Lea Michele to Star as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL Starting 9/6; Beanie Feldstein Departing 7/31- Page 53

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 8/10/22 at 9:42am

If I got a ticket for late September, so you think I’d be safe in seeing Lea? I have seen Julie and she’s incredible but I can’t shake the feeling that I really want to see Lea. I’m thinking either the 27th or 28th? 

[OceansJenny]

Posted: 8/10/22 at 10:45am

Have tickets for the last weekend of Aug (Julie’s original announced weekend before all the fiasco), was looking forward to seeing Lynch. What is with this production? Will take solace in that Liz will likely be better.

[smallvillefan16]

Posted: 8/10/22 at 5:45pm

This might be a stupid question but is there a reason this production didn't incorporate the improvements from the film?  I've seen numerous productions of Grease that manage to combine the original show as well as the more famous film version.  I just do not understand why they chose to go back to a lackluster book that was fixed in the film. 

[broadway86]

Posted: 8/11/22 at 3:00pm

Finally saw the show last night. Decent production, rather drab in act 2, but with some very bright spots throughout, namely Julie Benko. I had heard she was excellent, but I was not expecting a star turn this hilarious, finely tuned, and goosebumps-inducing.

Jeremiah James (on for Nick Arnstein) and Jared Grimes were also excellent. Jane Lynch had some enjoyable moments, but seemed to be phoning it in more often than not. If you haven't seen the show, it is worth seeing for Benko alone. She is that good.

[spock2]

Posted: 8/11/22 at 4:12pm

so is it safe to assume the cast recording will be done with Lea? I would really love to have one 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 8/11/22 at 4:15pm

spock2 said: "so is it safe to assume the cast recording will be done with Lea? I would really love to have one"

 

Not unless Lea intends to pay for it.

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/11/22 at 4:47pm

JSquared2 said: "spock2 said: "so is it safe to assume the cast recording will be done with Lea? I would really love to have one.

Not unless Lea intends to pay for it."

I believe her record label, Columbia Records, has intentions of producing the Broadway cast recording with Lea.  I heard rumblings about this.  

 

[Penna2]

Posted: 8/11/22 at 5:04pm

I don't know why they (whoever "they" might be) wouldn't want a cast recording. Lea can sing. Ramin can sing. Jared can sing. I don't know about Tovah, but I'll bet if she's not a "singer", she can "talk" sing the heck out of a song. 

Someone here mentioned early on about a few bonus tracks of Julie - who, a friend of mine said is text book perfect when she sings). That would be icing on the cake.

As someone who is loathe to pay out money for CDs these days, I would be willing to buy it.

[spock2]

Posted: 8/11/22 at 7:01pm

JSquared2 said: "spock2 said: "so is it safe to assume the cast recording will be done with Lea? I would really love to have one"



Not unless Lea intends to pay for it.

"

why wouldn’t the production pay for it? floppier and more terrible musicals have gotten cast recordings 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/11/22 at 11:18pm

I’ve seen several people online (maybe on this board, I can’t remember), that Michele has already recorded many of Fanny’s songs via Glee, so demand for an album marketed around her might be fairly limited. 

[Penna2]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 12:41am

I'm not a Lea fan (never heard of her before this) and not overwhelmed by her concert staging of the songs from the show I've seen on YouTube. I'm hoping she tones down some of the Rachel Berry doing Barbra stuff. Streisand did a lot of Fanny's songs in the film, Lea has only done My Man, if I'm not mistaken (If I am, I apologize) - neither of whom sound anything like Fanny's version. All the songs in the stage show were written by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill.  I do think she has a strong voice and, depending upon the direction and if she can overcome some of the imitative stuff, she will be a good Fanny. Hopefully she will take Julie's lead and studies up on Fanny Brice. Without knowing her, I suspect she's working her butt off for this to be sensational.

That said, I would buy a cast album. I have the cast album from the original show and there is just something special about it...and all cast albums...I can hear Sydney Chaplin now singing "I want to be seen, be seen with you." Mainly because they aren't just a single artist singing one song after another. I would buy it to hear Ramin sing more than Lea tbh. If there were some inclusions of Julie, all the better. It would also include my favorite song from FG - which is The Music that Makes Me Dance. 

JMO.

Edit for those who don't read carefully and like to double check my posts for accuracy. Geez.

Updated On: 8/12/22 at 12:41 AM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 11:52am

Penna2 said: "I'm not a Lea fan (never heard of her before this) and not overwhelmed by her concert staging of the songs from the show I've seen on YouTube. I'm hoping she tones down some of the Rachel Berry doing Barbra stuff. Streisand did a lot of Fanny's songs in the film, Lea has only done My Man, if I'm not mistaken (If I am, I apologize).
 

