Beanie Feldstein Is Leaving Funny Girl
Update, July 18, 2022: Beanie Feldstein is leaving Funny Girl early; her last performance will be July 31, 2022.
"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 honor," Feldstein wrote on Instagram. "Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated."
She was initially supposed to exit in September. "14 weeks left to see Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch now through September 25th," the production shared on social media in June. "Stay tuned for additional casting news to join Ramin Karimloo and Jared Grimes and the company of Funny Girl."
She'll miss a few performances in her final run; she announced on July 15 that she was diagnosed with tonsillitis and won't return to the show until she finishes a course of antibiotics. "I cannot wait to do my last two weeks and ... you gotta laugh at a certain point," she said. "When it rains, it pours on your old pal Bean."
For the first time in 58 years, Funny Girl is heading back to Broadway. The revival stars Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart, Lady Bird) as lead character Fanny Brice. Spring Awakening’s Michael Mayer, who directed a London version of the musical, signed on to direct the Broadway production. The show officially opened on Sunday, April 24, 2022 at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre.
As spring 2022 nears, Feldstein shared a new photo of herself in costume. This is the first time we've gotten to see Feldstein as Fanny Brice, as she wears a feathered cap and velvet coat.
Feldstein, who appeared on Broadway in 2017 in Hello, Dolly!, shared her excitement about the upcoming role, a part that made Barbara Streisand a star in 1964. Streisand later won a best actress Oscar for the 1968 film adaptation.
"The first time I played Fanny Brice was at my third birthday party, in a head-to-toe leopard print outfit my mom made for me," she said in a statement. "So, it’s safe to say that stepping into this iconic role, on Broadway and not in my family’s backyard, is truly my lifelong dream come true."
"I am immensely grateful to be able to do so alongside such a remarkable creative team," she added, "and cannot wait for audiences to get back in theaters again!"
In a February 2022 interview with the New York Times, Feldstein shared "My job is to be Beanie’s version of Fanny Brice and not Barbra’s version of Fanny Brice. But I say that with the most love and adoration." She continued, "She is the reason we all know this piece. But for my task bringing it back in 2022, I can’t be her."
The musical will feature Jule Styne and Bob Merrill’s original score, which includes iconic songs like “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Isobel Lennart’s original book is being revised by Harvey Fierstein, who also worked on the script for the recent London production.
Recently, the production announced a few more famous names joining the cast. Jane Lynch will play Fanny Brice's mother, Mrs. Rosie Brice; Broadway star Ramin Karimloo signed on as Nick Arnstein, Fanny's love interest; and Jared Grimes (Manifest) will play Eddie Ryan, a dancer whom Fanny befriends.
Lynch, best known for her role in Glee, has a special connection to the show. "I grew up to the Broadway cast album of 'Funny Girl,'" she said in a statement, per Variety. "My mother and I knew every breath of that record and would sing it together at the top of our lungs. I am thrilled beyond words to be playing Fanny’s mother on Broadway. And somewhere in Heaven my Mom is asking, 'Who taught her everything she knows?'"
The cast is rounded out by Peter Francis James as Florenz Ziegfeld, Ephie Aardema as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Debra Cardona as Mrs. Meeker, Toni DiBuono as Mrs. Strakosh, Martin Moran as Tom Keeney, and Julie Benko as the standby for Fanny Brice.
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