Beanie Feldstein to leave 'Funny Girl' in September
Beanie Feldstein portrays Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice in Broadway's "Funny Girl." Credit: Matthew Murphy
Goodbye, gorgeous.
The producers of the Broadway revival of "Funny Girl" revealed via Twitter on Wednesday that Beanie Feldstein, who stars as Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice, will leave the musical revival in September. Also departing will be Jane Lynch, who plays her mother.
The post also announced the return of Feldstein to the show Thursday night for the first time since June 7 when she broke the news on Instagram that she had tested positive for COVID-19. Feldstein's understudy, Julie Benko, has been performing in her place.
"Beanie returns tomorrow!," read the tweet, adding that audiences had "14 weeks left to see Beanie Feldstein & Jane Lynch now through September 25th. Stay tuned for additional casting news to join Ramin Karimloo & Jared Grimes and the company of Funny Girl."
The production and Feldstein's performance received lukewarm reviews when it opened on April 24, and Grimes received the show's sole Tony Award nomination. Regardless, it's been performing well at the box office: According to the Broadway League, last week it grossed $1,116, 695 and had 86% audience capacity.
"Funny Girl" marks only the second time Feldstein's co-star Lynch has appeared on Broadway. She previously played the evil Miss Hannigan in the 2012 revival of "Annie."
"Funny Girl" had not been revived on Broadway since the original production that ran from March 1964 to July 1967 and was a star-making showcase for Barbra Streisand, who played Brice. She reprised the role in the 1968 film adaptation, leading to her Oscar win in 1969.
The new version of "Funny Girl" is directed by Michael Mayer and features a revised book by Harvey Fierstein.
