perfect cure for our spring fever!

There was so much to love about this show. First, it's fun. Second, it's educational. And third, it's fun AND educational at the same time! Kids will enjoy the energy and humor of the characters so much that they won't even realize that they're learning (shhhh, don't tell them!).

So what will they learn? Well, with 11 different songs covering topics from nouns to multiplication to space, they'll learn a good bit. Even I (re)learned a thing or two that I had forgotten from my elementary school days.

Based on the 1970s cartoon, Schoolhouse Rock Live! features songs like "Unpack Your Adjectives" to teach various school lessons.

With songs like "Conjunction Junction" and "Interplanet Janet," the material is most appropriate for students in second, third or fourth grade, who are probably learning these very lessons. However, kids older and younger will also enjoy many aspects of the show. Even my pre-schooler was laughing and clapping along to the songs.

Dutch Apple thought of everything when planning for this show, from the kid-friendly buffet to the activities in the program. The buffet featured items such as chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, corn dogs, pizza, and applesauce. The program included activities like a maze, word search, and connect the dots. At the performance I attended, the cast even did a Q&A with the kids right after the show. And with a running time of just a little over an hour (including a 15-minute intermission), the show is the perfect length for kids.

If you're looking for a great way to get the kids out of the house for a few hours, look no further than Schoolhouse Rock Live!. The show plays at Dutch Apple through March 20. For more information and tickets, please visit www.dutchapple.com.