Lea Michele in Funny Girl?

I think she's awesome and so talented. I'd definitely go see her in the show. She can sing all the songs and she's hilarious too, so I say why not! Oh and if Yentl was ever brought to stage (if ever) I'd love to see her belting Piece of Sky.

I think its the wrong type of story for a 'star' to take on. You have to fall in love with Fanny Brice, and root for her. When the actor already has a fan base, it would just be the Lea Michele show -- and damned be the story.


(That being said, I don't particularly care for LM -- although I'd love to sing like her -- and likely would stay away if she were to be cast.)

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"Somewhat proven" and "star" are two entirely different thing. In this day and age, the role could never go to an unknown -- who would take that risk? Also, in this day and age, "star" has an entirely different fanbase than in days of yore.

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Um, by the time FUNNY GIRL opened, Streisand had been nominated for a Tony and had won two Grammy Awards. She had made numerous appearances on the TONIGHT show and headlined at nightclubs (still a big deal then) on both coasts.

The show was carefully tailored to her already well-known public persona. I don't mean the plot is based on her life, but the score, the jokes, etc., all have more to do with Streisand than with Fanny Brice. Audiences who came to see FUNNY GIRL on Broadway knew very well whom they were coming to see and what they were going to get.

So the problem isn't having a star in the part, it's that the part is so carefully tailored to one idiosyncratic and iconic star, it is hard for other actresses not to seem they are doing an imitation.

I think by casting Lauren Ambrose, they were at least trying to break the mold. But maybe it's a mold the public doesn't want broken; in which case, we could do worse than Lea Michelle.

You're welcome, mama. Without necessarily lying about it, I think Streisand has allowed her own legend to be conflated with the first few scenes from FUNNY GIRL. In the past she has told a number of stories about her early struggles, sleeping on couches, etc. (all of which are true as far as I know).

But it is also true that she appeared on the TONIGHT show by the time she was 19, won her first Grammy by 21 and starred in FUNNY GIRL at 22. So her years of poverty and being told she "wasn't pretty enough" were few.