Oxford High School’s final theatre production for the semester, “Funny Girl”, premiered in the Ava H. Bonds Auditorium from Nov. 14. through Nov. 16. This was the first musical the theatre department has produced for the 2024-2025 school year. “Funny Girl” is based on the real life of Fanny Brice, a comedic actress attempting to make it big on broadway in the early 1900s. The show also covers the complicated and romantic relationship of Brice and gambler Nicky Arnstein.
“The most exciting part about Funny Girl is the story,” head of the OHS theatre department, John Davenport said. “It’s a very unique and challenging story to pull off. We are emulating a time period that is often forgotten with my students. The historical aspect makes it such an intriguing show.”
As with any OHS theatre production, Davenport and his students worked extremely hard to make it the best show possible, but this time on a tight schedule. The period of time spent on rehearsals for this musical has been shorter than past shows. Combine that with a lengthy runtime, and “Funny Girl” is a very demanding musical to prepare for. Davenport views this time crunch as the biggest challenge that the cast and crew faced.
“The most difficult aspect of this musical was the sheer size and scale of it,” Davenport said. “We only had four weeks to put it together, and it is a very long show with many different costumes. This is the first time I’ve done this piece. It hasn’t really come up over the years when I discuss our next shows, and I definitely see why now. It’s a very fun, but grand and hard show to execute.”
Brice, played by senior Ann Hunter Bigham, is the life and soul of this production. Bigham has been a part of the theatre department throughout middle and high school. Her impressive vocal ability has been harnessed in many past musical’s, and her role in “Funny Girl” is her biggest rol yet. Bigham found both immense joy and difficulty playing Brice due to the sheer volume of musical material she is faced with.
“The most fun part of this experience was getting to learn so many songs, and play with so many different ways of singing those songs,” Bigham said. “There is so much room in this show to make your own creative decisions. But it also has been very hard for the same reason. Learning and memorizing the songs can be a big task. Fanny is on stage so much, so maintaining my stamina while performing is definitely the hardest part.”
Bigham has been a part of almost every OHS theatre production in one way or another, and she believes her portrayal as Brice is a testament to all the hard work and dedication she has put into the department.
“This role is the heaviest and comes with the most responsibility,” Bigham said. “I feel like this marks where I’ve gotten to in theatre. I’ve been doing it for so long and have put in so many hours, so I feel like this show is a good representation of what I’ve earned. This production truly defines what I have been working toward for so many years.”
In “Funny Girl”, Brice has many people close to her doubt her ability. Her aspirations as a comedic actress are often frowned upon within her family. But Arnstein grows fond of Brice and her talents. He invests in Brice’s career, and a romantic relationship between the two quickly grows. The charismatic Arnstein is played by senior Landon Schock. Unlike Bigham, this is Schock’s first ever role in an OHS theatre production. According to Schock, the experience he gained by acting in this musical was extremely valuable.
“It takes a lot of learning to get into the acting and singing mindset,” Schock said. “It’s of course going to be harder for me to remember lines and certain cues because this is my first time in theatre. So there was definitely a learning curve compared to everybody else, but I’m really proud of how far I came in just a few weeks. Just taking in Mr. Davenport and my castmates advice has been very help-ful.”
Casting Schock and giving him such a large role is a very unconventional choice, but Davenport has believed in his abilities since day one. With Schock’s natural charisma, Davenport saw him as a great fit for the role of Nicky Arnstein. Davenport is also very proud of how this cast has collaborated to make this experience enjoyable for everyone involved.
“Landon studied hard, and rose to the occasion very quickly,” Davenport said. “It became apparent very early that he was going to step up. I have seen him get more comfortable in his role over time, and Ann Hunter has been an instrumental part in that. I know that she’s experienced, and he has the best people to play off of. He’s surrounded by so many great and experienced people, so he’s well protected. He does it very well, and I’m very proud of him. You would not be able to tell that this is his first time on stage.”
The Ava H. Bonds Auditorium was packed for the opening night of “Funny Girl”, and continued for two more nights with great attendance. This is the first and last musical of the 2024-25 school year. Many seniors, including Bigham, have reflected on the lessons learned by Davenport and the joy attained through OHS theatre.
“There is nobody else I could imagine getting me through high school,” Bigham said. “I am a different person due to the amount of mentorship Davenport has given me. He’s changed my perspective on acting, and life in general. I can’t wait to audition for our final two shows, and I am so grateful for what OHS theatre has given me.”
