What Went Down With Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’ Revival
July 13, 2022 1:04 PM Subscribe
MickeyJoTheatre hot take video.
The Lea Michele/Beanie Feldstein 'Funny Girl' Casting Saga Just Keeps Giving
Did Beanie Feldstein announce she was quitting ‘Funny Girl’ after she was fired?
People aren’t happy about racist bully Lea Michele’s ‘Funny Girl’ redemption arc
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:40 PM on July 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
The Lea Michele/Beanie Feldstein 'Funny Girl' Casting Saga Just Keeps Giving
Did Beanie Feldstein announce she was quitting ‘Funny Girl’ after she was fired?
People aren’t happy about racist bully Lea Michele’s ‘Funny Girl’ redemption arc
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:40 PM on July 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I feel like the article in the OP significantly understates what a genuinely awful person Lea Michele is supposed, by all accounts, to be.
posted by Gadarene at 1:47 PM on July 13, 2022 [22 favorites]
posted by Gadarene at 1:47 PM on July 13, 2022 [22 favorites]
$2500 to see a play is some kind of social mania. It's a price that's completely detached from logic.
posted by bleep at 2:18 PM on July 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by bleep at 2:18 PM on July 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
This isn't really a summary of What Went Down, but more like "let's talk about Lea Michele" which is totally a thing that needs to be written.
Although thank you JenFullMoon for the follow-up links!
posted by WeX Majors at 2:41 PM on July 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Although thank you JenFullMoon for the follow-up links!
posted by WeX Majors at 2:41 PM on July 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
To blame Beanie is to ignore how she was put there in the first place, when she is a perfectly good actress and is very funny on What We Do in the Shadows.
Uh, what - Feldstein was in four episodes of WWDITS, in 2019. Surely, one could cite any other thing she did that was...more than that. Like playing Monica Lewinsky maybe, or Booksmart, or anything else?
posted by 41swans at 2:41 PM on July 13, 2022 [12 favorites]
Uh, what - Feldstein was in four episodes of WWDITS, in 2019. Surely, one could cite any other thing she did that was...more than that. Like playing Monica Lewinsky maybe, or Booksmart, or anything else?
posted by 41swans at 2:41 PM on July 13, 2022 [12 favorites]
The Daily Beast article linked by TwoStride is very, very good. Nice reporting in there.
posted by Gadarene at 2:42 PM on July 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Gadarene at 2:42 PM on July 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
What a weird, weird take that Observer piece is. "It is undeniable that people want to see Lea Michele in this role because they’ve wanted to see her in this role their whole lives, and given the fact she apparently took ten years of auditioning to land the role, one must take their hat off for that." Buh-what? Could either of those things be true?
Look, I've never seen Funny Girl, and I've never seen nor heard Michele in anything, but Beanie Feldstein is wonderful (even in relatively brief roles such as Jenna in What We Do In The Shadows), and by all indications, Michele didn't get the role--after being known for a Glee role that is literally "girl who wants nothing more than to be in Funny Girl"--because she was notoriously toxic. And, given Broadway's never-ending appetite for revivals, there's something odd about Funny Girl never having had a revival in something like fifty-five years. Yes, people are spending $2500 a pop to see this now, but people also buy NFTs, at least some people.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:44 PM on July 13, 2022 [12 favorites]
Look, I've never seen Funny Girl, and I've never seen nor heard Michele in anything, but Beanie Feldstein is wonderful (even in relatively brief roles such as Jenna in What We Do In The Shadows), and by all indications, Michele didn't get the role--after being known for a Glee role that is literally "girl who wants nothing more than to be in Funny Girl"--because she was notoriously toxic. And, given Broadway's never-ending appetite for revivals, there's something odd about Funny Girl never having had a revival in something like fifty-five years. Yes, people are spending $2500 a pop to see this now, but people also buy NFTs, at least some people.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:44 PM on July 13, 2022 [12 favorites]
I never had a clue about how many Broadway shows fail, or close before they even open, until I saw this documentary from 2007 while I was in an intensive doc-watching phase during the early part of the pandemic. There is a montage where they show a LOT of shows with big-name stars that closed fast - some never even made it out of previews! The failure of any one star to please critics/bring in ticket buyers, especially in COVID times, well - I can't blame Beanie Feldstein. If she wasn't strong enough in the role to do that, she shouldn't have been cast. But it does seem like these shows are on shaky ground unless they are huge smashes right out of the gate, they must be obscenely expensive to produce.
posted by 41swans at 2:58 PM on July 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by 41swans at 2:58 PM on July 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
But it does seem like these shows are on shaky ground unless they are huge smashes right out of the gate, they must be obscenely expensive to produce.
See: Spiderman.
posted by Melismata at 3:06 PM on July 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
See: Spiderman.
posted by Melismata at 3:06 PM on July 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
But it does seem like these shows are on shaky ground unless they are huge smashes right out of the gate, they must be obscenely expensive to produce.
