The first national tour of Funny Girl The Musical is set to arrive in Denver in December, and with the incredibly talented cast comes more than 150 unique costumes designed to transfer audiences into another era of entertainment.

Funny Girl follows the journey of legendary performer Fanny Brice in the early 1900s. However, to tap into the designs of the era Brice was a star, the cast and crew have to wear many different costumes to take audiences on the journey through time.

Ahead of the show’s stop in Denver, the stars of the production invited CBS News Colorado’s Dillon Thomas to see a sneak peek of the show, and then go backstage for an exclusive tour of their wardrobe department.

“We are about to look at some amazing costumes right now by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty,” said Hannah Shankman, the actress who portrays Brice in the show.

Brice is accompanied throughout the show by Stephen Mark Lukas, the actor who portrays Nick Arnstein in the musical. The duo pulled out a handful of costumes which many audiences have grown to love in the show.

“This is the ruffled shirt as we see, fans in the movie will recognize this piece,” Lukas said. “It is a bit of a plot point in this show. Nick is a little fancy. He has got a ruffled shirt for the first act.”

Lukas also showed off a jacket from the musical that is on stage during a scene in which many audiences find themselves continuously laughing.

“This is a beautiful smoking jacket. So, Nick and Fanny meet up at a swanky restaurant in Baltimore. Nick is a little dressed down in this smoking jacket. Hilarity ensues,” Lukas said.

Pulling a pink dress from a rack, Shankman showed off what she was the best costume she got to wear during the show.

“This is my favorite piece in the whole show. This is the ‘People’ dress. It is so feminine. It is young yet mature with the neckline,” Shankman said. “We are seeing her being a little revealing for the first time.”

Next, Shankman pulled out the bright yet royal red dress and suit jacket she wears in the show during hit numbers.

“We have the iconic parade costume. This is probably the most iconic piece in the whole show. The bright red feels so fiery. She is on fire at this moment,” Shankman said.

With more than 150 costumes in the production, many people have many costumes to change into.

“All the ensemble is always changing, on and off stage. So, it definitely adds to the Ziegfeld spectacle,” Lukas said.

Shankman has to change her outfit more than 20 times each night, only wearing one costume twice.

“Folks may not know all the costumes are made by hand by artisans in New York. There are shops that just do costumes for Broadway shows. Incredible craftsmanship goes into these costumes,” Lukas said.

“The costumes really help bring the characters to life and tell their stories through the decades we move through in the show. You go from younger to a little bit more mature,” Shankman said of her costumes

“It is interesting because Nick kind of takes an opposite journey. When you meet him he is very formal. I come out in tails and white tie. It is very Downton Abbey,” Lukas said. “And, as the show goes on, he gets a bit more casual. So, it charts their emotional journeys as well.”

Funny Girl plays at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts from Dec. 10 through Dec. 22. If you would like to purchase tickets visit https://www.denvercenter.org/tickets-events/funny-girl/.

CBS Colorado is a proud partner of the DCPA.