Jane Lynch will leave the Broadway revival of Funny Girl on August 14, ending her career as Mrs. Brice about three weeks earlier than expected.
Lynch was initially scheduled to leave the show on September 5, but travel held those plans. According to the producers, a long-scheduled vacation was scheduled to begin on Monday, August 15 with plans to return to the stage on Tuesday, August 23 before traveling to Los Angeles for the Emmys Awards on Thursday, September 1. From back for one week of shows, Lynch arranged to adjust the date of her final show over the weekend.
Liz McCartney, who is the replacement for Mrs. Price, will take on the role from Tuesday, August 16 to Sunday, September 4 at the August Wilson Theatre. Tovah Feldshuh, a Tony Award winner for Yentl, will play Fanny Brice’s mother starting Tuesday, September 6.
“With my long-planned vacation on the books, followed by the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 1, I will be making my final call on August 14,” Lynch said in a statement. “As I begin my final week on ‘Funny Girl,’ my heart is filled with gratitude for this deeply talented company led by Beanie Feldstein and our wonderful fans for keeping the stage alive! I give a special thanks to my current stage partner Julie Pinko and I’ll be back to see my friend Lea Michele turn the lights on.”
As previously announced, Lea Michele will replace Penny Feldstein as Fanny Price starting September 6. Getting Ready Julie Pinko is currently playing the lead role through Sunday, September 4th. She will play Fanny Price on Thursday, September 8th.
They are joined by Ramin Carmelo as Nick Ernstein, Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan, and Peter Francis James as Florence Siegfeld.
“Funny Girl” follows Jewish comedian and singer Fanny Price on her unlikely rise to fame and her stormy relationship with gambler Nikki Ernstein.
Barbra Streisand originated the role of Fanny Price when the production first opened on Broadway in 1964. The revival, which came six decades after the original, opened April 24 at Broadway’s August Wilson Theater to lackluster reviews, eventually earning only one Tony nomination. . The show’s producers hope that Michelle, a longtime fan of “Funny Girl” and Streisand, will help boost ticket sales.
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