Lea Michele as Fanny - Funny Girl - Page 13

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 11:59pm

So many thoughts and questions about this one:

1) That audience is clearly there for Lea. Let the girl finish a freaking song before you start applauding so ferociously! Aren’t you there because you want to HEAR her?

2) I detested the pacing of this. After an entire act, you rush through the number that everyone’s been waiting for?! Cut something else and let us revel in that moment.

3) Nicky Arnstein’s Luck Be a Lady moment?! No. Ramin is many things, but a dancer he ain’t.

4) That set? Hideous. Worst thing about the show.

5) I want to hug Jared Grimes. 

6) Tovah was good, but not great. Something felt off.

7) The card playing kibbitzing ladies were my favorites.

8) Was I watching Lea Michele do Barbra, Lea Michele do Fanny, or Lea Michele doing Rachel Berry doing one of those ladies? There were a lot of layers to unpack.

I had no interest before, but I felt like between the Beanie drama and the Lea hullabaloo, I had to see it with my own eyes. Glad I did. 

[Emma_Pillsbury]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 7:55am

Lea looks beautiful in those photos. The side profile homage to Streisand is my favorite. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 8:23am

Really curious to see the show's grosses for this week with Michele back.

[cjmclaughlin10]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 9:49am

She is a guest on Drew Barrymore today. Does this mean she is out of the matinee?  Currently headed into NYC and will be super upset if I travel for hours and she’s doing a TV appearance 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 9:59am

cjmclaughlin10 said: "She is a guest on Drew Barrymore today. Does this mean she is out of the matinee? Currently headed into NYC and will be super upset if I travel for hours and she’s doing a TV appearance"

It's a recorded segment, taped on the August Wilson stage.

https://twitter.com/DrewBarrymoreTV/status/1572349996300730373

Updated On: 9/21/22 at 09:59 AM

[soxboy22]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 10:06am

Watching her on Drew now. Sounds very interesting.  Doesn't seem she’ll sing.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 3:49pm

'The Drew Barrymore Show': Lea on her 1st 'Funny Girl' & a fateful phone call 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfEkQm2iQAo

Updated On: 9/21/22 at 03:49 PM

[Penna2]

Posted: 9/22/22 at 5:14pm

Tears and chills. She nailed it. I've never seen her perform before but have been listening to some audios from the show and I am so impressed with her interpretation of the character, particularly now in this song - anger, hurt, loss, desire. She talked about drawing from her life, and you can see it here in her acting. Thanks for posting. I hope this blogger will catch some other numbers: Who Are You Now? maybe.

 

Updated On: 9/22/22 at 05:14 PM

[The Pesky Pescatarian]

Posted: 9/22/22 at 8:26pm

Here's a really great podcast interview with Lea on playing Fanny and being in the show.

 

Broadway Show Uncut

[gypsy101]

Posted: 9/23/22 at 2:12pm

Seb28 said: "Has anyone noticed that Lea sings her songs in this show in a lower key?

I thought she was great, actually the best Fanny in this production so far, but the other girls including Julie Benko sing it in a higher key. I thought that is quite interesting and I did not expect that to be needed for Lea."

this made me curious about Lea's keys vs. Barbra's so I checked: Lea Michele sings Who Are You Now, I'm the Greatest Star, Cornet Man, People, You Are Woman, Don't Rain On My Parade, Sadie Sadie and the finale in the keys shown in the original vocal score; she sings The Music That Makes Me Dance down a half step; the title song from the film is sang down a whole step. however, Barbra's keys for You Are Woman and Don't Rain on My Parade (on the OBCR) are a half-step higher than in the vocal score. [note: despite my best efforts i'm not sure about Lea's keys for His Love Makes Me Beautiful, I Want to Be Seen With You or Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat]

the topic of the keys reminded me that Barbara Cook once played Fanny back in the 60s, I wish I could hear her sing the songs. she only ever recorded Who Are You Now (at her 75 carnegie concert) which is up 2 and a half steps, i wonder what her other keys were like (though i guess her concert arrangement could have been transposed from when she played the part)

[Penna2]

Posted: 9/23/22 at 8:50pm

gypsy101 said: "Seb28 said: "Has anyone noticed that Lea sings her songs in this show in a lower key?

I thought she was great, actually the best Fanny in this production so far, but the other girls including Julie Benko sing it in a higher key. I thought that is quite interesting and I did not expect that to be needed for Lea."

this made me curious about Lea's keys vs. Barbra's so I checked: Lea Michele sings Who Are You Now, I'm the Greatest Star, Cornet Man, People, You Are Woman, Don't Rain On My Parade, Sadie Sadie and the finale in the keys shown in the original vocal score; she sings The Music That Makes Me Dance down a half step; the title song from the film is sang down a whole step. however, Barbra's keys for You Are Woman and Don't Rain on My Parade (on the OBCR) are a half-step higher than in the vocal score. [note: despite my best efforts i'm not sure about Lea's keys for His Love Makes Me Beautiful, I Want to Be Seen With You or Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat]

the topic of the keys reminded me that Barbara Cook once played Fanny back in the 60s, I wish I could hear her sing the songs. she only ever recorded Who Are You Now (at her 75 carnegie concert) which is up2 and a half steps, i wonder what her other keys were like (though i guess her concert arrangement could have been transposed from when she played the part)"

What a great piece of research. When I saw how the key was lowered slightly for TMTMMD and FG it reminded me of an interview I saw with Sierra Boggess talking about The Little Mermaid and how they raised the key (I assume this was after she was cast) to make her sound younger. I wonder if the choice was made not only because Fanny is older, but to emphasize the heaviness/darkness she was feeling. Lowering the key in these songs would make the finale seem higher and brighter when in the written key. 

