On Wednesday (Oct. 6), Beanie Feldstein shared a first look at her in character as Fanny Brice, the starring role of the Broadway revival of Funny Girl.
Feldstein looked gorgeous as ever with her beaming smile, red velvet coat and black leather gloves in the theatrical snapshot shared to her Instagram. The 28-year-old actress told Variety in a new interview that Funny Girl “introduced me to what musicals are. A 3-year-old asking for her birthday party to be themed Funny Girl is as ridiculous as it sounds, but it was a foundation for my love of musical theater.”
She will be reviving the role of the Ziegfeld Follies comedian that propelled Barbra Streisand to stardom. The 1968 film adaptation of Funny Girl earned Streisand her first Academy Award for best actress. This will be the first Broadway revival of the 1964 musical, which received eight Tony nominations, but it won’t be the first time Feldstein has appeared on Broadway: She made her debut in 2017 in the Bette Midler-led revival of Hello, Dolly!
It won’t be the first time Feldstein played Fanny Brice, either.”The first time I played Fanny Brice was at my 3rd birthday party, in a head-to-toe leopard print outfit my mom made for me,” Feldstein wrote in an earlier statement. “So, it’s safe to say that stepping into this iconic role, on Broadway and not in my family’s backyard, is truly my lifelong dream come true.”
Jane Lynch will also join the Lady Bird and Booksmart star in the cast, as well as Tony Award nominee Ramin Karimloo (Les Misérables). Tony winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot) will direct the new production of Funny Girl, which will also have a revised book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein. Funny Girl will run at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre, with performances officially opening on April 24, 2022 — which just so happens to be Streisand’s 80th birthday.
Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. ET.
See Feldstein as Fanny in the glam shot below.