See also: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, which could not survive the departure of Josh Groban, who was replaced by Hamilton's "Oak" Onaodowan, whom producers then decided to replace with Mandy Patinkin (but did not tell Oak) ... It was A Whole Thing for about a week in the summer of 2017.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 3:14 PM on July 13, 2022 [15 favorites]
See also: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, which could not survive the departure of Josh Groban, who was replaced by Hamilton's "Oak" Onaodowan, whom producers then decided to replace with Mandy Patinkin (but did not tell Oak) ... It was A Whole Thing for about a week in the summer of 2017.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 3:14 PM on July 13, 2022 [15 favorites]
Uh, what - Feldstein was in four episodes of WWDITS, in 2019. Surely, one could cite any other thing she did that was...more than that. Like playing Monica Lewinsky maybe, or Booksmart, or anything else?
Ladybird. Don't forget Ladybird.
Beanie Feldstein is a delightful actor. And people have been wanting Lea Michele in this role before Feldstein was even cast. This is not a story that makes me feel great.
posted by thivaia at 3:21 PM on July 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
given the fact she apparently took ten years of auditioning to land the role,
Lea has been associating herself with Barbra/Funny Girl since the Glee days, so I would concur with that assessment. It seems likely she didn't originally get it for both nepotism-towards-Beanie reasons (I gather Beanie's dad is involved in the production somehow?) AND for her being a PITA reasons. But clearly they are caving in and going with her for being a match for the part even if she's a PITA to work with, probably because it's been determined that nobody else can fill the part. Which may be legit, but I feel sorry for the FG cast.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:29 PM on July 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Lea has been associating herself with Barbra/Funny Girl since the Glee days, so I would concur with that assessment. It seems likely she didn't originally get it for both nepotism-towards-Beanie reasons (I gather Beanie's dad is involved in the production somehow?) AND for her being a PITA reasons. But clearly they are caving in and going with her for being a match for the part even if she's a PITA to work with, probably because it's been determined that nobody else can fill the part. Which may be legit, but I feel sorry for the FG cast.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:29 PM on July 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Vox: A complete timeline of the Lea Michele-Beanie Feldstein-Funny Girl casting controversy
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:31 PM on July 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:31 PM on July 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Look, I've never seen Funny Girl
The 1968 film really is a treat. I have friends who normally aren’t into musicals who still love it. Even just the visuals and production values are stunning (and Omar Sharif ain’t too hard on the old peepers).
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:06 PM on July 13, 2022 [13 favorites]
The 1968 film really is a treat. I have friends who normally aren’t into musicals who still love it. Even just the visuals and production values are stunning (and Omar Sharif ain’t too hard on the old peepers).
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:06 PM on July 13, 2022 [13 favorites]
Haven't watched Glee, and have no idea who Lea Michele is. But I'm aware of Beanie Feldstein's turn as Monica Lewinsky, and her appearances on What We Do in the Shadows. Feldstein's voice is... fine, but not great, based on the clip in the Vox article. It seems like a smart casting move to replace her.
posted by emelenjr at 4:07 PM on July 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by emelenjr at 4:07 PM on July 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Aw. I always thought Lea Michele was cute. It's too bad she's evidently the worst person of all time.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:10 PM on July 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:10 PM on July 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
What stuck out to me is that the director of the revival was the director of Lea Michele’s previous big Broadway role, so it seems pretty certain her not being cast was no accident.
Would she even be eligible to be nominated for a Tony if she ends up knocking its out of the park now?
posted by jimw at 4:11 PM on July 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Would she even be eligible to be nominated for a Tony if she ends up knocking its out of the park now?
posted by jimw at 4:11 PM on July 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
The 1968 film really is a treat.
I watched it a couple of years ago, expecting to feel bored and intellectually insulted, and it was frickin' delightful!
Everything about Broadway just seems toxic and stressful and awful and way, way, way overpriced!
posted by Saxon Kane at 4:28 PM on July 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
I watched it a couple of years ago, expecting to feel bored and intellectually insulted, and it was frickin' delightful!
Everything about Broadway just seems toxic and stressful and awful and way, way, way overpriced!
posted by Saxon Kane at 4:28 PM on July 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
There's no people like show people?
posted by aquanaut at 5:46 PM on July 13, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by aquanaut at 5:46 PM on July 13, 2022 [7 favorites]
I really liked Beanie in the role but I've never seen Funny Girl and didn't have the Streisand-related expectations. I wonder what her reception would've been without that baggage. She's not the strongest singer, but sometimes you don't have to be in musical theater. Even accepting that she's a weak singer, she was otherwise great, and the nastiness of the reviews was ugly and unwarranted.
