Lea Michele to Star as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL Starting 9/6; Beanie Feldstein Departing 7/31 — Page 13

my guess, as soon as it was confirmed - Beanie put in the two weeks ASAP to avoid having to even be in the building with LM.   

I also agree it's telling as to why Jane Lynch didn't stay a bit.  No doubt that producers must have tried, bc there is so much marketing that could have been done around a Glee Reunion.  So she must have absolutely not wanted to be there either.

 

TaffyDavenport said: "A lovely message from Julie:

https://www.tiktok.com/@jujujuliebee/video/7119166955881352490"

I feel like no matter how Lea Michelle does or anything else, Julie Benko might be the only one who comes out of this entire mess a winner. She'll be the most sympathetic character in the Ryan Murphy miniseries in 2035 :)

Dames’s notes are all spot on. I’d also ask that “Music That Makes Me Dance” be restored as a simple Follies number. It’s a ravishing song for a skilled singer and currently handled like something in Ken Russell’s Boyfriend movie. 

I took this to mean that the producers intended to announce on Monday that Lea and Tovah would be joining in September, but then Beanie announced on Sunday that she would be leaving on July 31. That's the blindsiding: they expected Beanie to be there until September. At least that's how I read it.

mulligan3 said: "my guess, as soon as it was confirmed - Beanie put in the two weeks ASAP to avoid having to even be in the building with LM.”

That seems to me to the case as well: the producers told Beanie they wanted her to leave September 4 instead of 25 to get Lea Michelle in ASAP, Beanie was upset by this and put in her two weeks notice. I wouldn’t be surprised if the producers had been somewhat hoping she would do this - they clearly wanted her gone and this also saves them some money on buying her out of the rest of her contract. What a sad, embarrassing situation.

 

This is going to sound way overly nitpicky, but the one thing that always made me skeptical about Lea in the role, ever since the GLEE days, is that Fanny's is supposed to kind of be an underdog story. Lea is pretty conventionally gorgeous. Barbra Streisand is super glamorous, of course, but in kind of an unconventional way. Beanie in the role fits with current body positivity movements and has a cute 'girl next door' vibe without necessarily looking like a traditional 'star.'

On the show GLEE, I felt like Rachel was never really portrayed as an underdog-- she was someone who you often rooted against because she felt so entitled to every role, solo, etc. We're supposed to root for Fanny and see her confidence in her talent as endearing and empowering. That confidence can seem cringy if the talent there, but it can also seem obnoxious if the 'underdog' element isn't there. An underdog says, "I have to hype myself up because nobody else will." 

And Ramin will soldier on with those big biceps, thick thighs, and firm abs.

I hope Babs makes it to see Lea.

Wonder if they'll add My Man for Lea? She sang it on Glee and in a tribute event to Barbra. I'm surprised by the number of people doubting her humor capabilities who said they watched Glee honestly. And heck, they should've got Idina in for Mrs. Brice. Why not? 

taragel2 said: "Wonder if they'll add My Man for Lea? She sang it on Glee and in a tribute event to Barbra. I'm surprised by the number of people doubting her humor capabilities who said they watched Glee honestly. And heck, they should've got Idina in for Mrs. Brice. Why not?"

Sweet Christ, I hope not. The amount of time that’ll be added already to what will surely be Tovah’s Shakespearean take on Mrs. Brice will already be adding 20 minutes to an already long show. 

Yes, I’m online today. Yes, I see y’all. Yes, I care. Yes, im affected. Yes, I’m human. Yes, I’m Black. Yes, I was abused. Yes, my dreams were tainted. Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity. Yes, I’m loud. Yes, I’d do it again.

https://twitter.com/sammie_ware/status/1546561221716893696

Wut?

Are these the new "Rain On My Parade" lyrics?