Beanie Feldstein, Jane Lynch to Depart Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’ in September

Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch will depart the current Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” this fall, the production announced Wednesday.

The news was announced by the production via a tweet confirming that both stars will depart on Sept. 25. The male leads, Ramin Karimloo and Jared Grimes, will remain with the show. Replacement casting for Feldsteina and Lynch will  be announced at a later date.

“14 weeks left to see Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch now through September 25th,” the statement reads. “Stay tuned for additional casting news to join Ramin Karimloo and Jared Grimes and the company of Funny Girl.”

The post also confirmed that Feldstein, who plays the central role of Fanny Brice in the biographical musical about the Follies star, will return to the production this Thursday. Feldstein has been out since June 7, when she announced on her Instagram page that she tested positive for COVID.

“Funny Girl” first opened on Broadway in 1964. The musical features a score by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart. The original production is notable for launching the career of Barbra Streisand, with the show earning eight Tony nominations at the time. A subsequent film, also starring Streisand and directed by William Wyler, was released in 1968, winning Streisand an Oscar for best actress.

The current Broadway revival, the first revival the musical has received, opened April 24. The production is directed by Michael Mayer, with a revised version of the original book by Harvey Fierstein.

Although Grimes received a Tony nomination for his performance, the production has received mostly negative reviews. In a review for Variety, critic Frank Rizzo wrote that “Feldstein’s performance — never goes far beyond the sentimental, tiresome and not-exactly-of-the-moment cliche of the woman who can’t stop loving her man, even after nearly every character on stage (not to mention the audience) knows it’s doomed. An end-of-show empowerment reprise of ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ is too little, too late.”

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