Lea Michele’s Funny Girl breaks Broadway box office records.
The former Glee star, who took over the role of Fanny Brice in July, saved the show from critically panned star Beanie Feldstein.
The eight-run Broadway revival, which ended December 18, grossed $2,005,696.80, making it the highest grossing production ever for a production and the August Wilson Theater. Jared.
Latest: Lea Michele’s Funny Girl Breaks Broadway’s All-Time Box Office Record
Funny Girl broke the record previously set by Mean Girls, who had a house record of $1,994,386 from 2018.
Lee’s first performance took place on September 6 after taking over the role from Beanie Feldstein.
After it was announced that Lee would be stepping into the role, tickets for her shows skyrocketed immediately.
Beanie has announced that she will be leaving Funny Girl earlier than expected on July 31st instead of September 25th.
Star: According to Just Jared, the eight-run Broadway revival, which ended December 18, grossed $2,005,696.80, making it the highest grossing production ever for a production and the August Wilson Theater.
Tickets for the July and August shows were only $69, and the weekday shows were $49, according to the company. seat geek.
After Lee’s participation in the show was announced, tickets went from $570 to $2,500, not including the $500 service charge.
Beanie was first announced to be leaving the show on September 25, but shocked fans by taking to Instagram in mid-July and declaring that he was actually leaving the show early at the end of that month. rice field.
Beanie was in a state of being kicked out of her “dream role” after learning from Gawker that she had been replaced by Lee after a string of bad reviews, so she surprised producers by publicly quitting early. rice field.
inside sauce served on Daily Beast That Beanie, whose brother is Jonah Hill, was “basically fired” from the show.
However, a Beanie producer and representative said: people In a joint statement: “Funny Girl’s producers weren’t blindsided by Beanie’s social posts.”
They continue: A month after he made that decision, Beanie decided it would be best for him to leave on July 31st. Producers were aware of and supported her decision.
The statement concludes:
Moving on: Beanie Feldstein had previously had a role in Revival. Her song received mixed reviews, but others praised the actress and her co-stars.
The current Funny Girl revival is directed by Michael Mayer, who won the Tony Award for the original production of Spring Awakening, the show that made Lee a Broadway star.
Beanie was unveiled on the show on April 24 to a disappointing critical response. new york timeswhose theater reviews could make or break a show decades ago.
The New York Times review stated that the role was shaped around Barbra’s abilities, with July Stein composing the music so that “only Barbra could sing”.
A final farewell: Feldstein bids farewell to her lead role as Fanny Brice in Broadway’s Funny Girl after her final performance at the August Wilson Theater
Funny Girl was originally a passion project of producer Ray Stark, who was married to Frances Arnstein, the daughter of the late Fanny Brice.
The show presented a fictional account of Fanny’s rise to fame in the 1910s and her marriage to Frances’ father, con man gambler Nicky Arnstein.
In her first Broadway show as lead Barbra, she worked with composer Jules Stein, lyricist Bob Merrill, screenwriter Isabel Lennart, and director Gerson Kanin.
She was already a showstopper with the Broadway show I Can Get It For You Wholesale and had several albums cut, but it was Funny Girl that made her a superstar.
No more summer shows: Lea takes the show seriously, too. She recently canceled the rest of her summer concert tour dates so she can focus on preparing for her role.still from glee
The score spawned one of her most enduring hits, People, and became the title song for her album that ousted The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night from number one.
When the show opened on Broadway it was a huge hit and received a rapturous response to her performance which also made it to London.
Barbra played opposite Charlie Chaplin’s son Sydney, who had an affair during her marriage to her first husband, Elliott Gould.
She reprized her role in the film, which brought together Hollywood heavyweights of yesteryear, including director William Wyler and cinematographer Harry Stradling.
Who: The current Funny Girl revival is directed by Michael Mayer, who won a Tony Award for the original production of Spring Awakening, the show that starred Lee in 2006.photo beanie
The star of the film is Omar Sharif, with whom she had an affair, causing a scandal in 1967 when a still of a kiss performed for the film in Six Days Year was released. War between Egypt and Israel.
The film was the highest-grossing film of 1968, and Roger Ebert wrote: she is wonderful
The film led to a very savage sequel called Funny Lady in 1975, but the show has never been revived on the Great White Way.
A Broadway revival was attempted in 2011 with Lauren Ambrose as Fanny, but was ultimately canceled due to funding issues.
However, in 2015 and 2016, a London production starring Sheridan Smith in the lead role was a huge success.
The show transitioned from a limited engagement at the Menier Chocolate Factory to an extended show at the Savoy Theatre, which was extended by popular demand.
The music that makes me dance: Barbra is pictured on stage in the original production of Funny Girl, the project that made her a superstar