NYTimes: Lea Michele is well aware that the pressure is on

(cont.) For Michele, who temporarily stepped away from performing after the birth of her son, Ever, in 2020, the explosive internet reaction to her “Funny Girl” casting was not, perhaps, the return-to-Broadway narrative she had imagined.

Before the news was announced, Feldstein, who had generally received underwhelming reviews in the role, said on Instagram in July that she would be leaving the show two months earlier than expected, writing that the production had “decided to take the show in a different direction.” The announcement fueled speculation that Feldstein’s departure had something to do with Michele, who was rumored to be taking over the part.

Rebukes of Michele resurfaced online, with some questioning whether she should have been offered the role at all.

To go back to June 2020: After Michele tweeted a message with the Black Lives Matter hashtag, Samantha Marie Ware, a Black actress who appeared on “Glee,” said Michele had been responsible for “traumatic microaggressions” toward her, saying that Michele had threatened to get her fired and made a humiliating remark in front of castmates.

A deluge of criticism followed, including from former “Glee” actors who described Michele as exclusionary and demeaning to colleagues. The meal-kit company HelloFresh, saying it “does not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind,” ended its partnership with her.

Another co-star from “Glee,” Heather Morris, tweeted at the time that it had been very unpleasant to work with Michele, writing that “for Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe she should be called out.” (Morris did not respond to an interview request.)

Michele apologized in 2020 for her past behavior. In the interview last month, she declined to address the specifics of Ware’s account, saying she doesn’t “feel the need to handle things” through the media. Ware declined to comment, but shortly after Michele’s “Funny Girl” casting was announced, Ware posted a tweet in which she said, “Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness.” Her account and tweets have since been made private.

Michele now acknowledges that her work style is intense, sometimes to a fault. “I have an edge to me. I work really hard. I leave no room for mistakes,” she said. “That level of perfectionism, or that pressure of perfectionism, left me with a lot of blind spots.”

She traced that psychology to her days as a child actress on Broadway, where, she said, the expectation to perform at a consistently high level often put her in a “semi-robotic state.”

Her performance career started unexpectedly when she was 8, living in Tenafly, N.J., with her father (a Jewish deli owner) and her mother (an Italian-Catholic nurse). As Michele tells it, her mother was asked to drive a friend’s daughter, whose father had just had a heart attack, to an audition for the Broadway production of “Les Misérables.” Michele insisted on coming along, and she ended up landing the dual role of Young Cosette and Young Éponine. Hungry for more, Michele was 9 when she was cast in the new musical “Ragtime.”

At 14, she met Mayer when she landed the role of Wendla in a workshop of “Spring Awakening.” The role, as a teenager exploring her sexual desires within the strictures of a 19th-century German household, left no questions about her dedication to the theater. Michele was beaten with a switch onstage by her co-star, Jonathan Groff, and when she was older, she was asked to bare her chest and simulate sex onstage.

Groff, who formed a close bond with Michele during the run, remembers Michele being upset by the uncomfortable laughter that beating scene would elicit from audiences.

“It would really crush her,” he said, “like, ‘Oh gosh, are we not doing the scene well enough? The people are laughing!’”

Groff was the person who invited her to dinner with Murphy, setting the stage for Michele’s “Glee” role. At 22, Michele became known to the world as Rachel Berry, an anal-retentive high school glee club member whose middle name, Barbra, is after a certain Brooklyn-born diva. (cont.)

(cont.) By the time Berry lands the “Funny Girl” role in the series, her affinity for the musical is well established, having already sung “Don’t Rain On My Parade” and the movie-specific “My Man.” In the show’s fifth season, Berry belts “I’m the Greatest Star” on a Broadway stage, with Lynch watching from the audience.

You can be forgiven for mixing up which plot points belong to Michele and which to Berry. “It all kind of morphed together a little bit,” Michele said.

In a moment of Rachel Berry-like perfectionism, she admitted that during a “Glee” concert tour, she asked that “Don’t Rain On My Parade” be removed from the set list because she had messed up during a live performance.

