Beanie Feldstein & Jane Lynch To Depart Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’ In September – Update

Greg Evans
·3 min read

UPDATE, with Beanie Feldstein statement: Funny Girl stars Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch will depart the productionl on September 25, producers announced today.

In a tweet, the show addressed the return of Feldstein following a week off after testing positive from Covid, then announces the September departure.

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“Beanie returns tomorrow!,” the tweet says. “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.”

Feldstein subsequently posted a message on Instagram, writing, in part, “September 25th will be my last show as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. I’ll never be able to find the words that could even begin to explain what the experience has been to me….I gave and will continue to give this show all of me. I am immensely proud to be a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls. I am so deeply grateful for every other bagel that comes to Henry Street with us every night. Can’t wait to see you all there through September.”

See the full statement below. (The Henry Street mentioned in the message references the Brooklyn setting where much of the musical takes place.)

Jared Grimes, Jane Lynch - Credit: Matthew Murphy
Jared Grimes, Jane Lynch - Credit: Matthew Murphy

Matthew Murphy

Although replacements for the two stars, who play vaudeville comic Fanny Brice and her mother Mrs. Brice, were not announced, Feldstein’s standby Julie Benko has been performing the Fanny role since Feldstein test positive for Covid last week. Word of mouth is that Benko is terrific in the role.

But the news comes as Funny Girl had a less-than-stellar Broadway week: Neither of the toplining stars were nominated for Tony Awards, and box office was down considerably last week in Feldstein’s absence. One bright spot: Jared Grimes, who plays Eddie Ryan in the musical and has several stand-out dance numbers, was nominated for a Best Featured Actor/Musical Tony, though he lost to Company‘s Matt Doyle. Grimes, and leading actor Ramin Karimloo, who plays Nick Arnstein, will remain with the show after Feldstein and Lynch depart in September.

Sources tell Deadline that Lynch always planned to leave the production in September, but Feldstein was expected to stay on possibly through the end of the year.

Here is Feldstein’s complete statement:

Today is the end of Quarantbean and tomorrow I am back in the show!

September 25th will be my last show as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. I’ll never be able to find the words that could even begin to explain what the experience has been to me. To every single person that brings Funny Girl to life on stage every day at the August Wilson- to every dresser, usher, front of house, spot operator, props, automation, to the incredible offstage company who are the heroes of Broadway, to every orchestra member, security guard, the genius hair team, my sound team buddies and of course my angels on stage with me every night… all of the people of Funny Girl: I love you. You’re my people. I am forever changed by knowing you.

As Fanny Brice herself once said: “Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?”

I gave and will continue to give this show all of me. I am immensely proud to be a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls. I am so deeply grateful for every other bagel that comes to Henry Street with us every night. Can’t wait to see you all there through September.

 

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A post shared by Beanie Feldstein (@beaniefeldstein)

 

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