Lea Michele, Tovah Feldshuh joining 'Funny Girl' on Broadway

Ilana Keller, Asbury Park Press
·2 min read
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Lea Micheleis coming back to Broadway.

The Emmy-nominated "Glee" and "Spring Awakening" star, a Tenafly native, will star as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" starting Sept. 6, alongside four-time Tony Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh("Yentl,"“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) as Mrs. Brice.

The pair take over for Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch, respectively.

Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ramin Karimlooas Nick Arnstein and 2022 Tony Award nominee Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryanremain in their roles.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: Lea Michele attends the front row for the DUNCAN NYFW Spring/Summer 2022 Runway Show at Gallery at Spring Studios on September 08, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images for DUNCAN) ORG XMIT: 775703178 ORIG FILE ID: 1339127765
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: Lea Michele attends the front row for the DUNCAN NYFW Spring/Summer 2022 Runway Show at Gallery at Spring Studios on September 08, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images for DUNCAN) ORG XMIT: 775703178 ORIG FILE ID: 1339127765

Current Fanny Brice standby Julie Benko will perform the title role from Aug. 2 to Sept. 4, and continue as an alternate for Thursday shows.

Masking policiesBroadway to drop mask mandate, making face coverings optional starting in July

Feldstein and Lynch originally were announced to be leaving the production on Sept. 25. On Sunday, Feldstein announced via Instagram that she would be leaving on July 31. Lynch, Michele's "Glee" co-star, will now depart Sept. 4, just before Michele and Feldshuh join the production.

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A post shared by Beanie Feldstein (@beaniefeldstein)

“Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a lifelong dream of mine, and doing so for the last few months has been a great joy and true honor,” Feldstein wrote.

“Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated.”

Tickets for "Funny Girl" at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd St.) are on sale through March 26, 2023, at seatgeek.com/funny-girl-tickets.

Joaquina Kalukango stars in "Paradise Square."
Joaquina Kalukango stars in "Paradise Square."

The "Funny Girl" casting news followed what was already a busy day for Broadway's stages, with the new musical "Paradise Square" announcing its final performance is set for this Sunday, July 17, and word that the new comedy "Ain’t No Mo,’" written by and starring Jordan E. Cooper, will premiere at the Belasco Theatre this fall, with previews starting Thursday, Nov. 3, ahead of opening on Thursday, Dec. 1.

Ilana Keller is an award-winning journalist and lifelong New Jersey resident who loves Broadway and really bad puns. She highlights arts advocacy and education, theater fundraisers and more through her column, "Sightlines." Reach out on Twitter: @ilanakeller; ikeller@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lea Michele, Tovah Feldshuh joining 'Funny Girl' on Broadway