Behind the scenes, Michele said, she was getting a “quick education on addiction” while dating Cory Monteith, her co-star who had long struggled with substance abuse. Monteith died in 2013 of a combination of heroin and alcohol, devastating Michele and other cast members.

Not long after, Michele got within reach of her dream role, as Murphy snagged the rights to a Broadway revival of “Funny Girl.” It was a difficult time, Michele said, and she felt uncertain about the plan because she had just performed many of the show’s songs on TV.

“I didn’t feel like there was anything new that I could bring,” she said.

The new emotional material came in the years since — when, like Brice does in the show’s second act, Michele got married and had a child, reordering her priorities.

Her friends started to notice changes. Groff recalled that at Michele’s wedding to Zandy Reich, a businessman, in 2019, Murphy, who officiated, told a story about his first dinner with them as a couple. According to Groff, Murphy lightheartedly said, “This was the first time I’ve had dinner with Lea where the main topic of the conversation wasn’t about her, what she wanted to do next creatively.” (A representative for Murphy said he was unavailable to comment for the story.)

Michele gave birth to Ever the next year after months of pregnancy complications. He was still a baby when the team behind the London production of “Funny Girl” was casting for the transfer to Broadway. Mayer said that even though Michele was at the top of the list for Brice, he sensed she would not be ready to return to work.

After the show cast Feldstein, Mayer had a conversation with Michele to explain the decision. “I said, ‘Look, I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear, but this is what we’re doing,’” Mayer remembered telling Michele.

Down the road, he added, “‘I would love to do ‘Funny Girl’ with you some time.’”

Michele said she had not been set on returning to Broadway until November 2021, when she performed in a one-night-only “Spring Awakening” reunion concert. Around that time, she said, she had another conversation with Mayer, in which she said that if Feldstein’s run ended, and they wanted a replacement, she would be “honored” to step in.

After Feldstein initially announced her planned departure in June, the wheels for Michele to take over were set in motion, Mayer said. He added that he loved Feldstein’s performance and stands by her “100 percent.” Asked why Feldstein decided to leave earlier than expected, he said he was unsure.

“I haven’t spoken to her about it,” Mayer said. “I think it was hard for her once she knew she was going to be leaving and that someone else was taking over.” (A representative for Feldstein didn’t respond to requests for comment.) (cont.)

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! Goddamn Motherfucker!!!!!! (throws vase and dishes across room). Son of a fucking bitch!!!!! That fucking cunt!!!!!

Sorry but it’s nice to see someone’s lifelong dream come to fruition. Suck it haters.

(cont.) Mayer said Michele’s deal went through relatively quickly because she and Feldstein had the same agent, who already knew the details around the show. By late July, Michele was in the rehearsal room. Benko took over as Brice for the month of August, with the assurance she’d perform one show a week in the role after Michele’s debut.

On one of Michele’s first days with the full cast, she sang “Don’t Rain On My Parade” onstage, and an ensemble member, Leslie Blake Walker, said she remembered watching her perform the song on “Glee” — Walker’s first exposure to “Funny Girl.”

Rehearsing “Greatest Star” onstage last month, Michele played Brice with the character’s feverish energy dialed up a bit higher than the two Fannies before her this year. The comedy was her way of taking things to the extreme: grabbing a fistful of Jared Grimes’s sweatshirt when trying to convince him of her talent, or hoisting herself on top of the piano, as Mayer suggested, standing partially on the keys.

The structure of the show itself will see some changes, including a new interlude of a Brice song, “I’d Rather Be Blue Over You,” that Streisand sings in the movie.

Michele, like her predecessors, has tried to remove the pressure of the comparison, saying, “​​I will never be as good as Barbra Streisand.” Whatever performance she delivers, it will not be eligible for a Tony: Only the originating actress in that production, Feldstein, can be considered for the award.

But the pressure on her to save this revival is hard to dismiss. Mayer said he sees this as a “second chance” for “Funny Girl,” whose ticket sales had been on the decline, dropping to an average weekly gross of about $760,000 in Feldstein’s final month from $1.2 million in the first two, according to data from the Broadway League. Prices have now skyrocketed for Michele’s debut: The most expensive ticket on her first night is more than $2,600, as of Wednesday.

