Lea Michele as Fanny - Funny Girl - Page 57

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:19pm

It is absolutely beyond mind-blowing to cast someone that isn't remotely Jewish in the role of Fanny Brice, one of the most canonically Jewish leading lady roles of Broadway history. I could not be more baffled.

Katerina may be the loveliest, most talented person to grace the stage. But the role of Fanny Brice?!? I wholeheartedly agree with the points about anti-Semitism and Jewish erasure that Talia Suskauer raised.

The producers should be ashamed of themselves.

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:20pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "P.P.S. Lea Michele is CATHOLIC, but no one cares because she’s brilliant in the role."

Lea's father is a Sephardic Jew.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:25pm

A.J. said: "Are there any other roles on Broadway where we find it acceptable to limit casting based on the performers’ religious beliefs?"

Being Jewish is not just a religious belief. It's an ethnicity/tribe with a corresponding religion. 

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:31pm

A.J. said: "Are there any other roles on Broadway where we find it acceptable to limit casting based on the performers’ religious beliefs?"

Being Jewish isn't [only] a religious belief. You can have a Jewish identity while not practicing Judaism as a religion at all - you can be a Jewish atheist or a Jewish agnostic or culturally Jewish without being religiously Jewish. It's not the same as, say, casting a Jewish or Muslim person to play a Christian character. And I think there would be an equal or greater backlash to, say, casting a white, American-born Christian to play a Muslim character whose story involves Islamophobia.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:31pm

Bruised egos masquerading as activism. I’m so over it.

P.S. I have Jewish heritage and have ancestors who were killed in the Holocaust, and no this casting is not “harmful.”

P.P.S. Lea Michele is CATHOLIC, but no one cares because she’s brilliant in the role."

And we have a winner! 

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:31pm

ElephantLoveMedley said: "It is absolutely beyond mind-blowing to cast someone that isn't remotely Jewish in the role of Fanny Brice, one of the most canonically Jewish leading lady roles of Broadway history. I could not be more baffled.

Katerina may be the loveliest, most talented person to grace the stage. But the role of Fanny Brice?!? I wholeheartedly agree with the points about anti-Semitism and Jewish erasure that Talia Suskauer raised.

The producers should be ashamed of themselves."

Do you know for certain that Katerina isn’t Jewish or are you just assuming?

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:34pm

Katerina is not Jewish Jorge. Drop it. Everybody knows she's not Jewish. The actresses calling out this casting (at least some of whom know her) would not be calling out this casting if they didn't know she wasn't Jewish. 

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:34pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "P.P.S. Lea Michele is CATHOLIC, but no one cares because she’s brilliant in the role."

Lea has ancestors who died in the holocaust. go **** yourself.

[Tsao5]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:35pm

While I have zero problems with her casting and hope she is great and can count this as a big break for her.......mazel tov on her casting!.........................it seems those always objecting about everything related to casting are NOT in this case, and I hope that is remembered. One does not HAVE to be actually bald to play Daddy Warbucks (though some will object if the actor is not REALLY bald), one does not HAVE to be a practicing witch to play the witch in Into The Woods (though some will object if that actress is not really a practicing witch), one does not HAVE to be gay to play the leads in La Cage Aux Folles (though some will object if the actors are not really gay), one does not HAVE to have suffered any kid of mental health crisis in their lives to play the lead in Next To Normal (though some will object if the actress has not actually suffered some sort of mental health crisis). One does NOT have to be really hunchbacked to play Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (though some will object if the actor is not really hunchbacked).  One does not HAVE to be Jewish to play Fanny (though some will object if the actress is not in fact Jewish).  So, in the future..........when a sephardic Jewish woman is cast in Evita somewhere..................when a thin man (who may or may not be asked to wear some padding) is cast for the role of Nicely Nicely Johnson somewhere....................when a light skinned latino actress is cast in In The Heights somewhere...................when a white woman wants to sing in her concerts songs sung by latino characters from famous musicals..............when a filipino actor is cast as a Japanese sailor in Pacific Overtures somewhere.................those same people who have clutched their pearls SOOOOO tightly over the past 10 years here could (if they choose) remember that allllllllll those actors who they objected to in the past (and we know will in the future) are...........actors.......... ACTORS, not bound by one drawer that some people here or on instaglam seem intent to restricting ONLY as it is relates to themselves. Best of luck to this young actress as she heads out on this show and to hopefully a long career playing any role she wants.  

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:36pm

Call_me_jorge said: "ElephantLoveMedley said: "It is absolutely beyond mind-blowing to cast someone that isn't remotely Jewish in the role of Fanny Brice, one of the most canonically Jewish leading lady roles of Broadway history. I could not be more baffled.

Katerina may be the loveliest, most talented person to grace the stage. But the role of Fanny Brice?!? I wholeheartedly agree with the points about anti-Semitism and Jewish erasure that Talia Suskauer raised.

The producers should be ashamed of themselves."

Do you know for certain that Katerina isn’t Jewish or are you just assuming?"

At this point if Katerina actually was Jewish and this hubbub was for no reason, you would think someone (Katerina herself, someone from the production team, a friend of Katerina's) would have posted something about it, right?