I'm shocked Lea Michelle still has this level of fan base. $2500 is horrifying.
posted by Mavri at 5:47 PM on July 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'm shocked Lea Michelle still has this level of fan base. $2500 is horrifying.
posted by Mavri at 5:47 PM on July 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
As much as I love musicals, I've never been to a big Broadway show. Every time I've gone to NYC there was always something better-looking playing off-Broadway.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:48 PM on July 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:48 PM on July 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
She's not the strongest singer, but sometimes you don't have to be in musical theater.
I think this is one of those few roles where having The Voice really does matter. The plot is kind of centered around how the character is nobody's idea of what a big star should be, but she makes it anyway because nobody can deny her talent.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:52 PM on July 13, 2022 [10 favorites]
I think this is one of those few roles where having The Voice really does matter. The plot is kind of centered around how the character is nobody's idea of what a big star should be, but she makes it anyway because nobody can deny her talent.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:52 PM on July 13, 2022 [10 favorites]
Jesus can we please stop jumping on women because we "think" we know them. This is Amber Heard all over again.
Shit happens - deal with it. Unless it personally affects you (Lea Michelle shit in your chosen breakfast meal - leave it be.)
(unless she's a Nazi - then go ahead)
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 5:54 PM on July 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
Shit happens - deal with it. Unless it personally affects you (Lea Michelle shit in your chosen breakfast meal - leave it be.)
(unless she's a Nazi - then go ahead)
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 5:54 PM on July 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
The plot is kind of centered around how the character is nobody's idea of what a big star should be, but she makes it anyway because nobody can deny her talent.
The revival worked for me because her talents were creativity, charisma, and comedy. I assume they made changes to accommodate Beanie's talents. It obviously didn't work for most people because everyone is expecting the Voice.
posted by Mavri at 6:09 PM on July 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
The revival worked for me because her talents were creativity, charisma, and comedy. I assume they made changes to accommodate Beanie's talents. It obviously didn't work for most people because everyone is expecting the Voice.
posted by Mavri at 6:09 PM on July 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
The character is so associated with Streisand that I think anyone without the Voice, as Mavri says, is going to be sunk, no matter how skilled comedy-wise.
(I saw it live with Pia Zadora, of all people, and quite astonishingly, she really did have the Voice.)
posted by thomas j wise at 6:34 PM on July 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
(I saw it live with Pia Zadora, of all people, and quite astonishingly, she really did have the Voice.)
posted by thomas j wise at 6:34 PM on July 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
My hot take is that Funny Girl is a bad show and having a Streisand-level talent is a necessary distraction from the stupidity of the lyrics. Beanie Feldstein doesn't have a Broadway voice and the show is a mess without that.
I turned off Glee after watching 20 minutes of the first episode and avoided anything Glee-related after that, so all I know about Lea Michele is the meme about her not being able to read.
posted by betweenthebars at 6:53 PM on July 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I turned off Glee after watching 20 minutes of the first episode and avoided anything Glee-related after that, so all I know about Lea Michele is the meme about her not being able to read.
posted by betweenthebars at 6:53 PM on July 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I saw the show a few weeks ago, and honestly my biggest complaint was that a 50 year old musical just didn't really do anything for me. There's stuff like A Strange Loop, and people are watching fucking Phantom of the Opera and Funny Girl? It was fun to see Beanie and Jane Lynch and the rest of the cast, who all did a great job, but this whole thing just overshadows the fact that it's an outdated play in an era where "Dear Evan Hansen" is outdated. People are going to Broadway for innovation, not comfort food. Especially when that comfort food seems to be racist diva flavored.
To be clear, it wasn't as rough as Phantom, and was pretty enjoyable, and we didn't pay anywhere close to $2,500, but come on.
posted by papayaninja at 6:58 PM on July 13, 2022 [8 favorites]
To be clear, it wasn't as rough as Phantom, and was pretty enjoyable, and we didn't pay anywhere close to $2,500, but come on.
posted by papayaninja at 6:58 PM on July 13, 2022 [8 favorites]
Hm, I'm not sure on the innovation? People generally like to know they are going to like a show when they see it, and seeing a "new" show is a gamble. As opposed to "everyone knows The Music Man is a crowd pleaser and gets butts in the seats!" (Or at my theater, the difference between Urinetown and The Music Man this year...though frankly, our ticket sales have been teh crap during pandemic, regardless of show or whether or not we require masking. They had fuller audiences the times I went pre-pandemic, for sure.) But I don't know from NYC Broadway, I just see Broadway traveling tours (which are usually pretty full) so what do I know.
I presume Funny Girl is somewhere in the middle of that, being an old property that isn't trotted out much because you apparently HAVE to have a Streisand/copy to make it work, so it's probably fresh to a bunch of youngsters and noobs. I haven't seen the movie so heck if I know on its quality, all I saw was Lea Michele doing numbers from it all the time anyway.
