North Carolina woman slated to perform on Broadway in 'Funny Girl'
SANFORD, N.C. (WTVD) -- A North Carolina woman will soon make her lifelong dream of performing on Broadway come true.
Mariah Reives of Lee County is in the ensemble in Funny Girl, the show that put Barbara Streisand on her road to fame.
"I am dancing my life away through this show and it's so much fun," Reives said. "As a little girl I always knew I wanted to be a dancer. I knew I was put on this earth of perform, so now that this dream has actually come to fruition, I am so grateful every single day I get to go to the theatre and I get to perform this show and get to do it in front of an audience."
Reives started dancing at the age of three, taking classes at Dancer's Workshop in Sanford. She went on to train at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts while in high school and she later attended college in New York.
Reives credits Dancer's Workshop and its owner, Tori Melby, for her love of dance.
Reives has a long list of accomplishments leading up to her Broadway debut. She appeared in touring shows like "Cats" and "The Wiz". She appeared on "The Tonight Show", performed with Lin Manuel Miranda, and was featured in a MAC Cosmetics commercial.
Reives said her mom, Felicia Reives, is her biggest fan and can't wait for the moment her mom is in the theater.
"I keep thinking about it and I get emotional all the time," Reives said. "To know she will be sitting in the audience watching her little girl's dreams come true--I'm getting emotional right now."
Funny Girl will be at the August Wilson Theatre beginning April 24. The show is expected to run for about a year.
