It is no Funny Girl, but the emotions behind Funny Lady are so genuine. Fanny Brice has been knocked around by life–divorced single mother trying to earn a living as a performer during the Depression. Whereas in the original, her talent carries her away, this time, her shrewd business sense & production expertise help her to survive. You get the sense that if Billy Rose and Fanny Brice had met earlier, they would have been a perfect match–more emotionally available to each other and thus more passionate, but all the obstacles in their relationships were caused by injuries from the past that they carry into their present relationship. He is still a part of the world of her origins-earthy, street smart & raw, but she has adopted some of Arnstein’s upper class affectations–just enough to be dissatisfied with her husband & to need more to survive. Not always a good thing to rise from humble origins.