I feel bad for Beanie. I'm a weak voiced person (who just got out of singing lesson, oy) and she has my sympathy.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:13 PM on July 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
I presume Funny Girl is somewhere in the middle of that, being an old property that isn't trotted out much because you apparently HAVE to have a Streisand/copy to make it work, so it's probably fresh to a bunch of youngsters and noobs. I haven't seen the movie so heck if I know on its quality, all I saw was Lea Michele doing numbers from it all the time anyway.
I feel bad for Beanie. I'm a weak voiced person (who just got out of singing lesson, oy) and she has my sympathy.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:13 PM on July 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm a huge Broadway person, and I follow this stuff closely and try to see pretty much everything (or at least, I did before Broadway dropped its mask mandates this month. Not sure what I'll do now). I haven't seen Beanie in this role, but I did see it with her standby, Julie Benko, who has been pretty much universally lauded as perfect for the role. She's an excellent singer, and her comedic timing and delivery are outstanding. And the show was still pretty boring. It's just not a very good show. Most of the songs, other than the two you know, are unmemorable. The plot isn't interesting, and it resolves in a way that isn't emotionally satisfying. I'd rather have just watched Jared Grimes tap dance for two hours, then Julie sings Don't Rain on My Parade, then I go home. That would have been better than the actual show.
$2500 to see a play is some kind of social mania.
$2500 is likely not a price that these tickets are actually selling for. It's a price they're advertised at, for anchoring purposes. Scalpers do this on purpose, because if you see a pair of tickets for $5000, you'll look at a pair of tickets for $1200 and it'll seem a lot less unreasonable. I've tracked prices on popular Broadway show tickets for years, just because I'm an enormous nerd and I like to get a good deal on tickets. I saw Hamilton tickets in 2016 priced at $3000 a pop, and then the day before the actual show, once the scalpers had sold a bunch of tickets at $1000 each, those tickets go down in price, a lot. I've bought tickets for $100 an hour before a show that were priced at $1500 the week before the show. These scalpers use bots with really sophisticated price discrimination techniques. Absent interviews with actual people who have bought tickets for four figures, I'd assume that's what's going on here.
posted by decathecting at 7:23 PM on July 13, 2022 [36 favorites]
$2500 to see a play is some kind of social mania.
$2500 is likely not a price that these tickets are actually selling for. It's a price they're advertised at, for anchoring purposes. Scalpers do this on purpose, because if you see a pair of tickets for $5000, you'll look at a pair of tickets for $1200 and it'll seem a lot less unreasonable. I've tracked prices on popular Broadway show tickets for years, just because I'm an enormous nerd and I like to get a good deal on tickets. I saw Hamilton tickets in 2016 priced at $3000 a pop, and then the day before the actual show, once the scalpers had sold a bunch of tickets at $1000 each, those tickets go down in price, a lot. I've bought tickets for $100 an hour before a show that were priced at $1500 the week before the show. These scalpers use bots with really sophisticated price discrimination techniques. Absent interviews with actual people who have bought tickets for four figures, I'd assume that's what's going on here.
posted by decathecting at 7:23 PM on July 13, 2022 [36 favorites]
Jesus can we please stop jumping on women because we "think" we know them. This is Amber Heard all over again.
Shit happens - deal with it. Unless it personally affects you (Lea Michelle shit in your chosen breakfast meal - leave it be.)
(unless she's a Nazi - then go ahead)
Just wanted to pick up on this, the Vox (ETA: sorry, Jezebel) article jenfullmoon linked gives some context but Lea M isn't just a case of 'oh I don't like her vibes'. She's got some fairly well-testified reputation as a racially and just plain abusive coworker.
posted by cendawanita at 7:48 PM on July 13, 2022 [30 favorites]
Shit happens - deal with it. Unless it personally affects you (Lea Michelle shit in your chosen breakfast meal - leave it be.)
(unless she's a Nazi - then go ahead)
Just wanted to pick up on this, the Vox (ETA: sorry, Jezebel) article jenfullmoon linked gives some context but Lea M isn't just a case of 'oh I don't like her vibes'. She's got some fairly well-testified reputation as a racially and just plain abusive coworker.
posted by cendawanita at 7:48 PM on July 13, 2022 [30 favorites]
I think that Daily Beast article is wild, why let the source stay anonymous when they quote so much of the behind the scenes drama that anyone actually involved with the show can surely guess exactly who it is...
posted by muddgirl at 8:29 PM on July 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by muddgirl at 8:29 PM on July 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
She's got some fairly well-testified reputation as a racially and just plain abusive coworker.
Seriously. She threatened to shit in a Black woman's wig.
posted by Mavri at 5:35 AM on July 14, 2022 [6 favorites]
Seriously. She threatened to shit in a Black woman's wig.
posted by Mavri at 5:35 AM on July 14, 2022 [6 favorites]
Weird that the first article calls her Jewish, since she was raised Catholic and doesn't call herself Jewish. (Yes, her father was Jewish, but again: raised Catholic, doesn't call herself Jewish.)
