Lea Michele to Star as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL Starting 9/6; Beanie Feldstein Departing 7/31- Page 15

[TNick926]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:13pm

This will make me come see it again! Perhaps this will finally fix this production as much as is possible apart from better direction and replacing the godawful set, and having an actual full orchestra play the score  as it was intended to be heard. But of course those things can’t change now. 
 

What I do hope we get now with Lea is someone who can do the role of Fanny justice and an actual Jewish mother as her mother! I think they will both be fantastic, and Lea’s chemistry with Ramin will make the romance aspect of the story come alive!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:14pm

RippedMan said: "This the first "uncancelling" we've had right?"

 

Not even remotely. In fact, it's been widely discussed in recent years that the long-term career effects of "cancelling" have proven to be pretty limited. 99% of the people who have been "cancelled" still have a career and a fan base to this day. 

 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:15pm

TOVAH!!!!! Yay!

[latitudex1]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:18pm

ElephantLoveMedley said: "Does anyone know if Lea's plans to join the show on September 6 will jeopardize her upcoming mini-tour this summer? Sounds tricky to rehearse for a massive role while performing in cities that aren't New York three weeks before your debut, though I guess not impossible?

"

Three weeks is the standard rehearsal time for a replacement.

And we all know she knows the score and the script.

Mayer will probably give her stage direction and blocking himself.

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:20pm

JBroadway said: "RippedMan said: "This the first "uncancelling" we've had right?"



Not even remotely. In fact, it's been widely discussed in recent years that the long-term career effects of "cancelling" have proven to be pretty limited. 99% of the people who have been "cancelled" still have a career and a fan base to this day.

"


Very true. Unless you do something incredibly criminal, it’s very hard to actually fully cancel someone. Whether that’s right or wrong… just a fact. 
 

And the question is, should Lea be fully cancelled? Who decides when she is redeemed and can work again, if ever? Has she made real amends or not? (Seems not for some). 
 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:23pm

CarlosAlberto said: "JBroadway said: "RippedMan said: "Ware needs to get over it. She called Michele out on it. Michele addressed and her career did suffer because of it. Does Ware expect that Michele never, ever work again for the rest of her born life for transgressions that happened how many years ago and were already addressed. Seriously?!?!?

Talk about beating dead horses...."

Saying that a person of color should "get over" their very real experience is real gross, so would suggest you take a different tack on that...

However, this speaks to cancel culture as a whole. To what end is a "cancellation" if it doesn't result in the person acknowledging their privilege, misdeeds, etc and growing from them? It so often seems the goal is to ruin the person's life irreparably. Which doesn't actually benefit anyone and closes more minds than it opens. Now, we aren't talking about Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey here. There are very real predators out there that should never see the light of day again. But if our goal is to build a more aware, compassionate, understanding society, then people should be allowed to prove that they've changed. If they haven't, then it's on them. But the internet outrage machine has gotten out of control and things that we should ACTUALLY be outraged about get drowned out because x famous person at some point in their lives said something ignorant years ago.

[latitudex1]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:25pm

CarlosAlberto said: 

Ware needs to get over it. She called Michele out on it. Michele addressed it and her career did suffer because of it. Does Ware expect that Michele never, ever work again for the rest of her natural born life for transgressions that happened how many years ago and were already addressed. Seriously?!?!?

Talk about beating dead horses....

"

Were they addressed, specifically? Did she ever privately apologize? To any one of the dozens of people she terrorized on that set?

Has she been doing any work on herself privately? Any charitable work publically? 

From everyone's perspective, she only went on maternity leave at best. Now she's back and in a better position than what she was in prior to the baby, even.

The only thing she really lost was a couple Instagram ad opportunities.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:29pm

OhHiii said: "CarlosAlberto said: "JBroadway said: "RippedMan said: "Ware needs to get over it. She called Michele out on it. Michele addressed and her career did suffer because of it. Does Ware expect that Michele never, ever work again for the rest of her born life for transgressions that happened how many years ago and were already addressed. Seriously?!?!?