Despite the evident star power, Michele seems aware that she should avoid behaving like a diva.

“Everyone here has been through a lot, and I just have to come in and be prepared and do a good job and be respectful of the fact that this is their space,” she said.

A humbling element of the process is that she had to learn how to tap dance from square one, practicing with a nursery rhyme tap video one of the show’s choreographers, Ayodele Casel, sent her. (After the first tap rehearsal, she said, she cried in the bathroom, wondering if she really could pull this role off, before the steps eventually clicked.)

Still, Michele admits that she is only just learning how to be publicly vulnerable. Online hatred of her can verge on gleeful, and she fears that if she responds to criticism — or a bizarre rumor that she is illiterate — it will fuel the fire.

“I went to ‘Glee’ every single day; I knew my lines every single day,” she said. “And then there’s a rumor online that I can’t read or write? It’s sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn’t be the case.”

Right now, Michele said, she is focused on what’s in front of her: inhabiting the role, and this time, doing it as a wife and mother rather than a fame-hungry former glee club captain.

Maybe Rachel Berry would throw a fit if her performance was ineligible for a Tony Award, but present-day Lea Michele insists that she isn’t bothered.

“You might think that’s the biggest piece of bull that I’m going to say to you all day,” Michele said, using the stronger version of the word, “but I really don’t care about that at this point. It’s just about being able to play this part.”

THE END

[quote] Groff recalled that at Michele’s wedding to Zandy Reich, a businessman, in 2019, Murphy, who officiated, told a story about his first dinner with them as a couple. According to Groff, Murphy lightheartedly said, “This was the first time I’ve had dinner with Lea where the main topic of the conversation wasn’t about her, what she wanted to do next creatively.” (A representative for Murphy said he was unavailable to comment for the story.)

This was my favorite part.

No sulks!

It’s not the Roman way!

Wow, what a cunt!

[quote]Michele now acknowledges that her work style is intense, sometimes to a fault. “I have an edge to me. I work really hard. I leave no room for mistakes,” she said. “That level of perfectionism, or that pressure of perfectionism, left me with a lot of blind spots.”

That's how you answer the perennial job interview question, "What are your weaknesses?"

[quote]Murphy lightheartedly said, “This was the first time I’ve had dinner with Lea where the main topic of the conversation wasn’t about her, what she wanted to do next creatively.”

Why else an actor would be having dinner with him unless to talk shop?

I saw my first commercial touting her as Fanny Brice recently. I think maybe it was on YouTube.

[quote] That's how you answer the perennial job interview question, "What are your weaknesses?"

I hope you're joking.

This is how stupid people answer that question, which was why it used to come up in job interviews for a company for which I used to work: they knew the people who answered this way were full of bullshit, and tossed their application as soon as they left the interviewing room.

[quote]Whatever performance she delivers, it will not be eligible for a Tony: Only the originating actress in that production, Feldstein, can be considered for the award.

Well, then, I guess Lea won't be able to put an award where her heart should be.

Insufferable - my greatest fault is that I'm a perfectionist - barf.

She's clearly never interviewed for a job because only an imbecile would actually use that.

Strange thing is that her husband is neither hot nor seemingly fabulously rich. He must be a doormat that constantly caters to her every whim because ain't no way a person with any sort of backbone is putting up with that and the only reason someone like her would marry a not hot, not rich dude is because she knows no one else will put up with her crap.

The profile writer really fucked her over by mentioning the illiteracy rumor. So hilarious.

I predict shes going to knock it right out of the park. As driven as she is to be a STAH ,theres no way shes not going to hit that stage giving 1000%. All the other cast members from Glee are doing what now ?

R11, of course it was sarcasm.

Why drag Jane Lynch into this? She was scheduled to leave anyway and it made sense for Tovah to take over when Lea steps in. The End.

I’m quite sure she was a total asshole on Glee.

But I think she may be really good in this, and if we stopped assholes from performing, we wouldn’t have much theater, TV, movies or music.

