The funny thing about Funny Girl is that the stories surrounding the musical are often more interesting than the play itself. The plot is loosely based on the life of Fanny Brice, a vaudevillian comedian who became one of America’s first mega-celebrities with the Ziegfeld Follies. (The play doesn’t even cover Brice’s extensive film and radio work.) The original 1964 Broadway production cemented Barbra Streisand as a star and helped shape the sound of modern musical theater, taking the genre from jazz standards and Ethel Merman’s vocals to the showboating high notes and belting pipes that dominate contemporary performances. Fifty-eight years later, Funny Girl’s 2022 Broadway revival fueled some splashy tabloid drama when lead Beanie Feldstein underperformed and got replaced with Lea Michele, clinching a role that she saw as her birthright. 

Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but Funny Girl is not most people’s choice for favorite musical. The story takes place a century ago, and Streisand’s run premiered six decades ago, so it can feel somewhat staid in modern times even if some of its themes are timeless. The 2022 revival got a much-needed jolt of new life with an updated book by the legendary Harvey Fierstein and some shuffling of musical numbers and that version makes up today’s touring production of Funny Girl. Now playing at the Kennedy Center, Fierstein’s reworked musical still shows its age and runs a tad overlong, but this show hinges on the strength of Fanny, and leading lady Katerina McCrimmon is more than up to filling the very big shoes that came before her.

One of the themes that still feels relevant about Funny Girl so long after the era it takes place and premiered in is the fact that Fanny is so ahead of her time. She’s not a great dancer nor a conventional beauty (there’s an entire song where the entire cast of a vaudeville ruthlessly neg Fanny for her looks), but she knows her name belongs in lights. McCrimmon is too cute to actually be an ugly duckling, but the outrageous facial contortions she pulls allow her to convincingly pass as homely. Her gumption is buoyed by her doting mother (a hilarious Melissa Manchester) and her theater pal Eddie (Izaiah Montaque Harris), who helps her polish her dancing skills. 

In today’s parlance Fanny might be called a girlboss, and it’s thrilling to watch her claim her destiny onstage and leave her naysayers in stitches. Unfortunately, even girlbosses can be taken down by the love of a crappy man, and Fanny’s man, Nick Arnstein (Stephen Mark Lukas), is a problem not just for her, but for the play’s second act. Nick is charismatic and handsome, but he’s also a gambler and con man who all too soon finds himself in over his head. While the first act is driven by Fanny’s undeniable talent and rise to fame, the second switches to Nick’s ill-fated business dealings, and the storyline loses its rudder. Lukas nicely complements McCrimmon’s singing and plays Nick’s petty insecurity well, but his story and character are just not as interesting to watch as Fanny’s. 

As is frequently the case with musicals, Funny Girl’s plot is really just a vehicle for the showstopping numbers. The ensemble of vaudevillians bring out some reliable old-school hoofing, often in some delightfully amusing costumes like gigantic flowers. Eddie is lamentably sidelined for much of the story, but whenever he shows up he’s a welcome presence, and his tap dancing skills are an unparalleled crowd-pleaser. The main event of course is McCrimmon’s Fanny playing the hits. “Don’t Rain on My Parade” has the audience buzzing with excitement to get back to their seats after intermission. She nails the blend of zany comedian and soaring songstress, perfectly encapsulated in the finale number where she stretches out her final triumphant note for what feels like an eternity, before rolling her eyes up toward the ceiling while she finishes, as if to say “can you believe how long this is taking?” Funny Girl may be a tad stodgy after all these years, but McCrimmon proves that great talent can make an old standby feel brand spanking new. 

Funny Girl, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, book by Isobel Lennart and revised by Harvey Fierstein, and directed by Michael Mayer, runs through July 14 at the Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org. $49–$169.