[Penna2]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:38pm

Sutton Ross said: "Bruised egos masquerading as activism. I’m so over it.

P.S. I have Jewish heritage and have ancestors who were killed in the Holocaust, and no this casting is not “harmful.”

P.P.S. Lea Michele is CATHOLIC, but no one cares because she’s brilliant in the role."

And we have a winner!

Lea's father is a Jew and she worked in his Jewish deli as a kid. Yes, she was raised in her mother's faith, but her family background is Jewish as well.

 

[bdn223]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:49pm

Penna2 said: "Sutton Ross said: "Bruised egos masquerading as activism. I’m so over it.

P.S. I have Jewish heritage and have ancestors who were killed in the Holocaust, and no this casting is not “harmful.”

P.P.S. Lea Michele is CATHOLIC, but no one cares because she’s brilliant in the role."

And we have a winner!

Lea's father is a Jew and she worked in his Jewish deli as a kid. Yes, she was raised in her mother's faith, but her family background is Jewish as well.

"

Add to that Lea has Jewish features that she's be criticized for throughout her entire career, had to change her name because it was too Jewish, and has now married a Jewish man and is raising their child Jewish. 

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:51pm

Putting aside whether Katerina should or shouldn't be playing this role, I think this was a horrible position for the production team to put her in. This is her first "big" role and most of the general public, as well as most people within the industry, probably have never heard her name before. The first "public introduction" she's getting to the world isn't as an extremely talented young woman getting her first big break, but as a non-Jewish person who auditioned for and accepted a role that many people think should have gone to someone Jewish. On a day that she and her loved ones should be celebrating booking her first national tour in a very well-known show, instead she is facing serious backlash for taking the role at all. This is a horrible position for her to be in as a young actress making her national tour debut, and the production team should have known better than to put her in this position.

From the conversations had around Lea Michele's casting (where many people were questioning whether she was connected enough to the Jewish community to play this role, among other things), the production team ought to have known that casting a non-Jewish Fanny would lead to backlash both from other actors in the industry and from the community at large, and they should have either prepared their team as well as Katerina for this likelihood (including putting out a press release that pre-empts people's concerns), or they should not have cast her at all.

Updated On: 7/11/23 at 04:51 PM

[mshalo18]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 4:53pm

ElephantLoveMedley said: "The Distinctive Baritone said: "P.P.S. Lea Michele is CATHOLIC, but no one cares because she’s brilliant in the role."

Lea's father is a Sephardic Jew."

In addition, her husband is Jewish, and they were married under a chuppah.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 5:28pm

jkcohen626 said: "A.J. said: "Are there any other roles on Broadway where we find it acceptable to limit casting based on the performers’ religious beliefs?"

Being Jewish is not just a religious belief. It's an ethnicity/tribe with a corresponding religion."

But say someone is white/blue eye/blonde haired, but was adopted and raised Jewish. Are they then able to play Fanny? Or is that a barometer on how Jewish one should be?

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 5:36pm

RippedMan said: "jkcohen626 said: "A.J. said: "Are there any other roles on Broadway where we find it acceptable to limit casting based on the performers’ religious beliefs?"

Being Jewish is not just a religious belief. It's an ethnicity/tribe with a corresponding religion."

But say someone is white/blue eye/blonde haired, but was adopted and raised Jewish. Are they then able to play Fanny? Or is that a barometer on how Jewish one should be?"

As a Jewish person, in my opinion if someone is adopted and raised Jewish, then they are Jewish and can play Jewish roles if they choose. Also lots of Jewish people have blonde hair and blue eyes, which I think goes exactly to the point of this thread re the importance of Jews not being stereotyped. My cousin (with two Jewish parents and four Jewish grandparents) has blonde hair and blue eyes and does not look “stereotypically Jewish.” I also have several friends who are blonde haired blue eyed Jews, and a little sister who is half Jewish and has very dark skin. I also went to school with a girl who was Black and Jewish (Ethiopian), and I have another friend who is an Indian Jew. Jews can have any hair colour, any eye colour, and any shade of skin, and still be Jewish.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 5:46pm

Totally agree with you. 

But I also don't think they can legally - nor should they - ask your religious beliefs in an audition room.

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 6:32pm

RippedMan said: "Totally agree with you.

But I also don't think they can legally - nor should they - ask your religious beliefs in an audition room."

indeed - although casting teams should do their due diligence when hiring people. and they did, i suppose. they included a note for casting Fanny, Emma, and Rose, which read (paraphrasing): specifically looking for actors of Jewish descent for (these) role(s). 

it's unfortunate, but about 85% of the blame here is on Katerina McCrimmon and her team for not only auditioning for, but accepting this role. it's very opportunistic, extremely telling of her character, and (in my opinion) completely deplorable. this is not a role for her, and by auditioning and accepting it, she is taking the chance to tell this story away from so many young Jewish artists who can accurately tell and access this story as it was intended to be accessed. her playing this role is a complete mockery to every Jewish artist who had to change their name (Fanny herself, Lea Michele) and hide who they were just to be safe in the world.

