Overview
Synopsis
Jimmy Reeve takes his role as guardian very seriously—perhaps too seriously—locking up his three dazzling wards’ most treasured possessions in a safe. June’s precious pearl necklace? Locked away. Frankie’s oh-so-private diary? Also confiscated and secured. But there’s one small problem—Frankie’s diary is a ticking time bomb of scandalous secrets, and she needs it back.
Enter Peter Thurston, a dashing aviator with questionable burglary skills. Frankie ropes him into a daring heist, but instead of reclaiming the diary, Peter—who clearly missed the “thief-in-training” handbook—accidentally snags June’s pearls instead. Chaos erupts, sending everyone on a wild, laugh-out-loud chase to the Atlantic City pier.
And just to keep things interesting, two utterly incompetent burglars, Herbert and Dugsie, also have their eyes on the safe. Their partnership takes a hilarious nosedive when Herbert, in a moment of criminal hesitation, realizes he forgot to get a shooting license and therefore cannot legally shoot his partner-in-crime.
With mistaken identities, slapstick blunders, and romance in the air, Funny Face is a rollicking adventure where love, larceny, and laughter collide in the most delightful way!
Show Information
- Book
- Fred Thompson , Paul Girard Smith
- Music
- George Gershwin
- Lyrics
- Ira Gershwin
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1927
- Genres
- Romance, Comedy
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- Lake Wapatog, New Jersey, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1920s
- Cast Size
- small
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Ideal For
- Community Theatre, College/University, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult Characters, Small Cast
Context
The plot for the 1927 musical differs completely from the 1957 film, although both the stage and movie versions starred Fred Astaire.
to read the context for Funny Face and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
Songs
Act One
- "Birthday Party" – Dora, June and Guests
- "Once" – Dugsie Gibbs, Dora and Ensemble
- "Funny Face" – Frankie and Jimmy Reeve
- "High Hat" – Jimmy Reeve and Boys
- "'S Wonderful" – Frankie and Peter Thurston
- "Let's Kiss and Make Up" – Frankie, Jimmy Reeve and Ensemble
- "Come Along, Let's Gamble" – Entire Company
Act Two
- "In the Swim" – Girls
- "He Loves and She Loves" – Frankie and Peter Thurston
- "Tell the Doc" – Dugsie Gibbs and Girls
- "My One and Only (What Am I Going To Do?)" – Jimmy Reeve, June, Dora and Girls
- "Sing a Little Song" – Pianists, Ritz Quartette, and Boys
- "My One and Only (What Am I Going to Do?)" (Reprise) – Dora, June and Chorus
- "The Babbitt and the Bromide" – Frankie and Jimmy Reeve
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A type of comedy that uses exaggeration, often with clowning and ridiculous behaviors, in order to entertain.
A genre of music developed especially from ragtime and blues and characterized by syncopated rhythms, complex chords, elements of improvisation, and distortions of pitch and timbre.
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