I suppose instead of someone who looks wrong but is so talented she can't be ignored we can do someone who looks fine but is a really unpleasant person? But that changes the story in not fun ways.
posted by jeather at 5:43 AM on July 14, 2022
I suppose instead of someone who looks wrong but is so talented she can't be ignored we can do someone who looks fine but is a really unpleasant person? But that changes the story in not fun ways.
posted by jeather at 5:43 AM on July 14, 2022
I haven't seen Beanie in this role, but I did see it with her standby, Julie Benko, who has been pretty much universally lauded as perfect for the role. She's an excellent singer, and her comedic timing and delivery are outstanding.
Coming from the outside, I feel like I want the narrative to be Julie Benko becomes an absolute sensation during these August/September performances and there's a groundswell of acclaim for the relative unknown that becomes unstoppable and she ends up becoming the ongoing star, with Lea Michelle graciously stepping aside. The money and ego involved says there's absolutely no way that happens, but man I want it.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 6:51 AM on July 14, 2022 [13 favorites]
Coming from the outside, I feel like I want the narrative to be Julie Benko becomes an absolute sensation during these August/September performances and there's a groundswell of acclaim for the relative unknown that becomes unstoppable and she ends up becoming the ongoing star, with Lea Michelle graciously stepping aside. The money and ego involved says there's absolutely no way that happens, but man I want it.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 6:51 AM on July 14, 2022 [13 favorites]
I am haunted by this horrendous sentence: "Despite how clear the argued nepotism that might have gone into the casting of Fanny Brice initially was, one still must feel for Beanie Feldstein as she too probably had dreams of stepping into Barbra’s shoes clearly."
Nepotism that was clear, yet is arguable.
One must feel for Feldstein (one must?)
One must feel for her because of the dreams she probably yet also clearly had.
The person who wrote this is an editor. Is she the only editor on the entire staff? Is there one piece of this sentence she can commit to? "Even if nepotism originally played a role in her casting, it can't be easy for Feldstein to be replaced."
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:54 AM on July 14, 2022 [33 favorites]
Nepotism that was clear, yet is arguable.
One must feel for Feldstein (one must?)
One must feel for her because of the dreams she probably yet also clearly had.
The person who wrote this is an editor. Is she the only editor on the entire staff? Is there one piece of this sentence she can commit to? "Even if nepotism originally played a role in her casting, it can't be easy for Feldstein to be replaced."
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:54 AM on July 14, 2022 [33 favorites]
What is the nepotism? Having a famous brother? Was anyone in Beanie Feldstein's family actually involved in casting her? The Newsweek article that the Observer article links to "nepotism" is just about her brother congratulating her. The only other results I can see in linked articles are in the comments, talking about her connections, but doesn't Lea Michele also have connections?
posted by amarynth at 7:07 AM on July 14, 2022
posted by amarynth at 7:07 AM on July 14, 2022
Tovah Feldshuh will replace Jane Lynch as Mrs. Brice on Sept. 6. Lynch is also leaving the production earlier than expected. (Variety)
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:36 AM on July 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:36 AM on July 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
Got through the whole pointless article, which could've been a tweet and saved us all precious, irrecoverable minutes of our lives. I was, however, stopped short by the third sentence and, really, should've stopped reading at that point:
Barbra Streisand is a household name for a reason — very few people are as talented, emotional, witty, and obnoxiously charming.
I mean, I admire Ms. Streisand, have seen several of her films and owned several of her albums, but, dang, that is some no-holds-barred, petal-to-the-metal adulation.
posted by the sobsister at 7:39 AM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Barbra Streisand is a household name for a reason — very few people are as talented, emotional, witty, and obnoxiously charming.
I mean, I admire Ms. Streisand, have seen several of her films and owned several of her albums, but, dang, that is some no-holds-barred, petal-to-the-metal adulation.
posted by the sobsister at 7:39 AM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Looks like Jane Lynch will not work with Lea Michele ever again, period (from the Vox timeline): "The same day it was announced that Michele would be joining the cast on September 6, Lynch announced that she would be leaving September 4."
