Lea Michele Snags Lead in Broadway’s “Funny Girl” Revival – Why the Commotion?
If you have been on the internet in the past 24 hours, there’s a good chance you will have heard that Lea Michele has recently been announced as the replacement lead in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl.
🚨The rumors are true!🚨
Lea Michele is replacing Beanie Feldstein in Broadway's revival of #FunnyGirl. https://t.co/qfqWiaGUwl pic.twitter.com/CmZqR0y9uP
— Variety (@Variety) July 11, 2022
There are quite a lot of opinions and thoughts circulating about this casting, so we thought we’d break this down and look at what’s so newsworthy!
The revival of Funny Girl hit Broadway’s August Wilson Theater earlier this year, starring Beanie Feldstein in the coveted lead role of Fanny Brice. It was very recently announced that there was to be a casting change-around, with Feldstein leaving the production, and Lea Michele set to step into the role from September this year.
Image Credit: Funny Girl Broadway
So, who is Lea Michele? Well, many will recognize her talents as starring as Rachel Berry in Glee from 2009 – 2015. Michele has quite the admirable role call to her name in terms of stage productions too, however, perhaps most notably for originating the role of Wendla in Spring Awakening. She has been nominated for many prestigious awards, too, including an Emmy, two Golden Globes, and a Grammy.
Image Credit: Lea Michele
As Disney fans, we also recognize Lea Michele for her talents in making magic. As well as starring in Freeform’s Same Time, Next Christmas, she also played Princess Ariel in the 2019 Hollywood Bowl live performance of The Little Mermaid. So, Lea Michele is certainly used to stepping into beloved roles!
Image Credit: Freeform
So, why is Michele’s casting in Funny Girl so noteworthy? Well, as shared in this brilliant article by Vogue, the 35-year-old actress has been manifesting this particular role for years, expressing her interest in the character, covering many of the musical’s songs on Glee, and even portraying her character getting the role in a fictional revival! So, when the actual revival was announced, Lea Michele was a popular choice.
Image Credit: Fox
However, back in June 2020, various allegations were made against Michele by her co-stars, alleging rude, hostile, and potentially even discriminatory behavior was demonstrated by the star on-set.
One year and a bit later, the news broke that Beanie Feldstein (of Booksmart fame) had been cast as Fanny Brice in the Funny Girl revival. We’re not ones to speculate, but this casting did raise eyebrows amongst those who had been rooting for Michele to land the role. When Feldstein shared that she was stepping down from the role, and Michele was announced as her replacement soon after, followers once again took to the internet to share their varying opinions.
Image Credit: Getty
So, this is the background to Lea Michele and the Funny Girl casting controversy, in a nutshell. We think that Michele will ace this particular role, and can’t wait to hear more as work on the production continues, for her to take to the stage in September.
Will you be getting tickets?
Featured Image Credit: Lea Michele
