Inside Glee star Lea Michele’s Broadway drama with Beanie Feldstein
Lea Michele is in the middle of another drama after Beanie Feldstein was “basically fired” from the Broadway revival of Funny Girl and replaced by the controversial Glee star.
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Actress Beanie Feldstein was reportedly upset when she discovered that she had been ditched from her “dream role” in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl (made famous by Barbra Streisand) after critics bagged her performance in a litany of brutal reviews and the controversial former star of Glee, Lea Michele was brought in as her replacement.
Feldstein who played the lead role of Fanny Brice, was “basically fired” from the show, an inside source told The Daily Beast, before abruptly quitting publicly on social media last weekend.
Sources said the actress had learned about her impending departure when Gawker reported on June 30 that Michele would be taking over her role, reports the New York Post.
The decision has caused uproar in New York’s Broadway community, with Time Out’s theatre critic Adam Feldman reporting that there were “a lot of tears, drama and shouting” after Feldstein’s sacking had been made public. She will leave the show on July 31.
Feldstein’s performance and less than stellar vocal abilities have been bagged by critics with one saying hers is “a voice you don’t expect to hear on a Broadway stage”.
Others also didn’t hold back, saying Feldstein - who has starred on screen in Booksmart, Lady Bird and Impeachment - was “horribly miscast”.
It’s a blow to the star who has reportedly been left devastated by the show’s failure.
Ticket sales have plummeted in recent weeks forcing producers to act. Broadway is slowly recovering after being decimated by the coronavirus and sources say producers could not afford to take a financial hit or closure on the show. There had been much excitement surrounding its revival, the first time it had returned to Broadway since Barbra Streisand made Fanny Brice famous in the early 1960s.
Michele will be starring in the stage production starting September 6, and tickets for her run of shows have already skyrocketed.
According to ticket-selling company SeatGeek, seats to see theshow at New York’s famed August Wilson theatre are going for A$850 to A$3700.
The news has not been so positive for Feldstein. Currently, weekend session tickets to see Feldstein are going for as cheap as A$102, with weekday shows selling for just A$72.
Famously, Michele often performed songs from Funny Girl on Glee and has vocally campaigned for the part in the years after.
“A dream come true is an understatement. I’m so incredibly honoured to join this amazing cast and production and return to the stage playing Fanny Brice on Broadway. See you September 6th,” Michele wrote in a statement on her Instagram earlier this week.
Feldstein announced that she was leaving the play earlier-than-expected on July 31 — rather than her original exit on September 25.
Feldstein announced her reasons for leaving the show in a candid post last weekend.
“Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a lifelong dream of mine, and doing so for the last few months has been a great joy and true honour,” Feldstein said.
“Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated.
“I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew.”
Feldstein then gushed over her experience on the musical, noting: “The people I have had the great joy of bringing Funny Girl to life with every night, both on and off the stage, are all remarkably talented and exceptional humans and I hope you continue to join them on Henry Street after I depart on July 31st.”
Feldstein’s understudy Julie Benko will perform until Michele begins her run in September.
Adding to the intrigue, Michele’s former Glee star Jane Lynch, who starred as Mrs Brice, will also leave the production earlier than expected. She’ll finish up the day before Michele takes over.
Tovah Feldshuh will replace Lynch in the role of Mrs Brice.
In recent years, Michele has been accused of bullying by former Glee castmembers (although not by Lynch). In fact, Lynch hosed down any hint of conflict over her departure from the troubled production.
“We have been in touch about it,” Lynch told Deadline. “You know, it was just a really strong idea to have Feldshuh and Lea premiere together. That’s the only reason [we won’t appear together.] I adore her. She’s just going to take this show and make it her own. I’m so glad she’s getting the opportunity in real life to do the show and not just on Glee.”
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Originally published as Inside Glee star Lea Michele’s Broadway drama with Beanie Feldstein
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