I would guess that part of the calculus for casting Feldstein initially was that they were also able to cast Jane Lynch (and possibly others) who would not participate in the show if Michele had been cast, but at this point the box office receipts demand otherwise. (And I agree that the person maybe being most poorly treated here is current understudy Julie Benko, who by all reports regularly knocks the role out of the park on all fronts but is not enough of a box office draw to shore up revenue needed to keep the show running. It really sucks as a performing artist to do everything right, excel at everything you can control or influence, and still be held back because of market forces or other things external to your creative work and that often have little to do with you personally.)
posted by LooseFilter at 7:50 AM on July 14, 2022 [11 favorites]
I would guess that part of the calculus for casting Feldstein initially was that they were also able to cast Jane Lynch (and possibly others) who would not participate in the show if Michele had been cast, but at this point the box office receipts demand otherwise. (And I agree that the person maybe being most poorly treated here is current understudy Julie Benko, who by all reports regularly knocks the role out of the park on all fronts but is not enough of a box office draw to shore up revenue needed to keep the show running. It really sucks as a performing artist to do everything right, excel at everything you can control or influence, and still be held back because of market forces or other things external to your creative work and that often have little to do with you personally.)
posted by LooseFilter at 7:50 AM on July 14, 2022 [11 favorites]
I think it was in the MickeyJoTheatre link where he talked about how Beanie's dad is somehow involved in the production. I forget exactly what it was, but $$$$....something. I don't know of a text only reference to the situation.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:10 AM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:10 AM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
So, it is some kind of social mania it sounds like.
If you consider an intentional marketing strategy by a team of professional producers who are experts at pricing theatre tickets to maximize their profits to be "social mania," then sure.
posted by decathecting at 8:46 AM on July 14, 2022
If you consider an intentional marketing strategy by a team of professional producers who are experts at pricing theatre tickets to maximize their profits to be "social mania," then sure.
posted by decathecting at 8:46 AM on July 14, 2022
papayaninja: People are going to Broadway for innovation, not comfort food.
Man, I wish I lived on your planet!
posted by tzikeh at 9:25 AM on July 14, 2022 [19 favorites]
Man, I wish I lived on your planet!
posted by tzikeh at 9:25 AM on July 14, 2022 [19 favorites]
I guess I just wish that not everything had to be mined and mined and mined for every last penny til it was empty & no one could enjoy it anymore. It's actually not normal or sane that people can't just buy theater tickets in advance because "professionals" have to play games with the prices.
posted by bleep at 10:00 AM on July 14, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by bleep at 10:00 AM on July 14, 2022 [5 favorites]
Yeah, my impression is that Broadway has been INCREDIBLY risk-averse for decades now.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:32 AM on July 14, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:32 AM on July 14, 2022 [4 favorites]
People are going to Broadway for innovation, not comfort food.
If this were true I might still be working in theater.
But - right now, of the 22 shows running on official "Broadway":
* 6 are adaptations of movies.
* 2 of those 6 are adaptations of Disney movies in the specific.
* One is a play spun off from the HARRY POTTER franchise.
* 2 are jukebox musicals based on the lives of two famous pop stars.
* 4 have been running more than 10 years (and one has been running since I moved to New York back in 1988).
* 3 are revivals.
* And one is Hamilton.
That's not innovation. For every one person looking for something like Strange Loop and Hadestown you have twenty lining up to see Phantom or The Lion King for the third time.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:14 PM on July 14, 2022 [22 favorites]
If this were true I might still be working in theater.
But - right now, of the 22 shows running on official "Broadway":
* 6 are adaptations of movies.
* 2 of those 6 are adaptations of Disney movies in the specific.
* One is a play spun off from the HARRY POTTER franchise.
* 2 are jukebox musicals based on the lives of two famous pop stars.
* 4 have been running more than 10 years (and one has been running since I moved to New York back in 1988).
* 3 are revivals.
* And one is Hamilton.
That's not innovation. For every one person looking for something like Strange Loop and Hadestown you have twenty lining up to see Phantom or The Lion King for the third time.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:14 PM on July 14, 2022 [22 favorites]
Regarding my innovation hot take: it was a bad take. But I want innovation, and get the impression that many critics do, too. In general, though, the Times Square TGI Fridays crowd probably doesn't care too much.
As long as we can agree about how bad Phantom is.
posted by papayaninja at 2:10 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
As long as we can agree about how bad Phantom is.
posted by papayaninja at 2:10 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Gangs of New York dropped from the film: The Times Square TGI Fridays crowd.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:58 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:58 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Regarding my innovation hot take: it was a bad take. But I want innovation, and get the impression that many critics do, too. In general, though, the Times Square TGI Fridays crowd probably doesn't care too much.
Oh, you are DEFINITELY not alone in wanting innovation. However, it's the Times Square TGI Fridays crowd which is the most reliable Broadway audience, I'm afraid, and Broadway has learned to go where the money is.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:16 PM on July 14, 2022 [4 favorites]
Oh, you are DEFINITELY not alone in wanting innovation. However, it's the Times Square TGI Fridays crowd which is the most reliable Broadway audience, I'm afraid, and Broadway has learned to go where the money is.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:16 PM on July 14, 2022 [4 favorites]
As long as we can agree about how bad Phantom is.
What about Love Never Dies? That's like terrible Phantom fanfic, except the creator actually wrote it himself.
