With Broadway’s Funny Girl star Beanie Feldstein announcing her departure from the production, many are concerned that Lea Michele may take her place. After bullying and racist claims against her, the latter has received unwanted attention on social media. Internet fans are already concerned about the idea of the Glee actress taking on the role, as she was previously associated with the Broadway musical.
Beanie Feldstein just announced on Instagram that she will be making her final appearance as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl on July 31. She said in a touching statement that she would be leaving “earlier than planned.” She noted on Instagram that portraying Fanny Brice on Broadway was a “lifelong ambition” of hers. She also praised the show’s cast and crew for their “love and support.” The actress praised Funny Girl’s cast and crew for being “very brilliant and wonderful people.”
Funny Girl producers are reportedly considering Lea Michele as a replacement. The announcement came after the controversial personality auditioned for the role of Fanny Brice in the fourth season of Glee on Broadway. Meanwhile, Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy also got the rights to the musical’s revival, but lost it in 2015.
Lea Michele has already expressed interest in playing Fanny Brice in Murphy’s version. She had stated:
“I spoke to Ryan Murphy recently. I had a show in Central Park where I sang nine Funny Girl songs and then turned to Ryan and said, “Okay, I’m ready.” It takes a lot of effort, but it would be an honor. But if I go back to musicals, I would like to do that.”
Netizens respond to the role of Lea Michele in the Broadway production of Funny Girl.
Internet fans were shocked to see the 35-year-old actress take on the iconic role once played by Barbra Streisand. This follows allegations that the former was bullying her co-stars. Samantha Ware, another Glee star, has accused Lea Michele of turning her “television work into a living nightmare”. Ware also claimed that during filming, the actress threatened to “stuck my wig” and provoked “other terrible micro-aggressions.”
Dabier Snell, who starred in a 2014 episode of Glee, has previously tweeted about Lea Michele. Quickly stated:
“GIRL, YOU DON’T LET ME SIT AT THE TABLE WITH THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS BECAUSE “I DON’T BECOME THERE” F**K YOU LEA”
She was also charged with bullying Naya Rivera, who died in 2020. Rivera said in her book Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up that Michele “didn’t like being in the spotlight.”
When Lea Michele is announced for Funny Girl, Twitter is on fire. pic.twitter.com/DWpNl11H3n
— Kacy is iconic (@KacyIsIconic) July 11, 2022
Rivera continued:
“When I grumbled about something or someone, she imagined I was complaining about her.” She soon started ignoring me and ended up saying nothing to me for the entire sixth season. Lea, on the other hand, was a lot more sensitive and it seemed like she blamed me for everything that went wrong.”
Lea Michele was also first criticized for failing to post a meaningful message on social media after Rivera’s horrific death. However, she tweeted a photo with a short statement honoring her late co-star, which was later deleted when Michele canceled her Twitter account.
With so much hatred for the actress in recent years, many thought she was unfit to star in the Funny Girl musical. Some joked that Michele would love to get the job after auditioning for it on the popular Glee show. According to a Twitter user, if the actor appeared in Funny Girl, the microblogging site would be “on fire”.
Some readers also expressed concern that if Michele were to star in the Broadway production, things would get “a lot less hilarious.” Another Twitter user compared the controversial performer to Ariel from The Little Mermaid. They went on to say that Michele, like Ariel, had made a “deal with the devil.” The casting for the Broadway production of Funny Girl will be announced Monday at 1 p.m. ET.