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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!

Anonymous wrote:People say it's nepotism but Jonah Hill doesn't really have that much pull does he?

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Anonymous wrote:It sounds like Beanie sucked and they tried to help her, but there was no helping her, so they hired someone to replace her. This is very, very, very common. They probably kept her on WAY longer than they should have as a favor to her family.

+1. And influential friends like her bff Ben Platt.

Anonymous wrote:That was a very long and repetitive read to get to the simple fact that Beanie was replaced- it's not a big deal. Every person can't do every thing. This is way to dramatic for such a boring topic.

Anonymous wrote:Tovah Feldshuh is absolutely amazing and better casting than Lynch, I think.

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Anonymous wrote:I saw Funny Girl with Beanie and while she was good in Hello Dolly, she doesn't have 'it' for Funny Girl. Her voice isn't powerful enough.

I saw it again when Julie Benko stood in and she's phenomenal. She doesn't have the name recognition, though, which is what they need from Lea Michele.

I'll probably go see Lea Michele in the role in October or November. I'm excited because I'm a Lea fan and actually going to see her next week in DC.

DP who never watched Glee or anything else with Lea Michele. I just watched her videos from Glee singing “People” and “My Man”. I got chlls when she sang “My Man”, which was originally sung by Fanny herself. She’s got what it takes, hands down. I’ll bet it becomes a smash.

Watch her sing Don't Rain on My Parade. I mean she kills it. Really well done.

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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.

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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.

Ha, this. She was careful to be diplomatic about it of course. I wouldn't pay one red cent to see anything Lea Michelle is in.

I saw her in “Spring Awakening.” I honestly don’t care about offstage antics. Short of actually abusing other people, I don’t care what actors do. Do you know if your accountant is nice to his coworkers? Is your doctor nice to the nursing staff, do you even know? A job is a job and Lea onstage is magic. She has a phenomenal voice.

The "issue" with Lea Michele is that she was not an equal opportunity diva. She seemed to pointedly target her ire toward black and Hispanic cast mates and crew staff.

Heather Morris said the opposite. I don't remember her exact words but it was along the lines of Lea being a b**ch to everyone, not just POC. (Not that that's a ringing endorsement or anything...)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw Funny Girl with Beanie and while she was good in Hello Dolly, she doesn't have 'it' for Funny Girl. Her voice isn't powerful enough.

I saw it again when Julie Benko stood in and she's phenomenal. She doesn't have the name recognition, though, which is what they need from Lea Michele.

I'll probably go see Lea Michele in the role in October or November. I'm excited because I'm a Lea fan and actually going to see her next week in DC.

DP who never watched Glee or anything else with Lea Michele. I just watched her videos from Glee singing “People” and “My Man”. I got chlls when she sang “My Man”, which was originally sung by Fanny herself. She’s got what it takes, hands down. I’ll bet it becomes a smash.

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Anonymous wrote:I understand she's not famous but a real shame they didn't simply cast the apparently outstanding understudy.

+1. At least she gets to star for the entire month of August and a couple nights per week after that.

Not sure she's so nice either. Apparently she was promoting herself and her excellent notices on social media, which was perceived as rubbing Beanie's nose in it. The producers should have handled all of this differently, what a cluster.

There is nothing wrong with actors posting about their work online.
It was disgusting reading the producers trying to assign blame to
The understudy.