also, for what it's worth, i think a lot of people have challenges grasping just exactly why non-Jewish Fanny's in Funny Girl illicit such a reaction from Jewish people (and ally's, i suppose) - Fanny's entire career was based on repurposing antisemitic tropes, flipping them on their head, and presenting it back to the audience. when Lea walks out on that stage with a mustache, a Yiddish accent, and bagels on her waist, you understand what that means for her and for Fanny. you understand why Fanny was such a genuine star in her time. and you understand the loss of safety she experiences every time she chooses to do her Yiddish schtick on stage. and to have someone not Jewish singing "and my bagels gave a spin - oy, yoy" - it's in poor taste. it takes the joke away from us (Jewish people) and makes it an offensive, stereotypical caricature. she shouldn't be playing this role.

if there is a character in a show who's Jewish but that identify has no bearing on the actual story being told, or their circumstances (Mark Cohen in Rent being a wonderful example), i don't really care if someone non-Jewish plays them. but if i'm seeing Fiddler, or Cabaret, or Funny Girl, or Parade, i want to see someone who understands the gravity of these situations they're in. i want to see someone who understands them first hand. i don't want to see a non-Jewish Leo Frank recite the Sh'ma before a senseless act of antisemitism is played out on stage that ends in his death. and i sure as hell don't wanna see a non-Jewish Fanny Brice spinning bagels around in a Yiddish accent. we should be able to tell our own stories.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 6:35pm

Why is it her fault when the casting team brought her in, the director cast her, the producers all saw her and agreed she's right for the part...she's an actress taking a high profile, well paying gig.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 6:37pm

it's unfortunate, but about 85% of the blame here is on Katerina McCrimmon and her team

NOPE.

And if anyone here is openly threatening or harassing a woman for simply taking a job? You're garbage and I sincerely hope you get arrested. 

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 6:45pm

RippedMan said: "Totally agree with you.

But I also don't think they can legally - nor should they - ask your religious beliefs in an audition room."

True - nor can they legally ask about someone’s race or whether they are Indigenous or not. However, I think a lot of the people (not on this board specifically, but in general) who are saying, “It’s complicated,” re a non-Jewish actress playing Fanny Brice would have a very different reaction to a non-Indigenous person playing an Indigenous character - even though like many Jews, many Indigenous people are “white passing.” Even though a casting director can’t ask if a person was Indigenous, I think they’d face a huge backlash for hiring a non-Indigenous actor to play an Indigenous character. So whatever safeguards they’re using to prevent that kind of circumstance also should have been used here.

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 6:48pm

well y'all fought really hard on this board a year ago saying that Beanie accepting the role was 100% her fault - at least her casting was authentic.

but sure, the grown ass adult actor who has a broadway credit under her belt and just got done doing Piazza at Encores not a month ago definitely needs to be defended for accepting a role that isn't hers to play. go off, babes!! defend your diva.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 6:50pm

RippedMan said: "Why is it her fault when the casting team brought her in, the director cast her, the producers all saw her and agreed she's right for the part...she's an actress taking a high profile, well paying gig."

If she's not Jewish, and it explicitly said in the casting breakdown "seeking Jewish actor* , that's okay? Every single person involved said it's okay that she's not Jewish. Every singe person put aside the fact that Fanny is inherently a Jewish icon first, they essentially said "oh it doesn't matter, she doesn't actually have to be Jewish". Why is it so okay to push aside Jewish actors? Anti-semitism is so high right now and in casting someone who isn't Jewish, they're not helping that at all. Not in the slightest. 

[Penna2]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 6:51pm

Sutton Ross said: "it's unfortunate, but about 85% of the blame here is on Katerina McCrimmon and her team

NOPE.

And if anyone here is openly threatening or harassing a woman for simply taking a job? You're garbage and I sincerely hope you get arrested."

No one is harassing her for taking a job she should have had the better sense and understanding not to have auditioned for in the first place. Maybe none of her team could read. They specifically put out the call for Jewish actresses or at least noted that was the preference. I don't care how great she was in the audition she shouldn't have been there. Period. As for the producers, the originals cast Beanie. So, seems like both sets of producers lack common sense if nothing else. The show is cursed and not by some devil - by ignorant people trying to put it on.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 7/11/23 at 7:01pm

I’m so tired of these “only ___ people can play ____ roles” arguments. Half of it is because it defeats the whole purpose of acting (we’ve had amazing performances come out of people who aren’t exactly ‘true to character&rsquo and for a board that loves to bring of nepotism every now and then, I’m not sure how this stance is helping. Someone earlier literally said that Beanie’s casting made sense because she’s Jewish. If you’d rather have a mediocre performances for the sake of…I don’t know, a Playbill bio? Representation (thats already been crafted into the damn show itself)? 

Sure, let’s not go for whoever is best for the role. Let’s just go with whatever person matches the character’s background as close as humanly possible, the actual performance itself be damned. We’ll see how that fairs for our industry. 

You guys really think these casting agents have ten years to sit around and cast a damn show with a long running list of perfect people that they overlooked for a non-Jew making their leading debut. Do you even hear yourselves? It’s absurd.