Back to your regularly scheduled thread, I just couldn't resist making that crack.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:48 PM on July 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
What about Love Never Dies? That's like terrible Phantom fanfic, except the creator actually wrote it himself.
Back to your regularly scheduled thread, I just couldn't resist making that crack.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:48 PM on July 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
I just want to mention also that I freaking love broadway and every time I've visited my family there for the last few years I've had the most enjoyable experiences. I just want there to be more of it & not less and I don't want to deal with the artificial scarcity that it takes to make something generate lots of coins.
posted by bleep at 3:58 PM on July 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by bleep at 3:58 PM on July 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
Broadway going where the money is has always been a thing. That's why they call it show business. They may provide joy, but they sell tickets.
One way to do that is 'playing the hits'. A large part of the audience is there for The Broadway Experience. What that means for a lot of people involves their ideas and traditions about what Broadway is. And if you're selling tickets, you have to 'give the people what they want'.
Funny Girl, it is true, is overall not a very good show. BUT! It is famous. And a large part of the fame is based around 'Don't Rain on my Parade'.
Like it or not, it placed a landmark for 50 years of the big 'look out world, here I COOOOOME!' Broadway number. It's the nail that holds the whole painting up.
People know it, and love it, and will pay a bunch of money to go see it done big and live on stage.
Which means you have to cast someone who can sing it. Which is hard, because it's another Broadway staple, the stunt song. There are some technical challenges (there's a lot of elocution and breath control; you kind of have to hyperventilate through the first half in order to belt out those sustained high notes in the second). As an opera comparison, part of the reason one might buy tickets for The Magic Flute is excitement that they found a coloratura who can hit those staccato high Fs to play Queen of the Night, and you've only ever heard recordings. Enough that you'll skip lunch for a month to save up for what may be your one chance to see it.
If they put on a production where the lead just mumbles their way through the song... the audience will boo and the show will close. Because why bother?
You're gonna do Frozen, but without Let It Go? Lakme, without the duet?
Which is not to say that no one else can sing Parade. Here's Lilias White doing it. Here's another actress from Glee doing it, for chrissakes.
But a lot of people want the hits, want their mashed potatoes exactly the way Mom used to make them. Which for Funny Girl & Parade, means Streisand, the way she did it in the movie.
If they're doing previews or even tech rehearsals and discovering that their lead can't do the One Big Song...
'Oh god, the reviews are gonna kill us. What can we do?'
"Look. We both know who to call. She's been practicing her whole life, not just to sing it, not just sing it on Broadway, but to sing it on Broadway like Barbra. AND audiences already know that, and will line up around the block for it. Make the call already."
The fact that we don't know what do do about the situation when the next response is 'Aw, but I heard she's a real cunt. Who can't even read.' is another story.
posted by bartleby at 4:25 PM on July 14, 2022 [7 favorites]
One way to do that is 'playing the hits'. A large part of the audience is there for The Broadway Experience. What that means for a lot of people involves their ideas and traditions about what Broadway is. And if you're selling tickets, you have to 'give the people what they want'.
Funny Girl, it is true, is overall not a very good show. BUT! It is famous. And a large part of the fame is based around 'Don't Rain on my Parade'.
Like it or not, it placed a landmark for 50 years of the big 'look out world, here I COOOOOME!' Broadway number. It's the nail that holds the whole painting up.
People know it, and love it, and will pay a bunch of money to go see it done big and live on stage.
Which means you have to cast someone who can sing it. Which is hard, because it's another Broadway staple, the stunt song. There are some technical challenges (there's a lot of elocution and breath control; you kind of have to hyperventilate through the first half in order to belt out those sustained high notes in the second). As an opera comparison, part of the reason one might buy tickets for The Magic Flute is excitement that they found a coloratura who can hit those staccato high Fs to play Queen of the Night, and you've only ever heard recordings. Enough that you'll skip lunch for a month to save up for what may be your one chance to see it.
If they put on a production where the lead just mumbles their way through the song... the audience will boo and the show will close. Because why bother?
You're gonna do Frozen, but without Let It Go? Lakme, without the duet?
Which is not to say that no one else can sing Parade. Here's Lilias White doing it. Here's another actress from Glee doing it, for chrissakes.
But a lot of people want the hits, want their mashed potatoes exactly the way Mom used to make them. Which for Funny Girl & Parade, means Streisand, the way she did it in the movie.
If they're doing previews or even tech rehearsals and discovering that their lead can't do the One Big Song...
'Oh god, the reviews are gonna kill us. What can we do?'
"Look. We both know who to call. She's been practicing her whole life, not just to sing it, not just sing it on Broadway, but to sing it on Broadway like Barbra. AND audiences already know that, and will line up around the block for it. Make the call already."
The fact that we don't know what do do about the situation when the next response is 'Aw, but I heard she's a real cunt. Who can't even read.' is another story.
posted by bartleby at 4:25 PM on July 14, 2022 [7 favorites]
See: Spiderman.