Good for her. Hope she nails it.

So they're giving her I'D RATHER BE BLUE - does that mean CORNET MAN has been cut?

And why not just cut MUSIC THAT MAKES ME DANCE and do MY MAN at the end?

Give the audiences what they want!

I like her. She’s gonna be fantastic.

But Lynch is already gone. She left a two or three weeks ago, two weeks before she had been announced to leave.

If assholes and cunts were banned from the Broadway stage....well, it would be a sad place.

They keep trying to say or at least imply that Lynch leaving early is unrelated to Michele's hiring. It's ridiculous. Unless Lynch has an amazing agent or blackmail material, she left 2 weeks of pay behind to avoid Michele. The producers couldn't have wanted this--they could have promoted the show as a mini-Glee reunion if Lynch had stayed. It would have added to the buzz. QED, Lynch hates Michele.

Also - love how Mayer didn’t bother to talk to Beanie about why she left early.

Essentially saying “no clue - never spoke to her.”

[quote]r5 Whatever performance she delivers, it will not be eligible for a Tony: Only the originating actress in that production, Feldstein, can be considered for the award.

I think a special dispensation will be given in Ms. Michele’s case. NY hates Beanie THAT. MUCH.

Look for her name next year.

[quote] I think a special dispensation will be given in Ms. Michele’s case. NY hates Beanie THAT. MUCH.

You think people don't hate Lea Michele???

True, true.

Cunts and assholes?

I’m ready, Coach!

She's the grating-est star!

She is by far!

And everyone knows it!

Cunt

If she can make a comeback from the "I'll shit in your wig" comment, it will be one of the most remarkable canceling comebacks in recent history.

I would love to see Ramin Karimloo interviewed someday evealuating his three Fanny Brices.

I'm shaking in my boots!

My only take on her was an excruciating off key and screechy “Parade” she sang at the Tonys a few years ago.

Note that she didn’t say for this article, “I actually can read”. She just said “I came in every day already knowing my lines, and people say I can’t read.” Draw your own conclusions.

[quote]Note that she didn’t say for this article, “I actually can read”. She just said “I came in every day already knowing my lines, and people say I can’t read.” Draw your own conclusions.

It is rather strange that she never says she can read.

In fantasy books series I read, there is a HUGE plot point that a particular group of people cannot lie, so have made an entire art of such evasions. You had to pay close attention to the specific phrasing if you wanted to figure out some of the side mysteries in the story.

I don't know this pop tart, but I guarantee the little bitch is under ZERO actual "pressure" in 2022.

R38, what series? Reminds me of the Aes Sedai from Jordan’s Wheel of Time.

[quote] It is rather strange that she never says she can read.

[quote] In fantasy books series I read, there is a HUGE plot point that a particular group of people cannot lie, so have made an entire art of such evasions.

That reminds me of Star Jones, who would make ridiculously misleading claims on "The View," and then try to weasel out of them in her books by showing how at the time she thought like a lawyer and so said vague things that were technically not lies.

It endeared no one to her.

The Redemption of Shitwigler begins.

The rumor that she's illiterate, if indeed untrue, is hilariously mean and goes some towards paying her back for the cruelty she inflicted on the set of "Glee."

I wonder if the rumor has become so widespread some people actually think she's retarded.

Cunt queen!

If she is/ were illiterate, she could easily hire a tutor to teach her to read. If she has a reading disability, there is no shame and she could use her fame to bring attention to the disability.

Remember, if she's illiterate for lack of schooling during all that time she was a child actor, she might likely also be innumerate, too. So that tutor is going to have his hands full.

Plus, I couldn't answer for her knowing all her shapes and colors.

I doubt the reading rumors are true. It's rather silly. It's not like it's 1910 for fucks sake. She would have had plenty of options. I think she's just your average mini diva/cunt and people want to exaggerate anything unflattering to troll her. I mean, if you want to start ridiculous rumors go big.

I just wonder if she can read the writing on the wall.

Maybe she'll listen to me.

Hit THESE high notes, bitch!

