Lea Michele as Fanny - Funny Girl - Page 9

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/9/22 at 2:05pm

YvanEhtNioj said: "I'm confused. How is she reading the scripts.."

Are you 12?

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 9/9/22 at 3:09pm

gibsons2 said: "YvanEhtNioj said: "I'm confused. How is she reading the scripts.."

Are you 12?"

29 :/ Oh laugh a little. geesh. 

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 9/9/22 at 4:02pm

Lea and Tovah on singing and tapping their fanny off in ''Funny Girl''

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmqSD3Qmn4U

[TheatreTeacher88]

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

Yesterday I bought tickets for my partner and I and we could get any together that were less than $750 in the orchestra. I ended up buying two single tickets near each other. Really excited to see this show again with a Fanny who can truly sing the score. 

[Emma_Pillsbury]

Posted: 9/9/22 at 10:22pm

TheatreTeacher88 said: "Yesterday I bought tickets for my partner and I and we could get any together that were less than $750 in the orchestra. I ended up buying two single tickets near each other. Really excited to see this show again with a Fanny who can truly sing the score."

The producers must be over the moon. 

 

[Penna2]

Posted: 9/9/22 at 10:48pm

From everything I've been reading and hearing, it's more than Lea's singing - although that is major. They finally put it all together (another Streisand song thanks to Sondheim) with what appears to be the perfect cast with Lea leading the way. Her energy and understanding of what the show is about seems to be the driving force, she has brought new life to FG - making it entirely new. From my POV, and based on comments by both Ramin and Tovah in their interviews - she identified that FG was a love story (something I always saw it as being and why I always liked Act II, despite the flaws even in the movie). Not one with a happy ending - thus, an Act II that does struggle because love/money/success don't conquer all. Never got that energy from Beanie. Haven't seen Julie (who I have heard on an audio boot and she's wonderful), but I don't believe that has been her focus either. I say this because Ramin, Nicky to all 3 Fannys seemed surprised and pleased at what Lea has brought to the table in this regard (sex) and talked about going deeper into what their relationship was all about. Hurrah!

As someone here said Funny Girl isn't funny. I don't think it was ever meant to be a comedy. Glad the producers came to their senses - in their roundabout fashion. Better late than never. Maybe I'll win the lottery and be able to see it. So far I'm liking the booted songs. I'm not picking up any Streisand.

[inception]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 7:43am

BrodyFosse123 said: "This is the level of a big production number “Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat” should have been instead of that Party City silver spacesuits crap-fest:

On YouTube it says this video was from a 2003 production by American Musical Theatre of San Jose.  Google says Rachel Ulanet played Fanny here.   I get a strong Streisand impersonation here, just from the few line readings at the start of the scene. I can't make out a word when she sings the number. I do very much like the addition they made to the start of the scene showing Eddie working on choreography.   I do not like this number when everyone is dressed in authentic WWI uniforms.  They look like baggy brown potato sacks.  It is supposed to be a big Ziegfeld Follies number, so I very much like fantasy costumes.  Always always always the pants on the chorus boys should be as tight as possible.   (What a blessing that Jerry Zacs very much understands that with his Music Man.)  Feldstein was fantastic in this number.  It may have been the only number where she excelled,  but she was fantastic in it.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 9:08am

FYI, standing room tickets will start being offered on September 27.

[BdwyFan]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 9:23am

Totally sold out last night. There was a long cancellation line as well.  The show is nothing short of amazing with Lea and Tovah!  Bravo all.  

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 9:35am

inception said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Feldstein was fantastic in this number. It may have been the only number where she excelled, but she was fantastic in it."

When I saw Julie, this was the one moment that I found myself missing Beanie.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 10:30am

Saw the show last night, and Lea pretty much knocked it out of the park. As Fanny, her acting is pitch perfect, giving the audience the characterization everyone wanted from the beginning. To me, her performance absolutely uses Barbra as a template, but she infuses with enough of herself to make it not sound like an imitation, mostly. If you listen for it, though, it's there, in her phrasing and pronunciation.

From the clips I'd heard and from now seeing it in person, her vocals aren't perfect, and anyone who says they are obviously isn't listening close enough, but it really doesn't matter. Julie's voice is more solid and dependable, but Lea goes bigger. She swings for the fences, and whatever doesn't quite land is overshadowed by how great her acting is. It also doesn't hurt that the big notes at the end of pretty much every song are drowned out by audience applause, which is extremely annoying, but not unexpected.

Now about the "I haven't read so many books" line. I had heard a clip of the audience response on Tuesday, and I didn't think it was a big deal. Mostly giggles with some scattered laughter. Last night, though? Full-on laughter and whooping that stopped the show for 20 seconds. It was ridiculous, but also f*cking hilarious, and I hope Lea realizes it's all in good fun. The audience loves her, and she has them eating out of the palm of her hand.

All in all, a really fun night at the theatre, and I have to admit that Lea's done it: she's finally made the revival of Funny Girl a must-see event.

 

 

 

Updated On: 9/11/22 at 10:30 AM

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 11:50am

The show (or at least the first act) is miraculously now watchable with Lea's high-wattage performance. I also really enjoyed Tovah. It's interesting: Lea is such a careful actress and makes every choice deliberately, but her singing is much more wild. She's often sharp (or is the abysmal 'pit' flat?), but she really just goes for it on every song and it's pretty stunning to watch.

I think the most unforgivable thing is that Lea is actually much funnier than Beanie ever was. Why was this not the production they opened with?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:03pm

Why was this not the production they opened with?

I will forever wonder that. They learned a very valuable lesson which I hope they always remember. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:15pm

It’s simple: parents and close friends with money and more friends with money…nepotism.

Updated On: 9/10/22 at 12:15 PM

[binau]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:17pm

I wonder if the whole drama and low ball of Beanie and Lea replacing etc has elevated the story/marketing, event and reception of Lea’s performance (ditto Benko). So yes while they probably should have gone with Lea in the first place maybe in the end it has actually all worked out for the best. 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:20pm

Lea is out of both shows today. Early covid symptoms and a test result that wasn’t conclusive. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:22pm

DAMN... That didn't take long. I hope she's okay. 

[binau]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:25pm

God, someone could make a Netflix show out of this revival. 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:26pm

The show has been battling an outbreak for the last week or so. At Lea’s first show there were maybe 8 or 9 covers on. Female swings have been going on for men. Timing is a b*tch. Hopefully Lea is alright. Actors Equity really needs to change the whole out of the show for 10 days protocol. 

Updated On: 9/10/22 at 12:26 PM

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:33pm

How long is Broadway's COVID protocol these days? If she does turn out to be positive today, when is the earliest we could imagine she'd be allowed to return? I think it's five days, right?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:36pm

Actors Equity really needs to change the whole out of the show for 10 days protocol.

Completely agree. I hope Lea recovers quickly and is okay. 

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:50pm

Hope she is ok I have a ticket for the 20th

[TheatreTeacher88]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:52pm

Hopefully if she does have it she isn’t sick for too long. The show needs her financially. Quick recovery!! 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 1:05pm

Equity has been SO SLOW to adapt/change. They haven't even gotten back into in person auditions yet. They'll do in person for callbacks and stuff, but for the most part, it's all very virtual. How we can have Super Bowls, etc, but can't have in person auditions is wild. 

10 days is also something of the past. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 1:13pm

There is the very cynical part of me that wonders if this is a way to get the show back in the headlines for a day or so.