Lea Michele is Cast in Funny Girl on Broadway and This is How People Responded
PSA for all diehard Glee fans: Rachel Berry’s (basically, Lea Michele’s) dream has finally come true. Michele is set to replace Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice in the revival of the classic Broadway musical made famous by Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl on September 6, 2022. After the show’s announcement of their controversial new leading lady, the response from the public has been overwhelming, and absolutely hilarious.
Lea Michele arriving at Funny Girl’s rehearsals pic.twitter.com/4tSNJX2E0j
— Mike Morales (@mike_topo) July 18, 2022
The rumors of Michele playing the legendary Fanny Brice on Broadway have been circulating since 2009, when she first sang “Don’t Rain on My Parade” in the first season of Glee. Michele then revived her iconic Glee performance at the 2010 Tony Awards. The Broadway revival of Funny Girl has been in the works since June 2011. After being cast and re-cast, and cancelled, it finally opened on Broadway April 24, 2022. The musical starred Beanie Feldstein (Lady Bird, Booksmart), Jane Lynch (Glee), Ramin Karimloo (Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables), and more. Directed by Michael Mayer, and with a revised book written by Harvey Fierstein, the revival was highly anticipated for years. Since its grand opening, the show has received mostly negative reviews and for many reasons, Feldstein has announced that she will be leaving the show at the end of this month, two months prior to her originally scheduled departure.
Fans have had mixed responses to Michele’s upcoming involvement in the show. On the one hand, people regard her as a perfect talent fit for portraying Fanny Brice for New York audiences. On the other hand, many feel that by casting her in Funny Girl, Broadway is supporting inappropriate and cruel behavior in the workplace. According to CNN, in 2020 Michele was accused of creating a toxic work environment by Glee actress Samantha Marie Ware. Ware and other cast members including Alex Newell and Heather Morris mentioned that Michele displayed microagressions and displayed racist and hateful behavior on the set.
In addition to denouncing the Broadway community for casting Michele as Fanny Brice, many fans have also jokingly (and seriously) said that they plan to attend Michele’s performances dressed as Sue Sylvester, Berry’s nemesis (and Lynch’s character) in Glee, and leave mid-show. In addition to the public’s anger with Michele being cast as Fanny Brice, a conspiracy theory that the actress is illiterate has also resurfaced.
@girlbossatron3000 she wont know that im doing this bc she cant read LOL #fyp #glee #funnygirl #leamichele ♬ Dont Rain On My Parade cupcakKe Remix - Paul Amrani
I’m glad Lea Michele can’t read this https://t.co/MFULTD5bfR
— Dillon Frizzle (@iamtheaardvark) August 11, 2021
I was fortunate enough to see Feldstein in Funny Girl back in April, and despite the negative reviews, I thought she was fantastic. A true triple-threat comedian with a gorgeous voice, I thought that Feldstein was the perfect cast for Fanny Brice. I’m super excited to see how critics receive Michele in the role this fall.
