Beanie Feldstein, the lead actress of the first Broadway renaissance of “Funny Girl,” announced Sunday night on Instagram that she would leave production later this month, two months ahead of schedule.
“Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been my lifelong dream, and doing so for the past few months has been a great joy and a real honor,” Feldstein wrote in the post. “Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to move away from what was planned.”
Feldstein had previously said that his last show as Brice would be on September 25, but his new end date is now July 31. The show quickly responded on Twitter to say there would be casting announcements on Monday.
Program representatives did not immediately respond to a question about Feldstein’s cryptic comment about the program going in a “different direction.”
Feldstein, 29, was best known for her supporting roles on screen in “Booksmart” and “Lady Bird,” as well as for her lead role as Monica Lewinsky in the FX series “Impeachment: American Crime Story.” being selected for the role that helped make Barbra Streisand a star in 1964. Her Broadway debut was in 2017 as Minnie Fay in “Hello, Dolly!”, starring Bette Midler. The producers had struggled to carry out a Broadway renaissance of “Funny Girl” over the years, in part because of the immense challenges of the lead role and the fact that Streisand and Brice seemed to be inextricably linked.
Feldstein’s performance received some unfavorable criticism. In The New York Times, chief theater critic Jesse Green wrote, “You take root to lift the ceiling, but it only bumps a little.”
The production, which premiered in April at the August Wilson Theater, also features Ramin Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, Brice’s love interest; Jane Lynch as Brice’s adorable mother who supports her during her rise as Ziegfeld’s star; and Jared Grimes as Fanny’s friend Eddie Ryan. The show only received a Tony Award nomination, for the Grimes performance, but did not win. The program previously announced that Lynch would leave after Sept. 25.
“I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every person who came to August Wilson for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and team,” he said. write Feldstein in the publication. . “The people I’ve had the great joy of bringing‘ Funny Girl ’to life every night, both on and off stage, are exceptional humans and with extraordinary talent and I hope you continue to join them on Henry Street after my departure. ”