[quote][R38], what series? Reminds me of the Aes Sedai from Jordan’s Wheel of Time.

It was. If you wanted to figure out who were black ajah, which Forsaken were in the Tower, Verin of the purple ajah, and a bunch of other small mysteries, you had to pay close attention to the exact phrasing people used.

R46 I like blue.

And the shapes that aren't circles.

Lea will be Ramin’s fourth Fanny: Beanie, Julie, Ephie and now Lea.

[quote] Asked why Feldstein decided to leave earlier than expected, he said he was unsure. “I haven’t spoken to her about it,” Mayer said. “I think it was hard for her once she knew she was going to be leaving and that someone else was taking over.” (A representative for Feldstein didn’t respond to requests for comment.)

What kind of bullshit is that?

She'd be good if she'd just drop that little-girl whine she does at the start of certain notes.

Lea Michele is 36 years old??

I had no idea she was that old, that's way too old for this part. Isn't Brice supposed to be like 16 at the beginning?

The fat one was almost 30.

Lea doesn’t look 36. She’s younger than springtime and twice as exciting.

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite cuntiness.

My guess is she'll get good reviews but not ecstatic ones. She'll become one of those actresses who mostly stick to Broadway muscials (like Lupone, Ebersole, Chenoweth, Menzel) or do voiceovers since her features are so horrific on the screen. Her cuntiness will continue to be legend for the rest of her life, and she'll be made fun of constantly for that by gay men.

As she continues to do more loud-voiced Broadway roles (Reno Sweeney, Hildy in "On the Town," Momma Rose) the NYTimes will occasionally do profiles of her where she'll stick to the same sorts of talking points she does in this profile: she's a perfectionist and knows what she wants, and anyone who can't handle that is somehow sexist (as if men who act that way are not denigrated for it too), and yet (she'll claim) motherhood and Cory Monteith's tragedy have continued to mellow her and change her for the better. No one except one or two people (usually Jonathan Groff) will confirm in the profile she's a good person deep down. People who work on productions with her will read those profiles and snort at what a lying self-glorifying asshole she is.

And in Malibu Barbra Streisand will read those profiles in the NYTimes and recognize herself in horror, and will tell James Brolin in self-justification over the breakfast table, "At least I always kicked up instead of down!"

[quote]Groff recalled that at Michele’s wedding to Zandy Reich, a businessman, in 2019, Murphy, who officiated, told a story about his first dinner with them as a couple. According to Groff, Murphy lightheartedly said, “This was the first time I’ve had dinner with Lea where the main topic of the conversation wasn’t about her, what she wanted to do next creatively.” (A representative for Murphy said he was unavailable to comment for the story.)

This is messy. Groff exposed Miss Murphy.

[quote]Groff exposed Miss Murphy.

Or, perhaps Murphy suggested Groff share the anecdote to give both plausible deniability...

Groff knew that Murphy would just titter cuntily if he ever becomes aware of the quote. Murphy is so much bigger than Michele. Michele will always take his meetings with a big, big, big smile and a crazy glint in her eyes.

R60 Ryan Murphy told a story that was only 80% about HIM? I don't believe it for a second!

Can’t blame the producers for being shady with her hiring. I mean, Beanie was a disaster. They had an obligation to investors, cast and creatives to find a way to keep the show running to hopefully recoup.

It’s a bad position to be in. There is no pleasant want to go about replacing someone who is failing.

R64 Was Beanie bad in the role, or just really frickin' ugly to look at?

She was not ugly to look at. Her physical appearance was not the problem. Even her acting was okay (enough.)

She could not sing the role.

Beanie is ugly and a fat cunt.

Lea is SKINNY with a huge schnoz.

R67 I mean, isn't that last part kind of the point of the "Funny Girl" story?

R50, Verin was Brown (or Black depending). Sorry to DL for continuing to interrupt this Lea Michele thread with nerd fantasy fiction).

In regard to Jane Lynch: Ages ago I read a rumor that Lea was mean towards the actress living with Down Syndrome who had a fair amount of scenes with Jane Lynch. Jane had to take Lea aside and chew her out and that was that. I have no idea if the rumor is true and am recalling it quite poorly, actually.