Talk about beating dead horses...."

Saying that a person of color should "get over" their very real experience is real gross, so would suggest you take a different tack on that...

You are absolutely right as a person of color myself I should have taking a different tack on that. What I meant is that Ware needs to get over trying to cancel Michele, not her experience. 

But I do think her belief that Michele should be punished for the rest of her life is not based in reality. 

I agree with all of this that the internet outrage machine has gotten out of control as you cited below: 

However, this speaks to cancel culture as a whole. To what end is a "cancellation" if it doesn't result in the person acknowledging their privilege, misdeeds, etc and growing from them? It so often seems the goal is to ruin the person's life irreparably. Which doesn't actually benefit anyone and closes more minds than it opens. Now, we aren't talking about Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey here. There are very real predators out there that should never see the light of day again. But if our goal is to build a more aware, compassionate, understanding society, then people should be allowed to prove that they've changed. If they haven't, then it's on them. But the internet outrage machine has gotten out of control and things that we should ACTUALLY be outraged about get drowned out because x famous person at some point in their lives said something ignorant years ago."

 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:31pm

What are the chances they take this opportunity to trim the book and cut the trunk songs they added? Are they actually trying to fix the show or just hoping that Lea will sell tickets to the point that the material itself doesn't matter?

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:32pm

This Ware person is coming across as a self-entitled spoiled brat, and she is causing FAR more damage to her own "career" then she could ever hope to cause Michele's.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:35pm

They should cut the additions. Honestly, the original book is better than Harvey's re-writes. And sorry to Ramin, but no one cares about Nick. Take the 8 bars of "Parade" and call it a night.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:37pm

latitudex1 said: "CarlosAlberto said:

Ware needs to get over it. She called Michele out on it. Michele addressed it and her career did suffer because of it. Does Ware expect that Michele never, ever work again for the rest of her natural born life for transgressions that happened how many years ago and were already addressed. Seriously?!?!?

Talk about beating dead horses....

"

Were they addressed, specifically? Did she ever privately apologize? To any one of the dozens of people she terrorized on that set?

Has she been doing any work on herself privately? Any charitable work publically?

From everyone's perspective, she only went on maternity leave at best. Now she's back and in a better position than what she was in prior to the baby, even.

The only thing she really lost was a couple Instagram ad opportunities."

She did acknowledge it publicly and apologized. I don't know if she's apologized directly to those she's had issues with and it's not for me to know or you to know or anyone of us to know either. 

That is between the people she's had problems with, her therapist, her conscious and her God.

She doesn't us owe us anything.  

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:45pm

ElephantLoveMedley said: "Does anyone know if Lea's plans to join the show on September 6 will jeopardize her upcoming mini-tour this summer? Sounds tricky to rehearse for a massive role while performing in cities that aren't New York three weeks before your debut, though I guess not impossible?

"

Lea has reportedly already been rehearsing for about 2 weeks now.  These concert dates will be nice breaks for her as I’m sure she’s semi-ready to hit the stage as Fanny if it had to come to that now.  She’s not staying stagnant from FUNNY GIRL until weeks before her start.  Her work for the show has begun.  

[Robbie2]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:45pm

ElephantLoveMedley said: "Does anyone know if Lea's plans to join the show on September 6 will jeopardize her upcoming mini-tour this summer? Sounds tricky to rehearse for a massive role while performing in cities that aren't New York three weeks before your debut, though I guess not impossible?

"

I heard she start rehearsals this week

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:48pm

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:50pm

I know Lea is notorious for being a hostile co-worker, but are the allegations of racism entirely tired to that "wig" comment?

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:52pm

CarlosAlberto said: "JBroadway said: "Does Ware expect that Michele never, ever work again for the rest of her natural born life for transgressions that happened how many years ago and were already addressed. Seriously?!?!?

