FUNNY GIRL on Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 89

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 2:44pm

dramamama611 said: "I don't think we know for sure. With only one performance nod.....certainly not guaranteed."

ON YOUR FEET! also only received 1 Tony nomination (Sergio Trujillo for Best Choreography) and they performed a full medley with Gloria Estefan.  

[Grief]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 2:47pm

Julie has just posted that she's going on tonight and isn't sure about anything beyond that. I guess she hasn't been given official word?

[latitudex1]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 2:54pm

He replied said: "Here’s a thought: the management supports Feldstein’s performance and aren’t sneakily trying to pull a Celeste Holm country trip to showcase Benko. It’s Tuesday. Plenty of time for Feldstein to recover.


And if she doesn’t rapidly recover - absolutely zero chance Benko will perform at Tonys if there is a performance. It would be an incredibly unsupportive act to their chosen star. And frankly, which star with an ounce of dignity would allow such an unkind act?


If Feldstein remains ill -Karminloo performs. Feldstein doesn’t look bad. Karminloo (talented, pretty, respected) is showcased helping ticket sales.
"

Hopefully, they were going with Grimes' tap number anyways.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 3:03pm

Grimes has a dance break moment before “Cornet Man.” He has no dance number.  It’s a random scene transition break between him and the audience.  

[Penna2]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 4:22pm

He replied said: "Here’s a thought: the management supports Feldstein’s performance and aren’t sneakily trying to pull a Celeste Holm country trip to showcase Benko. It’s Tuesday. Plenty of time for Feldstein to recover.


And if she doesn’t rapidly recover - absolutely zero chance Benko will perform at Tonys if there is a performance. It would be an incredibly unsupportive act to their chosen star. And frankly, which star with an ounce of dignity would allow such an unkind act?


If Feldstein remains ill -Karminloo performs. Feldstein doesn’t look bad. Karminloo (talented, pretty, respected) is showcased helping ticket sales.
"

LOL! Re: Holm.

Ramin was out for 10 days, I was under the impression that was the minimum and he didn't even test positive, just inconclusive (according to his IG).

You make a good point about the producers being gracious. Wouldn't mind it a bit if Ramin performed People.

[Peter C Yeager]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 7:03pm

From the musical's official website today (funnygirlonbroadway.com):  

"Unfortunately Beanie has tested positive for COVID and as result will be away from the show starting Tuesday June 7th for a brief period to rest and recover. She is doing well, and we cannot wait to welcome her back. While she is away, the fabulous Julie Benko will take the reins as Fanny Brice.

"We can confirm that all of our other principals remain scheduled to perform all eight (8) performances a week barring an unforeseen absence."

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 7:12pm

Feldstein’s Covid absence tracks with stars for the season, and isn’t an outlier. But it does come after a set of call outs beyond the contractual. I saw the full company last Wednesday afternoon and an usher said it was the first week with everyone back in a while. One can imagine that Benko’s word of mouth will only help this week. The show was on TKTS all eight performances last week - where I got my seat - so it’s already playing to discounts. Yet though it slightly dropped, still a moderate hit by any yardstick. The grosses next week will reveal new info on the star’s impact. 

 

Updated On: 6/7/22 at 07:12 PM

[Penna2]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 9:56pm

funnygirlbwy IG has Julie introducing herself. Cute as a button. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 10:35pm

Penna2 said: "funnygirlbwy IG has Julie introducing herself. Cute as a button."

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cehj_4eO7YP/

[Peter C Yeager]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 11:45pm

Julie now notes that she will be playing FB through this coming Sunday, June 12.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 11:52pm

Julie Benko confirmed on social media that Funny Girl will NOT be performing at the Tony Awards. 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 12:08am

Julie Benko also confirmed that Beanie being moved to a 6 show week was only a rumor and that she did not perform at all last week. 

[Penna2]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 12:14am

Sounds like they need to start paying Julie to be their Public Relations person in addition to standby for Beanie.

[bear88]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 1:52am

OK, quick question.

My daughter is in NYC this week. She had originally planned to see Funny Girl but read too many negative reviews and comments. A lot of the criticism I've seen of the show hasn't just been of Beanie Feldstein but of the show itself. Is this still a shaky revial of a deeply flawed musical or does Julie Benko suddenly transform it into something worth seeing when there are some other good options to choose from?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 7:35am

I saw it with Beanie - and, no matter how wonderful Benko may be, I just can't bring myself to sit through it a second time.  Most here will tell you it's a different show with Benko all around - but I'm not willing to find out.