I can't knock the gal for figuring something out. She had to put herself back out there somehow and can actually sing. It's just her face and overall vibe I don't like.

If she's sub-literate then it's a shame she doesn't get tested for dyslexia and hire a tutor. There's no shame in dyslexia or any other learning disability by any means at all.

The rumor that she can't read was probably started by some stupid joking around, fans who take everything literally, or disgruntled fans/former fans. The Glee fans had a special mix of various crazy intermingled with the typical stans.

[quote] Groff exposed Miss Murphy.

Lea first exposed herself to Jonathan Groff (on a desk using a powerful lamp, according to them both).

Has Barbra ever said what she thinks of LM? Have they met in person?

Shit wigs

I love that the rumor has stuck to her, because from all accounts she's such a narcissistic asshole, and there's nothing more galling to a malignant narcissist than rumors they're incapable of doing something simple they actually can do.

There's no reason why she should have been such a cunt backstage during the "Glee" run--when it started she was 23, and more than old enough to know her behavior was unacceptable and cruel. So she deserves all the mockery she gets.

She should try rehabilitating her image by filming a PSA in which a she offers a musical tour of her genitalia for her unenlightened "lavender" fans. The camera can get all up in there. She can open with a warbled snippet of Madonna's "Spotlight" to set the mood.

She's a fucking cunt.

I have shared this previously, but in the Glee era, a friend of mine and I were having a very late lunch in the East Village. Lea Michele and her chubby then-boyfriend Theo Stockman showed up, the only other party there.

My friend — who was going through a hard time — was facing away from them, thankfully, but I was facing toward, so I could see and hear Lea looking down her nose at us and commenting on what we looked like, what we were ordering, how much we were ordering.

It was the most ridiculous celebrity encounter I've observed. I thought, bitch, you're on Glee—do you really need to boost your ego by insulting civilians who are merely in the same space, not bothering you (or even trying to interact with you) at all? It was eighth-grade bully behavior, directed toward strangers.

I think she should embrace the rumors and make wiping out illiteracy her pet charity.

She could sing some catchy jingle…

Illiteracy made me want to shit in a wig.

[quote]I think she should embrace the rumors and make wiping out illiteracy her pet charity.

Or maybe she could just make wiping her pet charity.

Fuck this cunt.

This Oppresses Me!

I Am Being Oppressed!

My Wigs! My Wigs!

R73

Streisand said "She´s got a sweet voice".

LM and some Glee folks were allowed to perform for Babs in 2011 Musiccares Tribute.

Babs was getting good free pr from the Glee series .She still wanted to make Gypsy and thougt Ryan might come in handy in getting it made. So she was polite-for once.

It´s actually a nice tribute,with intresting performers ( yeah,i´m looking at you KCH producers)

[quote][R50], Verin was Brown (or Black depending). Sorry to DL for continuing to interrupt this Lea Michele thread with nerd fantasy fiction).

Back on discussion boards that were active while the series was still in the process of being published, two of the most hotly debated topics were: 1) Who killed Asmodean; and 2) Was Verin black.

A theory that gained HUGE currency that lasted until the final reveal in TGS was that Verin was part of another "secret" ajah within the tower, like the black, that had it's own priorities - the so-called purple ajah. To this day, many OG fans don't consider her to have been black given her allegiances and still consider her "purple" ajah to significy her having gone her own way.

^^ Well, this thread took a turn. ^^

Fascinating anecdote, r77. What was the East Village restaurant where you were all eating? I'm curious where Lea and Theo would go.

Theo is still close friends with the Spring Awakening cast, he posts Instagram stories hanging out with Groff and John Gallagher quite often.

The rumors about Lea not being able to read are true, as this clip clearly shows.

Amateur

It was Rue B on Avenue B, R86.

I wasn't into Glee, but when I read these stories about her bullying cast members of Glee, I didn't have a hard time believing them, based on the fact that I was a nobody in an East Village cafe that she decided to abuse on sight.

