Beanie Feldstein Cast in Funny Girl—Why People Are Bringing Lea Michele Into It

Beanie Feldstein at a
Beanie Feldstein at a "Booksmart" screening in 2019. Photo by Marion Curtis/StarPix for Annapurna Pictures/Shutterstock (10243123bg)

This week, the whole internet is buzzing about the revival of the classic musical Funny Girl, coming to the Broadway stage in 2022. Or rather, the talk is focusing on the casting of the musical’s iconic protagonist, Fanny Brice, made famous when the role was originated by Barbara Streisand in the 1960s.

As soon as word got out that Funny Girl was being revived, the biggest question on everybody’s lips was, “Who will play Fanny Brice?”. And we got our answer when it was announced that the role was going to Beanie Feldstein, known for her roles in Ladybird and Booksmart, as well as for being Jonah Hill’s little sister.

But why was Lea Michele’s name trending as a result of this announcement? Well, a lot of people thought that the role might go to her, as she often sang songs from Funny Girl as her character Rachel Berry in Glee. Alas, she did not get the role, and lots of people made memes about it. After all, the internet will do what the internet does.

Memes aside, congratulations to Beanie Feldstein on landing such an iconic role! We can’t wait to see what she does with it.