Lea Michele will take over for Beanie Feldstein as the next “Funny Girl” on Broadway after the “Booksmart” actress said she will leave the production sooner than anticipated.
The show announced on Monday that the “Glee” star would take over for Feldstein, whose tenure as Fanny Brice, the renowned comic and vaudeville performer, will end on July 31.
Feldstein made her exit public on Sunday, saying that she had “taken the exceedingly tough decision to step away sooner than planned” after the production “decided to take the play in a different direction.” It was a “lifelong dream” of hers to portray Fanny, she claimed.
Nearly two months earlier than the previously stated date of September 25, she will wrap off her “Funny Girl” stint.
The appointment with Michele will start on September 4. According to the production, Julie Benko, Feldstein’s replacement, will perform up until Michele joins the group.
The producers of “Funny Girl” have revealed that Jane Lynch, Feldstein’s co-star, will leave the production in September, and Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh will take her place. Michele and Lynch both made an appearance on “Glee.”