Goes without saying I won't be paying Broadway prices to see her live.

She can choke on whatever's at hand, as far as I'm concerned.

[quote]Insufferable - my greatest fault is that I'm a perfectionist - barf.

That's Streisand talk. Lea copies her ridiculous quotes/excuses because she knows nothing else to say. I've been acquainted with nutty Streisand fans in the past, and that's how they talk. 80% of everything they say is from a Streisand movie or interview. Otherwise, I hope Lea is a success, Beanie was an embarrassment.

Btw, how and why did this happen -

No reviews allowed until end of month.

The NY costume shop Eric Winterling, Inc. that made all of Beanie's costumes just posted photos on Facebook and Instagram this morning of all of Lea's new costumes. Sadly, they all look like the same misguided designs, albeit in a slimmer silhouette.

Unlikely to happen, but I hope the cunt falls flat on her plastic surgeried face. If this becomes a Broadway success, her ego will have no limit.

Was "Cornet Man" cut for Beanie???

IT'S ONE OF THE BEST SONGS IN THE SCORE.

[quote] No reviews allowed until end of month.

How do the enforce that?

R97, I believe it's a gentlemen's agreement. It won't stop bloggers/small outlets from attending and publishing reviews but The Times etc. will abide by the producers' request.

[quote]r94 Sadly, they all look like the same misguided designs, albeit in a slimmer silhouette.

I don’t think it’s common to change a character’s established costumes just because a new performer is coming in. The only designer I’ve read of who does this is William Ivey Long, who adapts the existing designs to the understudies, even, as he feels actors are individual, move differently, etc.

Thanks, R98.

As long as Dataloungers can post a review, that will suffice.

Based on the photos of Lea’s costumes her finale/curtain call dress is much more streamlined and doesn’t look like curtains. God I hope they restaged her bow and the cast isn’t doing that ‘where is she?’ shit.

Sounds like Lea is so nervous she could shit

...in someone's wig.

I think she's tremendous!

[quote]Lea Michele Makes ‘Funny Girl’ Debut Tonight Free Of Critics (For Now)

LOL - that is adorable that they think that there won't be any critics.

It's 8 pm Eastern time!

Overture, curtain, lights!

Put on the wigs full of shites!

Multiple staff writers from Variety are tweeting that they are in the audience.

Girl??? She is no girl! Why couldn't they get a young woman, at least? There are so many good ones to choose from!

FG has a 7pm curtain on Tuesday’s.

[quote] Multiple staff writers from Variety are tweeting that they are in the audience.

They're using their phones during a performance!?!!

It’s all stans and production people tonight.

After the curtain falls on tonight's marketing machine, true theater lovers are eagerly waiting for Thursday to roll around!

This poor dear is now hyperventilating.

Even if she were a revelation—she’s not—imagine getting this turned up for…Lea Michele. Imagine!

TONUGHT'S HYSTERIA DEMANDS ALL CAPS!!!!!!!!!

She’s verklempt.

You tell ‘em, laney:

“She’s whiny. Barbra was not whiny”.

Good Lord….they are recording her from the street.

Party in heaven tonight.

If Kristen, Idina, and Audra all die tomorrow my sadness will be eased knowing that a true Queen of the theater has been resurrected!!! BRAVA LEA MICHELLE

Don’t Rain On My Parade

She sounds incredible. Good for her!!!

Lea and Tovah hug

The cast must be thrilled. Looks like they’ll stay employed until Lea’s contract runs out.

Lea pays tribute to the other Fannys in her Instagram story shortly before her debut:

[quote] "For the Fannys who have fearlessly graced this stage before me, @beaniefeldstein @jujujuliebee @ephieaardema you all have climbed the mountain that is Fanny and I am honored to be in your company. And of course @BarbraStreisand our queen.”

That’s a nice post R129.

To celebrate her triumph tonight, dressers brought out Beanie Feldstein's wig (labeled as such) to the curtain calls, and the audience applauded madly as they watched Lea lift her dress and take an enormous dump in the wig before their delighted eyes.

