When the North American touring company of “Funny Girl” comes to Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre from Oct. 24-29, it will be a homecoming of sorts for cast member Leah Platt.
Platt, 27, who grew up in the Montgomery County town of Kensington, plays Emma, the personal dresser of comedian and Broadway star Fanny Brice. Platt also serves as understudy for the role of Brice in the iconic musical, which is based on the true story of a plain Jewish girl from Brooklyn who becomes a Ziegfield Follies star.
Of course, the original production of “Funny Girl” premiered on Broadway in March of 1964, starring a 21-year-old Barbra Streisand. The current production stars Katerina McCrimmon, Melissa Manchester and Stephen Mark Lukas, and is scored by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill.
The show is based on an updated book from Harvey Fierstein and directed by Michael Mayer.
For Platt, 27, being cast in “Funny Girl” is “a dream role” in a “dream show. The show is beautiful [with] songs that we all know and love — ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade,’ ‘People,’ — made famous mostly by Barbra Streisand.”
Platt describes McCrimmon in the lead role as “unbelievable. Her voice is one of the best I’ve ever heard, and the dancing, choreographed by Ellenore Scott, is incredible. It basically brings the Ziegfield Follies to life on stage.”
Platt also feels that the show, which takes place in the early 20th century, is surprisingly relevant for contemporary audiences.
“Most people will say, I’ve heard of ‘Funny Girl,’ but I think they’re shocked by how relatable a story it is and how heartbreaking it is,” she says. “You leave the show and you’re relating to the characters in the show, and you’re understanding their stories and really internalizing the emotions that are brought forth by our incredible cast. It feels so immediate and new.
“It’s redone in such a way which is so intentional, thoughtful and bittersweet,” she says. “It’s going to make you laugh, but it’s also going to make you cry.”
Platt, who previously played Tzeitel in a touring company of “Fiddler on the Roof,” says she is once again honored to be part of a show that tells a Jewish story.
“I grew up in a Jewish family,” she says. “We go to a Conservative synagogue; I went to Hebrew school for 18 years. I had a bat mitzvah; I went to Jewish pre-school. Judaism has been a part of my life since I was born. So the traditions and the culture of Judaism have been so important to me, which is why doing a show like ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and now doing a show like ‘Funny Girl’ — that’s about a real Jewish woman — is an honor, to tell that story and bring my knowledge of the Jewish people and the Jewish experience to the room and able to feel like I’m authentically providing something to the story.”
Platt got her theatrical start at Adventure Theatre’s ATMTC Academy in Rockville, where from an early age she studied voice, acting and dance. From there, she continued her training at Chicago’s Northwestern University, where she majored in theater and psychology.
Since graduating in 2017, Platt, who now resides in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, has been performing steadily. In addition to her roles in “Funny Girl” and “Fiddler,” Platt has performed in regional productions in the New York and Washington, D.C., areas, as well as played the character of Elsa from the film “Frozen” on a Disney cruise.
Next up, Platt hopes to get work for a Broadway or off-Broadway show. For now, she says she’s just looking forward to her parents and grandmothers seeing her onstage at the Hippodrome.
“Honestly, my grandparents are some of the reasons why I got into theater,” she says. “My dad’s parents kind of introduced me to theater. They used to live on Staten Island. We’d go visit them, we’d go see a Broadway show, and they were kind of the people who really got me into the arts. So it’s really, really special, a blessing every time they get to see me perform, especially in a show like this.”
For information about “Funny Girl” at The Hippodrome Theater, visit baltimore.broadway.com/shows/funny-girl/.
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