That’s odd. Just recently in the other Funny Girl thread you wrote that you watched Lea’s performance of “I’m The Greatest Star”. Now you’re claiming that the only song you’re aware of her doing is “My Man”.  Hmmmm….

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 11:58am

I believe they're talking about the Fanny Brice songs that are in the film but not the stage show.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 12:07pm

Penna has stated they have never heard of Lea since May. It's amusing at this point considering all the videos they've viewed with her in it and all the articles about her in this very thread. 

Hmmm........

[Penna2]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 12:18pm

CarlosAlberto said: "Penna2 said: "I'm not a Lea fan (never heard of her before this) and not overwhelmed by her concert staging of the songs from the show I've seen on YouTube. I'm hoping she tones down some of the Rachel Berry doing Barbra stuff. Streisand did a lot of Fanny's songs in the film, Lea has only done My Man, if I'm not mistaken (If I am, I apologize).


That’s odd. Just recently in the other Funny Girl thread you wrote that you watched Lea’s performance of “I’m The Greatest Star”. Now you’re claiming that the only song you’re aware of her doing is “My Man”. Hmmmm….

I said the only song from the film I knew her to sing was My Man. 

[Penna2]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 12:30pm

Sutton Ross said: "Penna has stated they have never heard of Lea since May. It's amusing at this point considering all the videos they've viewed with her in it and all the articles about her in this very thread.

Hmmm........"

Gee, so much time on so many people's hands to be double checking everything I post now? 

If you took the time to read my comments more carefully, because I do try to write them carefully since this sort of business seems to be a new hobby of some here. I never heard of Lea or Beanie before FG, but comment on both of them since. Others here seem to have known about her for years. I researched both women because I like doing research. I have watched a number of Lea's videos since learning of her existence on the planet and, while I think she has a great voice, needs to lose the Barbra business, as I have noted before. As for My Man - I said it was the only song from the FILM I thought she sang that was Fanny's - while, Barbra used several of Fanny's songs. I also said correct me if I'm wrong.

Have a great day every one. It's Friday. Now I'm going to work.

 

[specialkape]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 2:49pm

Penna2 said: "I don't know why they (whoever "they" might be) wouldn't want a cast recording. Lea can sing. Ramin can sing. Jared can sing. I don't know about Tovah, but I'll bet if she's not a "singer", she can "talk" sing the heck out of a song.

Someone here mentioned early on about a few bonus tracks of Julie - who, a friend of mine said is text book perfect when she sings). That would be icing on the cake.

As someone who is loathe to pay out money for CDs these days, I would be willing to buy it."

Tovah can definitely sing (or at least talk-sing really well)! Crazy Ex-Girlfriend fans will know: Where's the Bathroom?!

 

Updated On: 8/12/22 at 02:49 PM

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 6:25pm

" I never heard of Lea or Beanie before FG, but comment on both of them since."

I assume you are a Broadway fan and she was in Spring Awakening which won Tony for Best Musical.  She has performed at Tony Award ceremony several times so I guessed you did not watch Tony Awards those years. "Glee " was a huge TV hit for a several years and you literally would have to have lived under a rock not to have at least heard the name. Sadly, her name was all over the media when "Glee" co-star and BF Corey Monteith died of drug overdose. 

I get maybe you were not familiar with her work on TV or maybe did not see "Spring Awakening". It is just hard for me to imagine you never heard of the name. 

[Penna2]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 8:13pm

Zeppie2022 said: ""I never heard of Lea or Beanie before FG, but comment on both of them since."

I assume you are a Broadway fan and she was in Spring Awakening which won Tony for Best Musical. She has performed at Tony Award ceremony several times so I guessed you did not watch Tony Awards those years. "Glee " was a huge TV hit for a several years and you literally would have to have lived under a rock not to have at least heard the name. Sadly, her name was all over the media when "Glee" co-star and BF Corey Monteith died of drug overdose.

I get maybe you were not familiar with her work on TV or maybe did not see "Spring Awakening". It is just hard for me to imagine you never heard of the name."

Well, I guess if it's hard for you to believe,I guess I'm just a liar. Right. This is the most audacious bunch of people I've ever met in my 76 years. 

I guess in order to post on these threads you have to meet certain requirements. Is there somewhere I can see your credentials to post here? I posted very early on, the only reason I took an interest in FG was because of Ramin. I am a fan of Ramin's and did not become so until 2017 when I saw the DVD of  Phantom.