To me, Lea Michele's voice is like Sarah Brightman's - everyone says how great they are, but to me Brightman has the tremulous and irritating vibrato and Michele is just LOUD.

However, what they both share is this sound and phrasing wherein they don't just sing a song, but they S I N G. Everything is just too much.

Here's a view of the Funny Girl first night bows from a point closer to the stage. Lea shows up at timemark :57

R124 I would've smacked the phone out of his hand

One critic just couldn't wait....

I mean, go nuts critics. I've never heard of something being embargoed AFTER its open.

Leading man Ramin Karimloo, quoted in Variety, praises Lea Michele because "she wanted to dive into the romance," and "it's so effective." Interesting, in that one of the criticisms of Feldstein was that she was better as the hungry wannabe Brice than she was in the love story with Arnstein.

[Quote] Michele...performs like she’s been belting “Don’t Rain On My Parade” in the shower every day for 10 years. Hell, she probably has!

No, she has.

Hope she doesn't shit in anyone's wigs!

[Quote]Lea shows up at timemark :57

I'm surprised she could wait that long, R133.

[Quote]And of course @BarbraStreisand our queen.

That's like the "WITH SPECIAL GUEST STAR" credit on the movie of the week.

This was the SECOND night the lights went out in Georgia! Gay nationwide stood and gave thunderous applause and subsequently passed out after Lea's opening night performance of Funny Girl.

[quote] out of the guttah

What a slam at Beanie.

[quote] "For the Fannys who have fearlessly graced this stage before me, @beaniefeldstein @jujujuliebee @ephieaardema you all have climbed the mountain that is Fanny and I am honored to be in your company. And of course @BarbraStreisand our queen.”

Isn't she forgetting someone?

R144. Yes. She is.

R26 I remember around 2005/2006, the Tonys created a new category -- Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Recreated Role. That lasted about a nanosecond, so the category was never awarded. Perhaps they could resurrect it in Lea's honor?

I agree with you, R132. She's full of vocal habits --not necessarily always "bad" habits, but they sure get annoying after just a couple of minutes. She doesn't have to do all that because she has a strong, clear, very good voice, but I doubt that the habits of a lifetime will ever be undone, nor does she want to.

R122 What about me???

FOUR (4) standing ovations? FFS - did Barbra even get that many?

They didn’t have electric shock seats that could controlled by an app back in Barbra’s time, R149.

It doesn't matter to me if Lea has an onstage triumph..

i just want lots of juicy reports of backstage diva cuntitude.

I don't know why anyone would be surprised Lea Michele is good in the role. She's a CUNT and she's talented. Both things are true.

^ Lea's a diva cunt, but her talent is not exceptional. She's a Broadway singer and sings like many other singers in that industry. However, there are singers there who have better voices. As much as she would like it to be so, she's not The Second Coming of Barbra, so bitch needs to drop the obnoxious attitude. I don't give Barbra a pass for being a cunt, but Barbra had a long career that justifies the attention she gets.

[quote]I had no idea she was that old, that's way too old for this part. Isn't Brice supposed to be like 16 at the beginning?

I don't think she's too old. Funny Girl covers a pretty wide range of time. Young Brice got involved with Ziegfeld at 18 in 1910 (the event that gets the story going) and divorced Arnstein at 35 in 1927 (the event that concludes it).

So any woman playing the role in an evening is going to have to fake some level of maturity. And it's the stage, with some distance, and it's a musical, in which singing the music well counts for more than any other factor. Maybe a Brice about in the middle of 18 and 35 would be the theoretical ideal, but we've put up with worse even in movies, with cameras bringing us in close on a famous star bouncing around and widening his eyes to play a teenager at the beginning, and then caked with old-age makeup to play the final scenes.

Isn't there a real life missing husband in Funny Girl. Arnstein wasn't her first husband, corret?

*correct

Girlfriend is in dire need of a nose job.

That would change her singing voice.

[quote]That would change her singing voice.

That's a myth, many singers had nose jobs: Sting, Lady Gaga, Christine Ebersole and many others. Including many Broadway stars some might not even suspect weren't the stars original noses.