Trying to figure out how to see the show with Lea - so much of what I hear in her interviews is her perception of the show is what I always believed it to be. In any event, I am enjoying the audios on YouTube - as well as the one video of TMTMMD. She really has captured Fanny IMO.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 9/23/22 at 9:26pm

The video of Lea's  "Music That Makes Me Dance" is thrilling. She nails it. As someone said above me, tears and chills. That is a Broadway MOMENT.

That being said, what a hideous costume. That coat is so oversized on her. I saw her in the show and I didn't even notice how bad this look was. Guess her phenomenal performance distracted me from it.

Updated On: 9/23/22 at 09:26 PM

[The Pesky Pescatarian]

Posted: 9/24/22 at 3:45pm

I'm The Greatest Star being filmed?

[Penna2]

Posted: 9/24/22 at 4:40pm

The Pesky Pescatarian said: "I'm The Greatest Star being filmed?"

Can't access - says the link is broken.

[BwayinVan]

Posted: 9/24/22 at 5:17pm

So I just got back from the matinee today and all I can say is Holy Crap is Lea Michele unbelievable. I know her past actions caused some to sour on her but one thing is undeniable and that is she is insanely talented and Broadway and Funny Girl are lucky to have her. I knew she could sing but didn’t realize how good her comedic timing was. I was in the second row on the far right so got to see all her little nuances up close. Having never seen the show before I didn’t really know what to expect but I’m so glad I went. The whole cast were great and the tap dancing was amazing but Fanny Brice is the star and I can see how the show would struggle if the lead wasn’t strong. 
 

I think Lea Michele would have snagged a Tony award or at the very least a nomination if she had originated the role you could see the joy on her face at the end as she appeared genuinely appreciative for the love she was receiving from the audience. 
 

I have to thank these message boards because it was the early reviews of her performance that caused me to buy a ticket and man am I happy I did. 

[singer234]

Posted: 9/24/22 at 5:54pm

Also at the matinee today-just an astonishing performance. It’s incredibly clear that what the show needs is star quality. You need a Fanny who believes and knows that the end of the day, she writes the checks. Wow wow wow. Lea also gave you a vocal performance so unlike anything in recent MT history. Stunning and clear with no presumption. 

[The Pesky Pescatarian]

Posted: 9/24/22 at 7:25pm

Penna2 said: "The Pesky Pescatarian said: "I'm The Greatest Star being filmed?"

Can't access - says the link is broken. "

Sorry! I went back to find the post on Instagram and it was gone! That thing got wiped fast. But I did find this screenshot of it on Twitter. 

Theater Mania interview with Lea and Tovah.

 

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 9/27/22 at 3:50am

I've asked this before, but it was before she started and now there seems to be genuine demand. How likely do we think a cast album would be for Lea and Tovah, et all? I can't stop seeing people mention how much they want it - myself included. It seems like the key art would translate nicely into cast album art. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/28/22 at 2:57pm

The bootleg video of Lea singing TMTMMD has been up for almost a week and has 33K views on YouTube, making it very clear that the production not only doesn't care, but also wants people to see it. 

[MsPiety&Rectitude]

Posted: 9/28/22 at 3:49pm

CindersGolightly said: "I've asked this before, but it was before she started and now there seems to be genuine demand. How likely do we think a cast album would be for Lea and Tovah, et all? I can't stop seeing people mention how much they want it - myself included. It seems like the key art would translate nicely into cast album art."

Came here to ask the same thing. I saw Lea last night and WOW, everything I hoped for and more. I've been listening to Youtube bootlegs of her all day today and really hoping for a cast recording with her. 

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 9/28/22 at 4:12pm

Of course they'll do a cast album now.  Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they lobby for an honorary Tony Award.  The producers are gonna milk this sudden change in fortune for all its worth, as they should. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/28/22 at 4:16pm

Looks like the “revisiting” review embargo has been lifted. Here are Peter Marks’s thoughts: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/theater-dance/2022/09/28/lea-michele-funny-girl/

[barcelona20]

Posted: 9/28/22 at 4:26pm

All these reviews are going to compare Lea to Beanie.  I hope Julie will get some recognition for her stellar performance.

[Phillyguy]

Posted: 9/28/22 at 5:27pm

barcelona20 said: "All these reviews are going to compare Lea to Beanie. I hope Julie will get some recognition for her stellar performance."

She’s already gotten way more recognition than a typical standby/alternative, including a NYT profile! 
 

Lea Michele is the leading actress now so of course all the reviews are about her 

[The Pesky Pescatarian]

Posted: 9/28/22 at 6:40pm

This morning I noticed the Funny Girl Twitter and Instagram started using a pull quote from the Daily Beast. But that review was from Lea and Tovah's first show. Thought it was odd.

After years of being pretty meh on Funny Girl(movie, I think I was shocked a few years ago to realize it was a stage show first), I've come to love The Music That Makes Me Dance and I think Coronet Man is a bop! I'd love a cast recording, but I just don't think it will be happening. 

Lea's extended interview on The Broadway Show.