A shakeup in the cast of Broadway’s “Funny Girl.”
Actress Beanie Feldstein, who plays the lead, Fanny Brice, announced Sunday she is leaving the musical comedy on July 31, nearly two months ahead of schedule. Former “Glee” actress Lea Michele will replace her Sept. 6.
Fanny standby actress Julie Benko will play the role between Feldstein and Michele’s runs.
Feldstein posted on Instagram the production’s decision to take the show in a different direction prompted her to make the difficult decision.
“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. Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated,” Feldstein wrote. “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. 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.”
When Funny Girl first opened on April 24, Feldstein had been set to stay in the role until the end of 2022. But after woefully mixed reviews (and some absolutely scathing ones), she changed her departure date to September 25— and then, to July 31.
The first-ever Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” opened in April and garnered some negative reviews, with a number of critics believing Feldstein is miscast in the role created nearly 60 years ago by Barbra Streisand.
