“Booksmart” star Beanie Feldstein just announced her early departure from the “Funny Girl” Broadway production after a tonsillitis diagnosis. The actress previously decided to leave the show following the producer’s decision to “go in a different direction.”
The beloved Broadway musical “Funny Girl” centers on a famous Jewish vaudeville star called Fanny Brice. The role was made popular by Barbra Streisand, who outperformed it in the 1960s and again in the 1968 film adaptation. The actress was awarded an Oscar for her performance.
Streisand’s performance was so lauded that when Feldstein took up the role, she was constantly compared to the actress. This resulted in an onslaught of bad reviews, low ticket sales, and a Tony award snub, all heralding her departure.
Beanie Feldstein Was Diagnosed With Tonsillitis
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Feldstein just got diagnosed with tonsillitis and will have to take a step away from her role as Fanny in the “Funny Girl” Broadway show earlier than planned.
She made the announcement of her early departure on Friday in a video posted on Instagram. During the video, Feldstein said, “Hey, everybody, I’m just uh, just checking in. What have I missed? What’s been going on? I’ll start. I just got back from the ear, nose, and throat doctor, who told me that I have tonsillitis, which is extremely contagious.” She further revealed that the doctor advised her against going on stage during the weekend until she had enough antibiotics to nullify the contagion.
The actress carried on, “The last thing I would want on this earth is to get the people that I love sick, and I’m just not allowed to go on stage through the weekend. I cannot wait to do my last two weeks, and you just you gotta laugh at a certain point. When it rains, it pours on your old pal Bean.”
Lea Michele Will Play Fanny
Since Streisand originated Fanny, Feldstein is the first woman to play the role on Broadway. She was originally slated to leave the production in September, but her diagnosis sped up the move. The original scheduling of the shows spanned the July 15 weekend. A rehearsal was set for Friday evening, two the next day and the last on Sunday. Monday was a free day for her to rest and recover.
The “Booksmart” star’s early departure lead to the production announcing Lea Michele as her replacement. There were previous rumors that the actress would take over the role, and they were just confirmed. The former “Glee” star even had her own twist on the “Funny Girl” track, “Don’t Rain on My Parade.”
Feldstein’s final performance as Fanny will be on July 31, after which the actress will depart the role. Her understudy, Julie Benko, will handle the part from August 2 until Michele joins the crew on September 6 to officially begin.
Beanie Feldstein Announced Her Departure
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Feldstein previously announced her departure from “Funny Girl” following the production’s decision to “take the show in a different direction.” During her time in the Broadway production, the actress was snubbed by the Tony Awards, and “Funny Girl” was given a single nomination. She also had to miss several performances due to a COVID diagnosis in June and other reasons yet unspecified.
The “Lady Bird” actress announced the news via her Instagram page, calling the role a “lifelong dream” of hers and that being a part of the production for the past few months was a huge source and joy and “true honor” for her.
The rest of the post read, “Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated. 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.”
Leaving Was A Joint Decision
The “Funny Girl” producers revealed that they weren’t “blindsided” or thrown in for a loop following Feldstein’s announcement of her departure. They said that the decision to end months earlier than the agreed time in September was a mutual decision by the two parties.
The producers and Feldstein’s reps released a joint statement to People Magazine, assuring them that the decision to leave was made “together professionally, respectfully and graciously.” The statement read, “The producers decided to take the show in a different direction and end Beanie’s contract on September 25th, six months earlier than anticipated.”
“A month after that decision, Beanie decided it was best for her to leave on July 31st,” it continued. According to the producers, they knew about the change and were “in support of her decision.”
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