Harshest gossip I’ve read - Beanie Feldstein dumped from Funny Girl

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't buy Broadway tickets because the actors are good human beings. We have no way of knowing that. We buy them because the show is good. Absent a star being arrested for pedophelia or something like that, I wouldn't let rumors or allegations of bad behavior bother me much.

https://variety.com/2022/theater/news/funny-girl-lea-michele-opening-night-broadway-tickets-1235314569/
Lea Michele Is the Greatest Star: Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’ Tickets Surging Above $2,500

Hello, ticket sales!

Looking to be among the first to hear Lea Michele’s dulcet tones take on the legend of Fanny Brice? Not to rain on your parade, but a seat to the “Glee” alum’s opening night in Broadway’s revival of “Funny Girl” could set you back anywhere from a few hundred bucks to a couple thousand big ones. The price of admission has skyrocketed in the wake of news that Michele is replacing Beanie Feldstein in the beloved musical.

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, the night that Michele officially steps into the role, tickets on SeatGeek are selling for $570 on the low end (the site classifies this as an “amazing deal”) to $2,250 (this, somehow, is called a “moderate price”). The most expensive tickets are currently running at $2,500 — not including the $500 in fees. (SeatGeek calls this an “okay deal”). It’s now the No. 1 trending event on the ticket platform’s website. Few shows today outside of “Hamilton,” which sold tickets above $1,100 in its heyday, have experienced this kind of surge.

That has to be salt in the wound for Beanie.

Lea Michele really can sing...Beanie...not so much. That's life. Beanie has benefitted a lot from her family connections...from the review, it seems she doesn't have the talent to carry Funny Girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What amazes me is that Feldstein got cast in the first place. What were the producers thinking? Does anyone know if she was cast and her casting announced before the producers and director really heard her sing? Were they hoping that vocal training and help between her casting and the opening would be enough, combined with her acting and genuine sweetness, to pull the performance through?

I'm not snarking, I'm asking for real--does anyone know if that was the backdrop?

This is NOT a diss on her as an actress or a person or someone who seems to possess a ton of charm on stage. It's about the initial decision to cast someone who clearly was not up to the vocal challenge of a role where everyone in the audiences knows the songs already, everyone has heard them sung many times already. Some roles, people can come to the theater open to a new kind of voice or a new interpretation. This one, not so much.. So of course there was going to be a reviewer blowback because everyone has such expectations about the songs in that well-known show.

And I say this as someone who is a big fan of what I'd call "quirky" vocalists who have their own individual sound that I know others dislike--for instance, I like Lin-Manuel Miranda's singing in "Hamilton" and "In the Heights," because it's not another cookie-cutter perfect Broadway voice, but a "character" voice with warmth and realism. But those shows were new when they premiered and he could build the characters around his voice. "Funny Girl" is way too well-known for producers and the director to cast someone who wasn't up to the perhaps overblown expectations that come with the show. And I feel bad for Feldstein because the producers should have been realistic so, so much earlier and saved her all the heartache.

Family connections.

She's been building a nice career as an actress, but this role was WAY too big for her as a singer. It's a case of failed nepotism.

Wanting to play this part was literally part of Lea's Rachel Berry character in "Glee." So it makes it seem extra manipulated and weird. The whole thing is a mess!

All of this. I couldn’t figure out how she got the role on American Crime Story playing the role of Monica Lewinsky either. She might be a lovely person, but not everyone is talented in the right ways. She was pretty distracting (in a negative way) for me while watching her try to portray Monica. If she can’t sing, she shouldn’t be given a role where a strong voice carries the role. Just find her casting so bizarre. They should have replaced her quickly, but the act of replacing her should not be a controversy!

THIS. I am shocked no one is talking about who her brother is and his connections. She’s talent-less hack. Yes, cute. But no talent. Why do we care? Let those with talent shine through.

She was great in Book Smart

She was good in a quirky coming-of-age indie movie?

That usually doesn't translate well into commanding the stage in a Broadway musical.

She needs to stick with the emo-comedy indie films.

She got really good reviews in her prior Broadway role. This was just a particularly tough role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't buy Broadway tickets because the actors are good human beings. We have no way of knowing that. We buy them because the show is good. Absent a star being arrested for pedophelia or something like that, I wouldn't let rumors or allegations of bad behavior bother me much.

Took a few minutes to look into reports of her nasty behavior, and it was quite the rabbit hole. There are other good shows with talent I can see. I do care about supporting bad human beings. If I'm aware of it, I won't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What amazes me is that Feldstein got cast in the first place. What were the producers thinking? Does anyone know if she was cast and her casting announced before the producers and director really heard her sing? Were they hoping that vocal training and help between her casting and the opening would be enough, combined with her acting and genuine sweetness, to pull the performance through?

