BrodyFosse123 said: "It’s a documented fact that Lainie Kazan was no longer part of FUNNY GIRL immediately after going on for Streisand for those 2 performances on Wednesday February 3, 1965. Early on Tuesday February 2, 1965, Kazan was notified Streisand would be out that night and she would be playing Fanny. Kazan had her agent reach out to all the NY press to let them know. Streisand got news of this and showed up and performed that night. Wednesday morning, Streisand was totally out of it so Kazan would indeed be going on for both performances that Wednesday. Press was alerted, and the rave reviews on Kazan changed her career overnight. She claims she left FUNNY GIRL days later due to the overwhelming amount of offers (including her Colpix Records contract), but those with the show say Streisand was furious and had her fired. Linda Gerard became the new standby but now had a clause in her contract stipulating that she could not notify the press or anyone when she was going on. These are documented facts and not hearsay info."
What I found most interesting about this scenario is that even before Kazan went on for Streisand she and her agents were publicizing the fact that she was Streisand's understudy and there was an article written where it explicitly attributed Kazan wishing and hoping for the day that Streisand could not perform so that she could go on, which is in extremely poor taste and rightfully angered Streisand.
Kazan also started a relationship with the show's musical director Peter Daniels, who had been Streisand's musical accompanist from her early nightclub dates.
Streisand not only had Kazan fired but Daniels as well.
Updated On: 4/23/22 at 03:11 PM