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

Penna2 said: "Serious question re: Lea and Beanie -

Are there real bad feelings between them? I am completely out of the loop with TV gossip. As mentioned before had no idea who either of them were before FG. I can understand Lea being upset about not being cast initially, but why would she be upset with Beanie? Same with Beanie. You can't blame someone else for achieving something you want for yourself (well, you can).

They just seem so very different for their paths to cross to create a feud seems odd to me."

This was weeks before FUNNY GIRL previews started.

BroadwayGirl107 said: "TaffyDavenport said: "When you try to tell them that barely anyone ever mentioned her weight, they claim it's an unconscious bias. There's no way to win with the woke mob."

Unconscious bias literally means people are not conscious of the bias, so no, it would not be mentioned."

Please, I'm not stupid.

Beanie being a plus-sized actress made me root for her to succeed and I think this was the case with a lot of people. It's just that the voice and acting chops required for the role weren't really there. She was way too cutesy and her voice wasn't up to the score.

Anyone who suggests that Beanie's performance wasn't well-liked because of her weight is being ridiculous.

i definitely agree she wasn't fat shamed. unfair to malign her haters with that.

but different analysis re did her weight play a role in the delusional hostility towards her. yes SOME of you have been reasoned, simply stating she was miscast. MANY of you have gone well beyond that, somehow being angry AT HER for being miscast, being furious she had pre-arranged missed shows, being livid at a situation that amounts to NO MORE THAN "i dont really like whats she doing in the role."

and to be fair some of you have been pretty transparent about why: shes entitled, spoiled, "wealthy." She doesnt deserve this opportunity the way others do! It was her rich parents! There's a certain sense of "how dare she!" that has permeated this discussion/mob from the jump. How many times have I read here that she arranged to miss a show "to go to a wedding in the Hamptons!" as if the Hamptons location makes it somehow outrageous. Just unhinged levels of rage and criticism that I havent seen directed at anyone else on Broadway, and if you tell me she is giving the worst performance on a Broadway stage in the past 5 years, you're just lying to yourself.

is part of the "SHE DOESNT DESERVE THIS!" attitude about her weight? I would think so. Unconsciously, to be sure. But this idea that she didnt *earn* this (she was hand picked by the director overseeing the property!) as if weve never seen producers bank on celebrity to create a product before. Yeah, i think her non-traditional size is a part of that.

i agree, and im not accusing anyone of anything. i dont know whats in your head and look fwd to the day when our society stops spending so much time trying to guess whats in your head.

but i can speculate about what is driving a hostile reaction. maybe it isnt her weight, as some have casually admitted, its her "rich wealthy background" that really gets them. but there is a feeling that she didnt earn this, didnt deserve this, that goes well beyond her Vanessa Bayer ish vocals.

You weren’t accusing and you don’t know what people are thinking, you were just speculating. Got it.


Seems like the simplest answer here could be best: an unqualified performer somehow was cast in one of the most iconic musical theater roles in a production of a show that has never been revived. And people understandably kind of want to know how the **** we got here, what the explanation is for such a failure.

I expect the actor who portrays Fanny Brice to actually resemble Fanny Brice in some basic way. Barbra looks like Fanny. Julie looks like Fanny. Lea looks like Fanny. Beanie looks like........?

The curtain call photo posted above of Beanie and Jane Lynch embracing immediately makes me think that even Jane looks more like Fanny than does Beanie. They should have switched roles.

Updated On: 7/14/22 at 10:59 AM

Highland Guy said: "I expect the actor who portrays Fanny Brice to actually resemble Fanny Brice in some basic way. Barbra looks like Fanny. Julie looks like Fanny. Lea looks like Fanny. Beanie looks like........?

The curtain call photo posted above of Beanie and Jane Lynch embracing immediately makes me think that even Jane looks more like Fanny than does Beanie. They should have switched roles."

Because Babs looked so much like Fanny Brice with her 60's hair lol.

I don't think the actress playing Fanny Brice has to look like the real Fanny Brice.

BroadwayGirl107 said: "What’s important is that she is very Jewish looking and not traditionally “beautiful”."

Jewish looking? Please tell us what that would be.

Streisand’s 60s Fanny was an obvious creative decision to not disconnect the Streisand personality for the audience. Only a handful of her costumes were indeed period costumes but the rest were contemporary 60s wardrobe evoking period, most notably her iconic Cleopatra eyeliner, long nails, and 60s pageboy hairdo. You saw present-day Barbra on that Winter Garden stage. The film’s 2nd Act is sheer 60s Streisand in its full glory. Never in her life did Fanny Brice sport a short asymmetrical Vidal Sassoon peek-a-boo hairstyle.

WestEndGal said: "Being a theater fan used to be fun and exciting, and inclusive. Now it feels anything but. It’s tiring."

Honey, this is the best BroadwayWorld has been in years. You can delete the snarky comments, ban relevant gossip, even force a blackout on topics most fans of Broadway would be interested in discussing, but you can't stop theatre queens from bitching. And that's why this thread is so good.

Never in her life did Fanny Brice sport a short asymmetrical Vidal Sassoon peek-a-boo hairstyle. "

I simply could not enjoy a sentence more.