After receiving a barrage of negative reviews for her performance in the Broadway revival of “Funny Girl,” actress Beanie Feldstein was reportedly shocked to learn that Lea Michele had been cast in her ‘dream role,’ replacing her.
Before abruptly leaving the production on Sunday, Feldstein, 29, who played the lead role of Fanny Brice, was ‘essentially fired,’ insiders told The Daily Beast.
According to sources, when Gawker published on June 30 that Michele would be taking over her role, the actress was informed about her first departure.
Feldstein revealed on Sunday that she would be departing the show on July 31 rather than September 25 because she was “upset” by the report.
Feldstein writes, “I took the extremely tough decision to move away sooner than intended once the production opted to take the show in a different route.”
On September 6, ‘Glee’ alumna Lea Michele, 35, will take over as her replacement.
Ticket prices for her performances are already astronomical, topping out at $2,500.
Michele, who has the same agent as Feldstein, agreed to portray Brice in June, “a week and a half” after this year’s Tony Awards, according to a senior show insider who spoke to The Daily Beast.
At this year’s presentation, the highly anticipated Funny Girl revival received just one nomination: Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical.
Before the show or its current star made the switch official, Gawker reported later that month that Michele was scheduled to take over the role.
Feldstein was “upset” by the article, so show producers were instructed to speak with the actress through her agents rather than personally, according to the Beast.
Adding a Funny Girl marquee poster of herself and Tovah Feldshuh, who will replace Jane Lynch in the character of Fanny’s mother Mrs. Rose Brice, Michele announced the casting news on her Instagram page on Monday.
The New Year’s Eve actress gushed about her experience in the caption of the image, calling it “a dream come true.”
I’m so immensely honored to join this fantastic cast and production and make a Broadway stage comeback as Fanny Brice, she continued.
On September 6th, see you. #FUNNYGIRL, says @funnygirlbwy.
According to SeatGeek, tickets at the August Wilson theater are selling for $570 to $2,500.
Ticket sales to watch the former “Glee” star on stage have already soared.
These rates are for performances in September and later, when Michele will be playing the principal part, and do not include the $500 service charge.
Shows in July and August are only $69, and weekday performances are only $49.
Lea’s declaration comes a day after Feldstein’s Instagram statement that she will be leaving the show earlier than anticipated.
After revealing last month that she would stop playing Fanny in September, the 29-year-old actress wrote a text message about the character.
She said for her roughly 600,000 followers, “Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a longstanding goal of mine, and doing so over the last few months has been a wonderful joy and true honor.”
I made the really tough decision to leave the program earlier than intended after the producers opted to take it in a different path, she continued.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each and every individual who came to the August Wilson for the love and support you have shown me and our incredible cast and crew.
I will never forget this experience, Beanie said.
She ended by saying, “I hope you continue to join them on Henry Street after I left on July 31st.
The individuals I have had the tremendous honor of bringing Funny Girl to life with every night, both on and off the stage, are all amazingly brilliant and exceptional humans.”
In the Broadway production of Funny Girl, Beanie would play Fanny Brice, it was revealed in August 2021.
The Booksmart actress announced the news on Instagram, and Michele congratulated her by writing, “Yes! The brightest star is YOU! It’s going to be amazing!
Fans were startled by the Scream Queens actress’s favorable response because they assumed that since she had previously indicated interest in portraying Fanny, she could have been sad to not get the part.
In April, Feldstein made her stage debut at the August Wilson Theatre to generally negative reviews.
The show’s production revealed in June that she and Jane would be quitting on September 25.
The 61-year-old Role Models actor will now be replaced by Feldshuh, 73, on the earlier than anticipated date of September 6.
According to Variety, Julie Benko, who currently fills in for Feldstein, will play Fanny from August 2 through September 4, as well as every Thursday starting on September 8.
Lea was being considered by producers as a potential replacement for Feldstein, according to a Showbiz 411 article from back in June.
Fanny Brice, a Broadway performer, film actress, and comic, and the turbulent relationship she had with businessman and gambler Nick Arnstein, are the subjects of the comedy Funny Girl.
Following her appearances on Glee from 2009 to 2015, when she sang several of the show’s songs, Michele was first said to be vying for the part.
Throughout the six seasons of the popular musical series, Michele’s Rachel Berry character sung some of Fanny’s best-known songs, such as Don’t Rain on My Parade, My Man, I’m the Greatest Star, and People.
After getting her dream role as Fanny in a Broadway version of Funny Girl, Rachel leaves college in season five.
Lea expressed her “very hoped” for the opportunity to portray Fanny on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2017.
We had considered performing it shortly after Glee, but she explained, “I sang a lot of the songs from Funny Girl on Glee so it felt like a bit soon.”
But I feel pretty prepared to do it right now, so perhaps we can proceed quickly.
Michele will return with director Michael Mayer after working with him on her first leading role in Spring Awakening when she joins the cast of Funny Girl.
Eddie Ryan and Nick Arnstein, played by actors Jared Grimes and Ramin Karimloo, respectively, will continue to appear on the program for its upcoming run.
On April 24, Funny Girl had its Broadway debut. Its current run is indefinite.
The 1964 production of Fanny, starring Barbra Streisand, got eight nominations for the 18th Tony Awards, among other honours.