I'm not snarking, I'm asking for real--does anyone know if that was the backdrop?

This is NOT a diss on her as an actress or a person or someone who seems to possess a ton of charm on stage. It's about the initial decision to cast someone who clearly was not up to the vocal challenge of a role where everyone in the audiences knows the songs already, everyone has heard them sung many times already. Some roles, people can come to the theater open to a new kind of voice or a new interpretation. This one, not so much.. So of course there was going to be a reviewer blowback because everyone has such expectations about the songs in that well-known show.

And I say this as someone who is a big fan of what I'd call "quirky" vocalists who have their own individual sound that I know others dislike--for instance, I like Lin-Manuel Miranda's singing in "Hamilton" and "In the Heights," because it's not another cookie-cutter perfect Broadway voice, but a "character" voice with warmth and realism. But those shows were new when they premiered and he could build the characters around his voice. "Funny Girl" is way too well-known for producers and the director to cast someone who wasn't up to the perhaps overblown expectations that come with the show. And I feel bad for Feldstein because the producers should have been realistic so, so much earlier and saved her all the heartache.

Family connections.

She's been building a nice career as an actress, but this role was WAY too big for her as a singer. It's a case of failed nepotism.

Wanting to play this part was literally part of Lea's Rachel Berry character in "Glee." So it makes it seem extra manipulated and weird. The whole thing is a mess!

All of this. I couldn’t figure out how she got the role on American Crime Story playing the role of Monica Lewinsky either. She might be a lovely person, but not everyone is talented in the right ways. She was pretty distracting (in a negative way) for me while watching her try to portray Monica. If she can’t sing, she shouldn’t be given a role where a strong voice carries the role. Just find her casting so bizarre. They should have replaced her quickly, but the act of replacing her should not be a controversy!

THIS. I am shocked no one is talking about who her brother is and his connections. She’s talent-less hack. Yes, cute. But no talent. Why do we care? Let those with talent shine through.

She was great in Book Smart

She was good in a quirky coming-of-age indie movie?

That usually doesn't translate well into commanding the stage in a Broadway musical.

She needs to stick with the emo-comedy indie films.

She got really good reviews in her prior Broadway role. This was just a particularly tough role.

But that was a supporting role to Bette Midler as Dolly. Huge leap there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like Beanie, she seems sweet and fun, but she and her brother are both average actors and below average, looks-wise. Without connections they would never have gotten anywhere in Hollywood or in theater.

This is spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love that Jane Lynch, who's in Funny Girl, went "Wait, Lea's coming? Hell no!" and noped the heck on out of there.

Eh, it makes more sense for Lea and Tovah to start together. It would be weird for Lea to do a handful of shows with Jane.

+1 Plus, Jane said she adores Lea. You don’t say that if you can’t stand someone.

“ Jane Lynch is ecstatic for her former “Glee” co-star Lea Michele, who has landed her dream role as Fanny Brice in Broadway’s “Funny Girl.”
“I adore her. She’s just going to take this show and make it her own,” the actress told Deadline.
“I’m so glad she’s getting the opportunity in real life to do the show and not just on ‘Glee.’”

https://pagesix.com/2022/07/13/jane-lynch-reacts-to-glee-co-star-lea-micheles-funny-girl-casting/amp/

Doesn’t matter because we got Tovah Feldshuh!


The best comment I read about this was someone lol'ing the "I adore her" statement being taken seriously. Said that's just as meaningless in the theater community as "how are you" in real life, commonly said without sincerity.

Yeah, no way the producers weren't salivating over the welcome positive buzz a reunion would have generated. It is 100% clear Jane did not want it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't buy Broadway tickets because the actors are good human beings. We have no way of knowing that. We buy them because the show is good. Absent a star being arrested for pedophelia or something like that, I wouldn't let rumors or allegations of bad behavior bother me much.

Took a few minutes to look into reports of her nasty behavior, and it was quite the rabbit hole. There are other good shows with talent I can see. I do care about supporting bad human beings. If I'm aware of it, I won't.

Her understudy basically said she was a sociopath when she was *12.* Sounds like she has a serious personality disorder.

[Anonymous]

I though Beanie was really good as Monica Lewinsky. As someone who was about Monica's age when that whole thing unfolded, I thought Beanie did a good job of playing the situation and emotion and NOT trying to do a Monica impersonation, which is what happens sometimes with those shows (and is basically what Clive Owen did with Bill). I think she carried the show.

