The cast and crew of Funny Girl injected the chilly November evening with a burst of warmth and exuberance that lit up the ADC. The actors were bright, talented and energetic, and the show as a whole had the impressive polish of professionalism. The band, unusually large for an ADC performance, completed the whole affair with their excellent accompaniment, and the glow of stage lights on brass added to the showbiz glamour of it all.

The four actors sharing the role of Fanny Brice – Justina Kehinde Ogunseitan, Paige Thompson, Lily Parham and Lily Grieve – all gave remarkable performances, but the idea of the four Fannies left a little something to be desired. It was not clear what each was meant to represent – four facets of the character, four moods, or some other concept,and at times the overall impression was slightly muddled.

Each actor had her moment to shine, and all rose to the occasion. For example, Ogunseitan played up Fanny Brice’s boundless confidence in ‘I’m the Greatest Star’, while Parham emphasised her character’s sense of irony and self-deprecation in ‘His Love Makes Me Beautiful’. In short, each Fanny was excellent, but bringing them all together somehow did not quite work. The one exception was the final rendition of ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’. All four actors joined their voices in a rousing finale, as though all the lessons learned in the play were coming to Fanny’s aid as she picked herself up from her broken marriage. It would have been nice to see this sort of clear idea behind the use of four actors throughout the play.

Two performers who must not be forgotten are Rory Boyd and Sophie Beneter, who brought great humour and humanity to the roles of Fanny’s loyal allies, Eddie Ryan and Mrs. Brice. Boyd provoked many a laugh throughout the evening, and Beneter was brilliant and bizarrely convincing as Fanny’s brisk, dry, poker-playing mother.

Attempts were made to set the play in a modern context – there were occasional mentions of Twitter, hashtags and a proposal that Mrs. Brice take up internet dating. Fanny sometimes appeared to be starring in some sort of X Factor equivalent. The idea was interesting, but insufficiently developed, making these references appear slightly out of place.

In spite of having a few conceptual flaws, Funny Girl is definitely worth seeing. The singing and acting were excellent, and those involved have done a truly stellar job.