o her credit, Mimi Hines was enormously successful in the role of Fanny Brice when she took over for Barbra in "Funny Girl" and managed to keep the show running with a very healthy box-office for eighteen post-Streisand months. When the 33 year old Mimi made her Broadway debut in "Funny Girl," the show had moved from the Winter Garden to the Majestic Theatre, a few short blocks away, and then ultimately to the Broadway Theatre where the show played out the duration of its run.

Hines played opposite Johnny Desmond (as Nick) and her real life husband, Phil Ford (as Eddie Ryan). At the time, Phil and Mimi were well known as the comedy team of Ford and Hines. When "Funny Girl" entered their lives, Ford and Hines had already made a name for themselves on television, in New York showrooms, and on the Las Vegas strip. They were extremely popular, so casting them in "Funny Girl" insured full houses well into 1967, when the show ultimately closed for good