In general, I am not a Broadway fan. I can't afford to travel to NYC. However, I have enjoyed a number of shows over the years in person when I was younger at local venues, and those made into movies, including a number of boots. I have always loved cast albums and watch videos on YouTube. As for the Tony's, I haven't watched them in years (or the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, etc., either) I watched Glee once and didn't like it (I'm 76 now, so was in my late 60s early 70s when it was on and not interested in highs school shows). I never heard of Spring Awakening until I heard about Lea during the run of FG. Same with Beanie. However hard that may be for you to believe. I don't follow entertainment blogs because I really don't know - or care - who these young "stars" are. I watch the news and HGTV. 

Now you have my bio. I'm still not sure why many of you have seen fit to come after me time and time again. This is the 2nd time I've been called a liar. In this instance, all I was saying was I thought it would be a great cast album and I would buy it and a number of you start challenging me.

I think Lea is going to be just fine, if not great. She should have been cast in the first place. Ramin will play out his contract and then do his Alaskan Cruise (I doubt he's going to return to Broadway any time soon). Julie will hopefully have a hit album and will be recognized for the wonderful talent she is. Tovah will continue to be brilliant and Jared will have no problem with his next gig.

As for me, I'm done here. 

 

 

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 8:29pm

Zeppie2022 said: ""I never heard of Lea or Beanie before FG, but comment on both of them since."

I assume you are a Broadway fan and she was in Spring Awakening which won Tony for Best Musical. She has performed at Tony Award ceremony several times so I guessed you did not watch Tony Awards those years. "Glee " was a huge TV hit for a several years and you literally would have to have lived under a rock not to have at least heard the name. Sadly, her name was all over the media when "Glee" co-star and BF Corey Monteith died of drug overdose.

I get maybe you were not familiar with her work on TV or maybe did not see "Spring Awakening". It is just hard for me to imagine you never heard of the name."

I know it might be hard for some millennials and Gen Z's to believe that there are more important things in life than celebrities and popular culture. Updated On: 8/12/22 at 08:29 PM

[Peter C Yeager]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 10:14pm

Penna2, You are not the (or a) problem.  The nastiness is the problem, and it has a number of roots.  One is technological.  Folks with a nasty bent find the anonymity of chat platforms like this one to be freeing.  Like my cats chasing imagined prey around the house to 'exercise' their hunting instinct, this anonymity allows people so inclined to exercise their life irritations by creating meaningless targets to attack without having to own them personally and publicly.  Another source is the broad decline in civility in public life that the nation has seen in recent years, from our political to our religious to our educational discourses.  As a result, we are collectively made more stupid rather than more wise.  It is a shame to see it begin to play out in the arts.  Serious artistic criticism is one thing.  Picking at nits and mounting personal attacks in the cause of superiority-seeking is another.  To me the arts should be a cultural place of individual and collective creativity, and the broader community's serious and thoughtful responses to it.  It is no place to be silencing people.

I enjoy most of the posts I read here because I learn something from them.  I have certainly enjoyed your commentaries, and I would encourage you to stay at this, screening out (ignoring) any future noise.  After all, the best response to false speech is true speech, and the best reply to disruptive speech is to ignore it and to contribute thoughtful speech that elevates our dialogues.  

[Shubert Alley Cat]

Posted: 8/12/22 at 10:27pm

Perhaps my biggest musical disappoint when seeing the show (with BF) was "The Music That Makes Me Dance."  I love that song but in the show it seemed super short and just kind of ended . . . I guess I was looking for a big ending and button.

Do we think this song will be more exciting once LM enters the show?  Is the song any more musically exciting with Ms. Benko?

[lkerr2]

Posted: 8/13/22 at 7:42am

Social media updates from Lea, Masumi (another dancer), and Ephie 

Second photo's caption:
Masumi - "I had to screen shot, I made @leamichele 'a Instagram debut 👏👏​​​​​​​👏 Her voice is unbelievable and I can't wait for audience to hear it 🤩😭​​​​​​​❤️ See my butt? It's mine!!"
Lea - "The incredible @ephieaardema got a photo of me singing Don't Rain On My Parade on a Broadway stage for the first time ever today! @ephieaardema You are amazing I ❤️ you!!!"
 

Updated On: 8/13/22 at 07:42 AM

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 8/13/22 at 10:45am

"I know it might be hard for some millennials and Gen Z's to believe that there are more important things in life than celebrities and popular culture."

I am in my early 50's. Celebrities are front page news now and not just something you read about in the back of a newspaper. They also are on news broadcast sometimes, depends on what has happened. I know nothing about rap/hip hop music but if you mention artists names like Drake, Kanye or Jay-Z I at least recognize the names.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/13/22 at 11:01am

But if you don't know or care about the person the story is about, it simply doesn't stick in your brain. I know some baseball players have recently gotten media attention, one  for a bicycle accident and another for a drug violation.....wouldn't know their names again for a thousand bucks.

Good god people.