How about no Lea Michele for Funny Girl Revival

Am I only one who doesn't want to see her ruin funny girl? She is such an atypical choice for Fanny. I would rather see Sutton Foster (she might be a bit old though) or maybe Laura Osnes if she could handle the belting. Just not Lea.

You are the only one who started a thread about it today. The other 4-5 threads about this exact topic were started prior to today.

I'm not a big proponent of Lea Michelle as Fanny. I was ok - just - with the idea at first, but her grandstanding "auditioning" and uninspiring performance at the Tony's several years back soured me on it.

However, I don't see why she would in any sense be an "atypical" choice. If anything she's too predictable a choice.

And how would Sutton Foster or, of all people, Laura Osnes, possibly be a more "typical" choice?

Updated On: 7/3/14 at 06:53 AM

I think Lea Michele's parade has passed by. Glee's ratings have sunk sunk sunk. The movie they made at the height of popularity tanked at the box office. I don't think she is a safe choice to guarantee ticket sales. And a studio may have major concerns before agreeing to a production. Of course that doesn't mean it won't happen as a vanity project of Murphy and Michele.
Glee The Movie Box Office

How about no Funny Girl revival? It's not a particularly great show, and if you want a spectacular star-making vehicle for your favorite actress, how about calling for some terrific theatre writers to create a brand new vehicle for them? (You know, like Funny Girl was for Streisand?)

Funny Girl WAS a new vehicle, but it was not "created" for Barbra Streisand. I noted this in another similiar thread. Streisand won the role after several auditions, and was not the first choice or even the second or third; she was hired after Anne Bancroft, Edie Gorme, and Carol Burnette were approached, but for various reasons turned it down. She was also chosen by producer Ray Stark over the strong objections of his wife, Fanny Brice's daughter. "HER play my mother? I wouldn't hire her to play my mother's maid!" After all, at the time Streisand had made an impression in a supporting role in "I Can Get It for You Wholesale" and had a growing cult base as a cabaret singer, but otherwise was not an obvious choice for a starring role on Broadway. But she WAS chosen and the rest, as they say, is theatrical hustory.

Updated On: 7/3/14 at 11:19 AM

I also remember someone on another FUNNY GIRL thread mentioning how Styne supposedly wrote the score in such a way that Anne Bancroft, Carol Burnette, and the slew of other actresses who were considered before Streisand couldn't possibly sing it, in order to have Streisand be the logical choice for the part.
Either way, Michele would be pretty terrible in the role. It'd be OVERDRAMATIC GIRL, or LOOK AT ME GIRL, but not FUNNY GIRL. Mueller would indeed be perfection.

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What brought this thread on? It's just so random....

FUNNY GIRL wasn't conceived for Streisand, but within the two years she campaigned to get the role, she went from an up and coming New York club singer to one of the biggest stars in the country.

Isobel Lennart, who wrote the script for FUNNY GIRL came to the project with little theater experience. The production was notoriously plagued with Jerome Robbins, and Bob Fosse both jumping ship as director and Garson Kanin, who replaced them, being completely inept at putting the pieces together.

Ray Stark begged Jerome Robbins to return to the project, and the goal became to jettison the show to make it about "Barbra" -- and specifically, the story of Barbra's rise to fame that everyone had witnessed over the past two years. Like Brice, Streisand came from obscurity to stardom almost over night despite a personality and appearance that defied convention. Like Brice, Streisand was married to a gambler (Elliot Gould) who resented that her meteoric rise to fame upstaged him. And like Brice, Streisand had emerged a singular, one of a kind talent - incomparable to anyone else.

In other words. FUNNY GIRL, despite its origins as a vehicle for Anne Bancroft or Mary Martin, became singularly and purposefully knitted into and about the legend of Barbra Streisand's rise to stardom.

And its the reason why a revival is problematic, and why Bartlett Sher's concept to star Lauren Ambrose in a take that returned the focus to Fanny Brice likely wouldn't have worked.

I'm in complete agreement that if Lea Michelle were interested in starring in a Broadway show, she would be wise to find someone to write a vehicle especially for her and avoid the trap of FUNNY GIRL.

Lea Michele should not do this. In order for a really good Fanny, she needs to be entirely different from Barbra Streisand's take on the role. It seems that when Lea Michele plays Fanny on Glee, she is trying to do an exact copy (a really bad copy) of what Barbra Streisand did.

"Jeffrey Karasarides you're not the first person to have that idea, either. I think the general consensus in the theater community is that Mueller definitely the favorite, not Michele. But Ryan Murphy has the rights unfortunately."

I know I'm not, but nonetheless, it still sounds like perfect casting!

Omg Lady Gaga would be perfect! I think the main problem with funny girl is the book and finding someone who has enough charisma and star quality. The score is perfect. Fun fact. Lady gaga played Adelaide in her high school production of Guys and Dolls. Jessie Mueller is also a good choice. I personally love funny girl but its mainly because of Barbra's voice.

If we're going to put Jessie Mueller in a revival of a classic show, can it please be My Fair Lady or She Loves me? She played Amalia to great acclaim in Chicago and has expressed interest in playing Eliza in the past.