Funny Girl starring Sheridan Smith to be screened in cinemas

Michael Mayer's hit production of Funny Girl, which starred Sheridan Smith, is to be screened in cinemas across the UK.

The show originally ran at the Menier Chocolate Factory in December 2015, when the production garnered a four star write-up from WhatsOnStage. The show then transferred to the Savoy Theatre in April 2016 and embarked on a UK tour in 2017.

Smith played Fanny Brice, a real-life Brooklyn musical hall singer who became one of Broadway's biggest stars. The production was recorded during the final week of the run at Manchester Palace Theatre by Digital Theatre and will be released in cinemas by Trafalgar Releasing. Tickets for the screening go on sale from 10am on 1 August and the screening will take place at cinemas nationwide on 24 October.

Also starring in the recorded version is Darius Campbell as Nick Arnstein, Nigel Barber (Florenz Ziegfeld), Zoë Ann Bown (Mrs Meeker), Martin Callaghan (Mr Keeney), Jennifer Harding (Emma), Rachel Izen (Mrs Brice), Joshua Lay (Eddie) and Myra Sands (Mrs Strakosh); with Rhianne Alleyne, Kit Benjamin, Lloyd Davies, Flora Dawson, Joseph Dockree, Abigayle Honeywill, Brontë Lavine, David Mcintosh, Peter Nash, Gillian Parkhouse, Tom Partridge, Nova Skipp, Alexandra Waite-Roberts, Sam Wingfield and Alexandra Wright.

Smith said of the release: "Fanny Brice was an extraordinary woman who broke the mould for female entertainment, not only that, she was a brilliant comic! Her lack of vanity and her goofiness made her unique and very special, and the role was an utter joy to play. I'm beyond excited to be able to share our production
of Funny Girl with audiences across the UK."

Smith was universally applauded for her turn as Brice, singing songs including "You Are Woman, I Am Man" and "Don't Rain on My Parade". Jule Styne, Isobel Lennart and Bob Merrill's musical was made into a film in 1968 starring Barbra Streisand.