But I agree with the PP who says that the Funny Girl fiasco is a case of failed nepotism. I think Beanie is a talented actress who has a lot of presence and charisma. But she clearly lacks the singing chops for Funny Girl and the inevitable Barbra comparisons were never going to work. If Streisand weren't so associated with the role, I think it's possible it could have worked. It's not that she can't sing at all, it's just that people now associate those songs and that role with a very specific type of performance and Beanie was never going to be able to do that. And her agent, her family, AND the production itself should have been able to see that, even if she herself could not. I hope she assesses who she has around her after this and brings on someone who will be more objective, because I think people got starry eyed about Beanie in the role and did not adequately consider what the expectations would be. She was set up to fail.

Many movie/tv stars have successfully done Broadway even though their singing/dancing chops are rarely up to par. It has to be the right mix of star, role, and production. This wasn't it.

Having said that, I actually think the Michele casting is a mistake. They were right to avoid her the first time around. She's going to do Streisand drag and it's going to annoy people even though her voice will be praised. But I guess the goal is to sell tickets at this point and the drama around the role change and the new production will do that. So while this won't work in creating a compelling revival, it may save the show financially. It's just a bummer that the finances so often dictate these sorts of castings, instead of something creatively interesting and worthwhile. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't buy Broadway tickets because the actors are good human beings. We have no way of knowing that. We buy them because the show is good. Absent a star being arrested for pedophelia or something like that, I wouldn't let rumors or allegations of bad behavior bother me much.

https://variety.com/2022/theater/news/funny-girl-lea-michele-opening-night-broadway-tickets-1235314569/
Lea Michele Is the Greatest Star: Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’ Tickets Surging Above $2,500

Hello, ticket sales!

Looking to be among the first to hear Lea Michele’s dulcet tones take on the legend of Fanny Brice? Not to rain on your parade, but a seat to the “Glee” alum’s opening night in Broadway’s revival of “Funny Girl” could set you back anywhere from a few hundred bucks to a couple thousand big ones. The price of admission has skyrocketed in the wake of news that Michele is replacing Beanie Feldstein in the beloved musical.

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, the night that Michele officially steps into the role, tickets on SeatGeek are selling for $570 on the low end (the site classifies this as an “amazing deal”) to $2,250 (this, somehow, is called a “moderate price”). The most expensive tickets are currently running at $2,500 — not including the $500 in fees. (SeatGeek calls this an “okay deal”). It’s now the No. 1 trending event on the ticket platform’s website. Few shows today outside of “Hamilton,” which sold tickets above $1,100 in its heyday, have experienced this kind of surge.

That has to be salt in the wound for Beanie.

Lea Michele really can sing...Beanie...not so much. That's life. Beanie has benefitted a lot from her family connections...from the review, it seems she doesn't have the talent to carry Funny Girl.

PP you're quoting and I completely agree. Still ouch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I though Beanie was really good as Monica Lewinsky. As someone who was about Monica's age when that whole thing unfolded, I thought Beanie did a good job of playing the situation and emotion and NOT trying to do a Monica impersonation, which is what happens sometimes with those shows (and is basically what Clive Owen did with Bill). I think she carried the show.

But I agree with the PP who says that the Funny Girl fiasco is a case of failed nepotism. I think Beanie is a talented actress who has a lot of presence and charisma. But she clearly lacks the singing chops for Funny Girl and the inevitable Barbra comparisons were never going to work. If Streisand weren't so associated with the role, I think it's possible it could have worked. It's not that she can't sing at all, it's just that people now associate those songs and that role with a very specific type of performance and Beanie was never going to be able to do that. And her agent, her family, AND the production itself should have been able to see that, even if she herself could not. I hope she assesses who she has around her after this and brings on someone who will be more objective, because I think people got starry eyed about Beanie in the role and did not adequately consider what the expectations would be. She was set up to fail.

Many movie/tv stars have successfully done Broadway even though their singing/dancing chops are rarely up to par. It has to be the right mix of star, role, and production. This wasn't it.

Having said that, I actually think the Michele casting is a mistake. They were right to avoid her the first time around. She's going to do Streisand drag and it's going to annoy people even though her voice will be praised. But I guess the goal is to sell tickets at this point and the drama around the role change and the new production will do that. So while this won't work in creating a compelling revival, it may save the show financially. It's just a bummer that the finances so often dictate these sorts of castings, instead of something creatively interesting and worthwhile. Oh well.

Excellent analysis. Spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I though Beanie was really good as Monica Lewinsky. As someone who was about Monica's age when that whole thing unfolded, I thought Beanie did a good job of playing the situation and emotion and NOT trying to do a Monica impersonation, which is what happens sometimes with those shows (and is basically what Clive Owen did with Bill). I think she carried the show.

