Lea Michele and Beanie Feldstein 'Funny Girl' Casting Drama: Timeline

Lea Michele is replacing Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice in Broadway's Funny Girl revival, which has been years in the making.

On Sunday, July 10, Feldstein took to Instagram to announce the surprising news.

"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. Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated," she shared with her followers.

The actress, 29, continued: "I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson [Theater] for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew. The people I have had the great joy of bringing Funny Girl to life with every night, both on and off the stage, are all remarkably talented and exceptional humans, and I hope you continue to join them on Henry Street after I depart on July 31st."

Following Feldstein's post, Funny Girl's social media team revealed they would be making casting announcements on Monday, July 11.

As promised, the show shared the news the next day, declaring that Michele, 35, would take over Feldstein's role beginning on September 6, while four-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh would be replacing Jane Lynch, Michele's former Glee co-star.

"A dream come true is an understatement," Michele posted on her own social media after the announcement was made. "I'm so incredibly honored to join this amazing cast and production and return to the stage playing Fanny Brice on Broadway. See you September 6th."

Are Lea Michele and Beanie Feldstein Friends?

While Michele and Feldstein aren't necessarily on bad terms, there was an awkward incident between them in 2021.

In August, the Scream Queens star congratulated the Lady Bird alum for taking on the role of Fannie - originated by Barbra Streisand in 1964. "Yes! YOU are the greatest star! This is going to be epic!!!" she wrote.

However, when Michele started trending on Twitter after she was cast, Feldstein said she didn't understand why.

"Has there been any correspondence between you guys yet?" Andy Cohen asked during an episode of Watch What Happens Live.

"I didn't know that any of this was happening by the way. And all of a sudden people started explaining it to me, and I was like: 'Wait, what's happening?'" Feldstein said.

The Los Angeles native added that while Michele "very sweetly wrote on my Instagram," she "doesn't know the woman whatsoever."

Feldstein's Journey to Broadway

Both Michele and Feldstein have been huge fans of Funny Girl since they were young.

While announcing her new role in the musical last year, Feldstein said she achieved her lifelong dream. "I went to my third birthday party dressed as Fanny Brice so sometimes dreams actually come true," she shared of her childhood.

During an interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Feldstein recalled auditioning for the role without telling her mother. "I was like, 'If this doesn't go my way, it's going to hurt her so much more than it's going to hurt me,'" she laughed. In a separate interview with The New York Times, she revealed that the entire audition process was done over Zoom amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

While speaking with Vogue, the Booksmart star admitted the situation was a pinch-me moment. "The expression 'lifelong dream' - that statement feels very applicable to me," she said. "It still does not feel tangible or real."

Unfortunately, Feldstein's performance got negative reviews. Time Out magazine said that while the actress is "a gifted comedian who clearly loves musicals," she was "simply overmatched." They also said that "Feldstein has a solid belting range, but when she rises to the higher notes, her voice becomes nasal and strained." The outlet went as far to say her voice made an "unpleasant sound."

Michele's Journey to Broadway

As for Michele, she starred on Broadway as a child and was later cast as Wendla Bergmann in Broadway's Spring Awakening. However, it was her role as Rachel Berry on Glee that many of her fans say prepped her for the ultimate gig.

Michele's character had an obsession with Barbra Streisand and performed several of her songs on the show. There was also an ongoing subplot in which Rachel starred on Broadway as Fanny Brice.

Glee's creator Ryan Murphy even obtained the rights to Funny Girl, and there were rumors that Michele would star in an upcoming production.

"We had talked about it for sure," Murphy said, according to Entertainment Weekly. "But then I feel like we [did] so many of those songs and so many of those scenes [on Glee] that in a weird way, I feel like we did it in some way."

By 2017, Michele made it clear that she wanted a shot at the opportunity. While appearing on an episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, she told the host: "I feel really ready to do it now. So, maybe we can do it soon."

Michele's casting was met with criticism, though. While her fans praised her online, her former Glee co-star Samantha Ware put the starlet on blast.

"Yes, I'm online today. Yes, I see y'all. Yes, I care. Yes, I'm affected. Yes, I'm human. Yes, I'm Black. Yes, I was abused. Yes, my dreams were tainted. Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity. Yes, I'm loud. Yes, I'd do it again," she tweeted on July 11.

Previously, Ware accused Michele of "traumatic microaggressions" while on the set of Glee. After coming forward, other cast members shared similar stories about her behavior. Michele has since apologized.