Katerina McCrimmon is marching her band out and beating her drum across the country as the leading lady of Funny Girl.
McCrimmon, a Miami native, has been singing and dancing since she was just 8 years old. Now at 25, she’s getting her big break playing Fanny Brice in the new tour of Funny Girl. McCrimmon talks about what it’s like to leave the Florida beach life for a starring role on the road that’s already receiving rave reviews.
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You’re billed as sort of a “newcomer,” but you’ve already had professional experience, including Broadway. Can you talk about starting your career with Funny Girl?
I’m so glad you said that because I’ve already had my Broadway debut! I’ve been doing musical theater since I was 8. Ever since I could talk, I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life. Nobody in my family is musical or artistic, really. I’m the daughter of an English teacher. But once I put two and two together that musical theater was a thing I could for for my career, there was no going back. I relate to Fanny in that way, because in the song “Greatest Star” she says, “That’s why I was born / I blow my horn till someone knows it.” She’s the one that knows it from the beginning. I feel the exact same way.
But when it comes to people billing me as a newcomer, I take it with grace because in some ways it’s true. This is my first big leading role of this caliber: a Broadway national tour. That’s a huge deal! It’s been a huge learning experience getting to this point, but I’ve definitely been working for it my entire life.
Did you get to see the show on Broadway before it closed?
I saw Lea Michele do it and it was definitely an out-of-body experience because I knew at that point that I had gotten the role. I was just imagining myself doing it while watching Lea Michele do it. It was a crazy experience. I can’t even put it into words.
Funny Girl the movie came out in 1968. Did you ever watch it?
When I was 16, I dated a boy in high school, and I went on vacation with his family. His mother told me, “You know, you’re going to play Fanny Brice one day.” And I was like, “What are you talking about?” I had never seen the movie before. She sat me down and, together with their family, we watched the movie. I remember thinking to myself, “Yeah, I totally see myself in this.”
Then I forgot about it because up until this point, Funny Girl hasn’t been done very often. And then this opportunity came along and I said, “Oh my god, I remember that moment.”
And Funny Girl has kind of followed me through my entire life. I sang “Don’t Rain On My Parade” in my bedroom when I was 12 and I actually sang “People” at the Kennedy Center under Debbie Allen’s direction. Then I sang “The Music That Makes Me Dance” in college for my senior recital. It’s always been there.
The clip of you singing “Don’t Rain On My Parade” went pretty viral. Were you nervous about its release?
Of course. Any human being is going to be nervous about how the world perceives them. I haven’t really been online. I have tried my best to just focus on the work and the people around me. I’ll be happy if it’s good reception.
Do you feel any pressure to give audiences Barbara Streisand?
Honestly, no. I feel really confident in my performance. I feel like what I’m doing is paying homage to her. I would be lying if I said some of the vocal influence wasn’t her. Obviously, it’s hard to sing the songs and not take some influence from Barabara. But when approaching the script, the scenes and the character, I did not want to make it a carbon copy. If you tackle it that way, you’re destined for failure because you can’t be somebody else. Nobody wants to pay to see somebody be somebody else. They pay to see what the person has to give to the role. It’s been 60 years or more since the show has been on Broadway. There’s no way to really know what she did unless you were there.
How is it to experience the multigenerational aspect of the audiences watching the show?
I love it. It’s really charming to speak to the older generation because I have so much respect for them. I mean, really, they’re the ones keeping theater alive. Theater could be a dying art form, but it’s not because the older generation is teaching the younger generation about it. It’s so different from watching a movie because you’re witnessing something that will never be the same. It’s a living, breathing organism. Live performances are just magical.
How’s it been working with an icon like Melissa Manchester?
Oh my goodness. So before we started the rehearsal process, she took me out to lunch. She just showered me with love right away. She’s like, “I need to see my daughter. I need to see my stage daughter in person.” We clicked right away. She’s an incredible mentor. This is somebody who has been in the business for 50 years. For someone who is 25 and basically just starting, it’s been really incredible to learn from her.
My mother, when she was a kid, used to listen to Melissa Manchester in her bedroom and sing “Don’t Cry Out Loud” into a hairbrush into her mirror. When I told her [Manchester] would be playing my mother, she sobbed. She was like, “You don’t understand how much Melissa’s music affected me.” Witnessing them meeting was just surreal: my stage mom and my real mom.
What is on your playlist right now?
I’m currently listening to a friend of mine. Her name is Jacinta Clusellas. She’s an Argentian composer and writer. Her EP A Dónde Llega El Silencio is amazing. Because I’m in Michigan, I have to listen to Sufjan Stevens’ Michigan album. I’m very big into albums. Laura Marling’s Song for Our Daughter is incredible. It’s one of my favorites.
What should Orlando expect when we come to see Funny Girl?
Expect to laugh a lot. Expect to perhaps be touched in a way that you didn’t see coming. Because the show is really about everything. It’s about learning to love yourself, how to share love with somebody else and how to trust in yourself. So, it’s a little deeper than one would expect.
Funny Girl is playing at the Walt Disney Theater from Dec. 5-10. Click here to get tickets.