Feldstein shared the announcement in the form of a caption-less Notes-app statement. She disabled the comments section on her post.
“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,” Feldstein wrote. “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 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.”
When Funny Girl first opened on April 24, Feldstein had been set to stay in the role until the end of 2022. But after woefully mixed reviews (and some absolutely scathing ones), she changed her departure date to September 25— and then, to July 31.
Although no new casting confirmations have been made since Feldstein’s announcement, the production stated on their official Twitter account that “exciting” new casting updates would be shared Monday at 1 p.m. Theories have been flying that rumored wig-defiler Lea Michele may take on the role of Fanny, fulfilling one Rachel Berry’s birthright. But right now, only time can tell who will be the next greatest star.