 

Is she seeing Girl from North Country?  That might be worth taking a look at.  Or Off Bway Little Shop?

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 8:15am

A friend saw Beanie and the full cast after Opening Night and saw Benko last night and said it wasn’t even the same show.  Having an unknown playing the lead instantly took you out of preset expectations so you were on board with her from her entrance.  He said with Beanie you knew it was Beanie so you were watching everything she was doing instead of submerging yourself.  Ramin and Benko truly were believable in the romantic department so their back-n-forth (his pursuit/her resistance) sparked.  Vocally Benko has the pipes, so the songs were showcased and he said her goofiness and self-deprecating humor felt organic whereas Beanie’s facial muggings and eyes bugging felt forced.  He also added that the cast was REALLY giving it extra, even at the curtain call he noticed everyone was alongside Benko.  He remembered Beanie was pretty much by herself during the curtain call.  

He went on a date so he was thrilled to revisit FUNNY GIRL again and seeing Benko, something he wasn’t ever considering revisiting.  

[Penna2]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 8:48am

I wish I could see it with Julie. Another trip cross-country is beyond my means. I heard her singing on some bootlegged audios and her voice is wonderful and I can only imagine how great she sounds with Ramin. Your daughter will be getting two great voices! Even the short clips you see of them together reflect the chemistry that is present between them - which was one of the biggest problems in making the show work. Overall, just my general impression of her as an artist and person is she completely different from Beanie - it's not about her, but the material. Strong background in theater, but also admires and respects Fanny - so her performance is in honor of her and as well as her own Jewish heritage. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 9:02am

BrodyFossee's post brings up what I was reluctant to discuss after seeing the show with Feldstein last week: her comic take bothered me more than her much-debated vocals. (I find her head voice/upper register rather pretty, and nothing to apologize for, in and of itself.) I found the characterization too clowny, and not in the Brice sense, and lacking needed sophistication when incorporated into her scenes with Nick. Just tonally off.  She works hard to suggest Brice was an amalgam of traits, a comedienne who sang, a woman whose self-deprecatory humor disarmed on stage and off. But the work isn't seamless, and I could feel a calculated push -- that odd cackle, off-putting -- to give us this much-heralded "accentuating the comedy" take on Brice.

I posted that I wish Mayer had reined in the overkill in the comedy -- which is often presentational even in straight books scenes -- and some pointed out that Benko doesn't have the issue, serving the same staging. So per BrodyFosse's latest report, I leave it there. I think reservations among many of us aren't necessarily about power notes in "Parade." The show has issues (that thud of a reprise-laden second act), and this production's problem is an overreliance on shtick when simply relaxing into the narrative might serve. Leave the high comedy bits to the Ziegfeld numbers and -- what Benko apparently does -- show us the evolving woman. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 12:16pm

Current casting alert notice on SeatGeek:

"For this performance of Funny Girl, Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ramin Karimloo, Tony Award nominee Jared Grimes, and five-time Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch are currently scheduled to perform. However, due to a positive COVID test result, the role of Fanny Brice usually played by Beanie Feldstein will be played by BroadwayWorld nominee Julie Benko."

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 12:41pm

TaffyDavenport said: "Current casting alert notice on SeatGeek:

"For this performance of Funny Girl, Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ramin Karimloo, Tony Award nominee Jared Grimes, and five-time Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch are currently scheduled to perform. However, due to a positive COVID test result, the role of Fanny Brice usually played by Beanie Feldstein will be played by BroadwayWorld nominee Julie Benko.""

 

It would help if you mentioned which performance(s) this applies to?

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 12:55pm

JSquared2 said: "TaffyDavenport said: "Current casting alert notice on SeatGeek:

"For this performance of Funny Girl, Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ramin Karimloo, Tony Award nominee Jared Grimes, and five-time Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch are currently scheduled to perform. However, due to a positive COVID test result, the role of Fanny Brice usually played by Beanie Feldstein will be played by BroadwayWorld nominee Julie Benko.""


It would help if you mentioned which performance(s) this applies to?"

This cast notice is on every performance from today thru next Wednesday June 15 (both performances).  Thursday June 16 there is no cast notice so Beanie is expected to resume that night.  

[Grief]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 1:16pm

Interesting – Julie has only announced her performances through Sunday, right?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 1:26pm

so far

[Penna2]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 5:47pm

Updated On: 6/8/22 at 05:47 PM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/8/22 at 6:39pm

Posted by Julie Benko:

"So barring any catastrophe (anything can happen in the theater!) I'm officially on now through June 15th!"