Highly, highly recommend Song of Spiderman as an inside look at the production of this play.
I am disinterested in Broadway stuff generally but this has been such a massive attention-getter that it is showing up in my tiktok FYP.
posted by jeoc at 4:38 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Highly, highly recommend Song of Spiderman as an inside look at the production of this play.
I am disinterested in Broadway stuff generally but this has been such a massive attention-getter that it is showing up in my tiktok FYP.
posted by jeoc at 4:38 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Wow. This article is horribly written, and doesn’t seem to be edited at all. I agree with others who have pointed to the piece in The Daily Beast.
posted by How the runs scored at 9:18 PM on July 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by How the runs scored at 9:18 PM on July 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
I hate Lea Michele.
But after seeing Beanie perform, I understand why replacing her was inevitable. She is not a good singer nor is she a good stage actress and it was actually pretty painful to sit through the show with her as Fanny.
I just wish Michele wasn't the next choice.
posted by The Adventure Begins at 10:11 PM on July 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
But after seeing Beanie perform, I understand why replacing her was inevitable. She is not a good singer nor is she a good stage actress and it was actually pretty painful to sit through the show with her as Fanny.
I just wish Michele wasn't the next choice.
posted by The Adventure Begins at 10:11 PM on July 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
I will readily admit that I cannot disassociate Fanny from Barbra which means I was not in the right headspace to appreciate Beanie's interpretation, which in the absence of such a strong original actress overshadowing her performance could be very cute.
posted by The Adventure Begins at 10:25 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The Adventure Begins at 10:25 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Yeah, being a good singer has nothing to do with being cast in a Broadway production that requires good singing. I just saw Katrina Lenk in “Company.”
posted by Melismata at 4:23 AM on July 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 4:23 AM on July 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Did they even consider casting a hologram of young Barbara Streisand?
posted by badbobbycase at 4:44 AM on July 15, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by badbobbycase at 4:44 AM on July 15, 2022 [7 favorites]
Lea Michele, Fanny Brice, and the Art of Trying Too Hard (Town and Country)
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:00 AM on July 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:00 AM on July 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
If your best defense against charges of racism is to imply “No, I threaten to shit in the wigs of people of all races!”, then maybe you should start reconsidering your life choices.
posted by jonp72 at 11:23 AM on July 15, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by jonp72 at 11:23 AM on July 15, 2022 [13 favorites]
Jane Lynch supports Lea Michele’s Broadway comeback: ‘I adore her’ Uh-HUH.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:31 PM on July 15, 2022
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:31 PM on July 15, 2022
> nepotism... I gather Beanie's dad is involved in the production somehow?
The Internet Broadway Data Base lists over 30 producers and production companies but not Richard Feldstein or his company, but MickeyJoTheater did say he was involved.
posted by ASCII Costanza head at 7:49 PM on July 15, 2022
The Internet Broadway Data Base lists over 30 producers and production companies but not Richard Feldstein or his company, but MickeyJoTheater did say he was involved.
posted by ASCII Costanza head at 7:49 PM on July 15, 2022
I found this commentary from Linda Holmes at Pop Culture Happy Hour interesting - it particularly highlights the way early reviews criticized Beanie alongside many other aspects of the production itself (book, sets, direction), not as the singular flaw.
posted by earth by april at 1:59 PM on July 16, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by earth by april at 1:59 PM on July 16, 2022 [10 favorites]
I saw the show on Friday night -- it wasn't a show I was desperate to see, but a co-worker/friend was buying tickets a few months ago and we hadn't seen each other in person since December what with our employer having gone full remote, so I told her to count me in. With all this unfolding this week, I was curious to see what Feldstein's performance was like, but, we got Julie Benko. And, yeah, she was terrific in the part. I hope all this publicity helps her land more roles in future.
My friend and I were in the front row, and while unfortunately the stage in the August Wilson Theater is so much higher than the front row seats we couldn't see anyone's feet below the shins (which sucked for all the tap-dancing numbers), it did let me appreciate all the detailing of the costumes. Maybe they didn't look as impressive from further back, if early reviews criticized the costuming, but I thought they were gorgeous.
posted by oh yeah! at 4:50 PM on July 17, 2022
My friend and I were in the front row, and while unfortunately the stage in the August Wilson Theater is so much higher than the front row seats we couldn't see anyone's feet below the shins (which sucked for all the tap-dancing numbers), it did let me appreciate all the detailing of the costumes. Maybe they didn't look as impressive from further back, if early reviews criticized the costuming, but I thought they were gorgeous.
posted by oh yeah! at 4:50 PM on July 17, 2022
Yeah, I’ve been impressed with the costumes in every picture I’ve seen.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:19 PM on July 17, 2022
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:19 PM on July 17, 2022
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