Rave Reviews for NESA Spring Show

Luke Daines, Staff Reporter

Cacophonous applause filled the PAC night after night the last week of February, as NESA’s production of ‘Funny Girl’ wowed audiences. With showstopping musical numbers, lines, and even a tap solo that left the crowd in tears, Funny Girl had it all.

Hannah Jenkins, who played Fanny Brice, knew it was her moment to shine. Her flawless rendition of Fanny left the audience awestruck and brought the on an emotional journey through Brice’s up and down as she traversed her chaotic life in showbiz. 

“They announced that we were doing ‘Funny Girl’ back in May, and so I had already started researching Fanny Brice, […..] I thought it would be important to understand her as a person, besides just the Barbra Streisand character.” said Jenkins.

“We started rehearsals in January, so we only had two months of rehearsals, but I had been preparing on my own. […] I love singing, and Fanny had a lot of different songs, so I really loved getting to try out all of the different songs, stylistically,” said Jenkins.  

Elliott Kehoe, who played Eddie, spoke about his fulfilling journey in his first lead role in a NESA production. Kehoe, who moved the crowd with the painstaking task of being the unrequited love interest, was able to evoke a sense of longing anytime his character stepped on stage. 

“I knew that I had this tap solo that I had to do in this show, so I kept tapping to keep myself warmed up […] Character-wise (Eddie), is infatuated with Fanny, but she loves a different guy, so he had to still be there for her as her right-hand man, even though, deep down, he is in love with her,” said Kehoe.

“I liked the character development of Eddie because as he progressed through the show, he started seeing Fanny differently, and I liked the development of the change in how viewed Fanny, while still caring for her,” said Kehoe

Michelle Ko, who left the audience cackling as Mrs. Brice (Fanny’s Mother), took another approach to her character, one that involved a leadership aspect that not many students are brave enough to take on, student directing.

“I reached out and said “Hey, I know you guys are looking for student directors, and I am interested in helping direct Funny Girl […] It was really about putting myself out there, and taking the opportunity when I could.”