Talk about beating dead horses....

"

That is EXACTLY what Ware expects. 

fwiw, I can speak firsthand to Lea's ego being out of control and downright unpleasant, but it always bugged me that she got dragged into the cancellation craze during the BLM movement's emergence in 2020; i believe every word out of Ware's mouth, and sadly I don't think anyone doubts that Michele was horrible to her, but what did that have to do with racism? How did Lea's horrible behavior to everyone around her get turned into racism? 

The REAL irony here, of course, is that people are going to be so loud and vocal about Lea Michele and I just HOPE it leads to protests so that we can actually see people screaming about Lea Michele being, at worst, not a nice person, with the MJ marquee in the background.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:53pm

This is where I hate cancel culture. Nothing Lea has done is actually illegal. She didn't sexually assault someone, or sexually harass them. She didn;t say anything overtly racist. She just sounds like a difficult person, but there's plenty of those in the entertainment community. There's some Broadway legends who behind the scenes are awful to work with, and they still are working.

 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:56pm

People are entitled to their feelings,. Is it going to change anything - not one bit. Will it effect the show's box office, we shall see. 

It is what it is. 

If I personally felt this much vitriol for a person I certainly wouldn't let them effect me to the point that I am wasting my energy going on the internet to trash them cuz in my book they are just not that important. 

Lea Michele is obviously running around rent free in some people's heads. 

[wiggum2]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 4:57pm

Sally Durant Plummer said: "I know Lea is notorious for being a hostile co-worker, but are the allegations of racism entirely tired to that "wig" comment?"

Can someone refresh me on the wig comment and shi**ing in wigs?

[Larry6417]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 5:01pm

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "Never going to work on Broadway again, what a mess"

It's clear that this production is not what Ms. Beanie expected. Bad reviews of the production and bad performance reviews that many times were too kind to Ms Feldstein's performance.

You bring back FUNNY GIRL (finally) and cast Beanie Feldstein??!!??!!

Didn't anyone see her in HELLO DOLLY? A waaaaaaay over-the-top performance, even for a character that is over-the-top. I was so happy when I saw DOLLY a second time and Beanie was out.

It was a poor decision to put an truly "untested" actor in a stage performance of this magnitude.

Lea Michelle having been "passed over" for the original casting is now going to make more $$$$ than if she opened the damn thing. Let's just hope she plays nice in the sandbox. If this doesn't work then neither will she ever again.

 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 5:05pm

God believes in second chances and so should we. 

Unless of course you're an atheist.

..or soulless, or both. 

 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 5:05pm

I agree that although Ware has every right to hate Michele, Ware’s tweet was unnecessary abd did her no favors. By all accounts, Lea Michelle has been an equal opportunity offender for most of her career. The fact that Ware is Black doesn’t make Michelle racist. I mean come on. 

I also believe that people can change, and that Michele will be on her very best behavior from now on since she knows she has to play nice in order to keep working.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 5:08pm

It is a new direction to go with a different kind of leading lady, i.e. someone who is better vocally suited to the score, no?  That's fairly obvious.  Beanie was stating just that but in terms more general and less self-effacing.  I see nothing undiplomatic in her wording.  I read no blame on the production.  In fact, I read nothing other than gentleness and good will in her announcement.  

I'm frankly surprised that she should be criticized for her words.
 

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 5:08pm

Can someone refresh me on the wig comment and shi**ing in wigs?

Didn't Ware say after Lea's BLM post in 2020 that at one point during filming season 6 of Glee that Lea told her she would "**** in her wig?"

That's all I've heard about Michele's alleged racism, but it's a muddy situation. To me it just seems that Michele was caustic and unprofessional to all her co-workers. (Although I was surprised that the podcast with Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz recapping Glee was so effusive about Michelle, even having her as a guest where they seemed very friendly. This was early pandemic and before the BLM stuff).