Troubled Production: The show went on to be a hit, but its pre-Broadway tryout suffered serious troubles. The opening performance in Boston was practically a fiasco. Feuds arose between Streisand and Sydney Chaplin, and between everyone and the notoriously temperamental Jerome Robbins when he took over from credited director Garson Kanin. Ghostwriters struggled to keep up with rewrites demanded by Streisand and the Arnstein family (the show's producer was Arnstein and Brice's son-in-law). Chaplin's part became equal to Streisand's in billing only; a secondary female role played by Allyn Ann McLerie was written out entirely. Dozens of songs were thrown out ("People" almost becoming one of them), and dance routines were in a constant state of flux. The final scene was rewritten 42 times, and its final version was being rehearsed immediately prior to the Broadway opening, which had been repeatedly postponed.
Pop-Culture Urban Legends: A rumor has persisted that the song "People" was originally written for Belle to sing in Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, which also has songs by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill. It wasn't, however. The truth is that at one point during production of Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, the producer Lee Orgel heard Styne and Merrill rehearsing "People" for Funny Girl, and he liked it so much that he tried to convince them to let Belle sing it in Magoo instead, but they refused.
In 2011, a revival was announced, which would have been directed by Bartlett Sher and starred Lauren Ambrose, and would have opened in Los Angeles before transferring to Broadway in 2012. The casting of the non-Jewish and conventionally pretty Ambrose was controversial, but ultimately the production was cancelled due to financial troubles.
The film
Banned in China: The film was banned in Egypt for depicting a romance between an Egyptian actor (Omar Sharif) and a Jewish actress (Barbra Streisand). Streisand's political support for Israel was also a factor in the ban, and Egypt does not have good relations with the country (despite being the first Arab country to formally normalize diplomatic ties with Israel).
Cut Song: Eight songs (including most of Act 2) from the original stage production were removed from the score: "Cornet Man", "Who Taught Her Everything?", "I Want to Be Seen with You Tonight", "Henry Street", "Find Yourself a Man", "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat", "Who Are You Now?" and "The Music That Makes Me Dance".
Romance on the Set: Streisand and Sharif had an affair that lasted for the duration of the production. This would contribute to the end of her marriage to Elliott Gould. Wyler, who knew about the affair, tried to channel their real-life chemistry into their performances. During "My Man", Wyler had Sharif stand behind a nearby curtain and talk to Streisand between takes. Their affair was ending as the shoot came to an end, and Wyler knew that Sharif's presence would have an effect on her performance.
Starring a Star as a Star: Streisand as Fanny Brice can be considered a retroactive example, considering that this was actually Streisand's film debut (though she was already a Broadway actress).
Wag the Director: According to some reports, Streisand was constantly late, would ask for reshoots, and try to control every aspect of the production, from the lighting design to what sort of shot was needed to who did her hair. Wyler was asked by a friend whether she had been hard to work with. He replied, "No, not too hard, considering it was the first movie she ever directed."
Columbia wanted to cast Shirley MacLaine as Fanny. However, Ray Stark, who also produced the Broadway show, and was Brice's son-in-law, insisted on Streisand repeating her Broadway role.
, but she herself felt a Jewish actress would do a better job. Other actresses considered were Mary Martin, Eydie Gormé, and Anne Bancroft.