But I agree with the PP who says that the Funny Girl fiasco is a case of failed nepotism. I think Beanie is a talented actress who has a lot of presence and charisma. But she clearly lacks the singing chops for Funny Girl and the inevitable Barbra comparisons were never going to work. If Streisand weren't so associated with the role, I think it's possible it could have worked. It's not that she can't sing at all, it's just that people now associate those songs and that role with a very specific type of performance and Beanie was never going to be able to do that. And her agent, her family, AND the production itself should have been able to see that, even if she herself could not. I hope she assesses who she has around her after this and brings on someone who will be more objective, because I think people got starry eyed about Beanie in the role and did not adequately consider what the expectations would be. She was set up to fail.

Many movie/tv stars have successfully done Broadway even though their singing/dancing chops are rarely up to par. It has to be the right mix of star, role, and production. This wasn't it.

Having said that, I actually think the Michele casting is a mistake. They were right to avoid her the first time around. She's going to do Streisand drag and it's going to annoy people even though her voice will be praised. But I guess the goal is to sell tickets at this point and the drama around the role change and the new production will do that. So while this won't work in creating a compelling revival, it may save the show financially. It's just a bummer that the finances so often dictate these sorts of castings, instead of something creatively interesting and worthwhile. Oh well.

Excellent analysis. Spot on.

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love that Jane Lynch, who's in Funny Girl, went "Wait, Lea's coming? Hell no!" and noped the heck on out of there.

Eh, it makes more sense for Lea and Tovah to start together. It would be weird for Lea to do a handful of shows with Jane.

+1 Plus, Jane said she adores Lea. You don’t say that if you can’t stand someone.

“ Jane Lynch is ecstatic for her former “Glee” co-star Lea Michele, who has landed her dream role as Fanny Brice in Broadway’s “Funny Girl.”
“I adore her. She’s just going to take this show and make it her own,” the actress told Deadline.
“I’m so glad she’s getting the opportunity in real life to do the show and not just on ‘Glee.’”

https://pagesix.com/2022/07/13/jane-lynch-reacts-to-glee-co-star-lea-micheles-funny-girl-casting/amp/

The best comment I read about this was someone lol'ing the "I adore her" statement being taken seriously. Said that's just as meaningless in the theater community as "how are you" in real life, commonly said without sincerity.

Yeah, no way the producers weren't salivating over the welcome positive buzz a reunion would have generated. It is 100% clear Jane did not want it.

Jane is under contract. If the producers really wanted it to happen, they would have made it happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love that Jane Lynch, who's in Funny Girl, went "Wait, Lea's coming? Hell no!" and noped the heck on out of there.

Eh, it makes more sense for Lea and Tovah to start together. It would be weird for Lea to do a handful of shows with Jane.

+1 Plus, Jane said she adores Lea. You don’t say that if you can’t stand someone.

“ Jane Lynch is ecstatic for her former “Glee” co-star Lea Michele, who has landed her dream role as Fanny Brice in Broadway’s “Funny Girl.”
“I adore her. She’s just going to take this show and make it her own,” the actress told Deadline.
“I’m so glad she’s getting the opportunity in real life to do the show and not just on ‘Glee.’”

https://pagesix.com/2022/07/13/jane-lynch-reacts-to-glee-co-star-lea-micheles-funny-girl-casting/amp/

The best comment I read about this was someone lol'ing the "I adore her" statement being taken seriously. Said that's just as meaningless in the theater community as "how are you" in real life, commonly said without sincerity.

Yeah, no way the producers weren't salivating over the welcome positive buzz a reunion would have generated. It is 100% clear Jane did not want it.

Jane is under contract. If the producers really wanted it to happen, they would have made it happen.

No, they wouldn't risk any further bad publicity by suing one of their stars. She wanted out to avoid overlap and knowing LM's history and reputation, they agreed.

[Anonymous]

Tovah is a huge b’way star.
This is just a fresh break.
I won’t read too much into it.
But if you really want to know I’ll ask
One of the dressers next week.
😉

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't buy Broadway tickets because the actors are good human beings. We have no way of knowing that. We buy them because the show is good. Absent a star being arrested for pedophelia or something like that, I wouldn't let rumors or allegations of bad behavior bother me much.

Took a few minutes to look into reports of her nasty behavior, and it was quite the rabbit hole. There are other good shows with talent I can see. I do care about supporting bad human beings. If I'm aware of it, I won't.

Her understudy basically said she was a sociopath when she was *12.* Sounds like she has a serious personality disorder.

People say all sorts of stuff. Unless her understudy has some sort of psychiatric credentials or we have videos of Lea Michele kicking puppies in a park or hitting small children, we don’t really know what she’s like and I’m not going to sit there pretending to psychoanalyze actors in a Broadway show. In an ensemble of 80+ people, I’m sure there are performers who aren’t saints in there.