Jane Lynch Departing Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’ Earlier Than Expected

Rebecca Rubin
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Jane Lynch will leave the Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” on Aug. 14, ending her run as Mrs. Brice about three weeks earlier than expected.

Lynch was initially scheduled to leave the show on Sept. 5, but travel complicated those plans. According to producers, she had a long-scheduled vacation set to begin on Monday, Aug. 15 with plans to return to the stage on Tuesday, Aug. 23 before traveling to Los Angeles for the Emmys on Thursday, Sept. 1. But rather than return for one week of performances, Lynch arranged to adjust the date of her final show over the weekend.

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Liz McCartney, who is the standby for Mrs. Brice, will assume the role from Tuesday, Aug. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 4 at the August Wilson Theatre. Tovah Feldshuh, a Tony-winner for “Yentl,” will star as Fanny Brice’s mother beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6.

“With my long-planned vacation on the books and then the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony in L.A. on Thursday, Sept. 1, I will take my final curtain call on Aug. 14,” Lynch said in a statement. “As I embark upon my last week in ‘Funny Girl,’ my heart is filled with gratitude for this wildly talented company led by Beanie Feldstein and our wonderful audiences for keeping theater alive! I offer a special thanks to my current scene partner Julie Benko and will be back to see my friend Lea Michele light up the lights.”

As previously announced, Lea Michele is replacing Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice starting on Sept. 6. Standby Julie Benko is currently starring in the title role through Sunday, Sept. 4. She will play Fanny Brice on Thursday performances beginning on Sept. 8.

They are joined by Ramin Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan and Peter Francis James as Florenz Ziegfeld.

“Funny Girl” follows the indomitable Jewish comic and chanteuse Fanny Brice on her improbable rise to fame and her stormy relationship with gambler Nicky Arnstein.

Barbra Streisand originated the role of Fanny Brice when the production first opened on Broadway in 1964. The revival, which came six decades after the original, opened on April 24 at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre to lackluster reviews, eventually scoring only one Tony nomination. The show’s producers hope that Michele, a long-time “Funny Girl” and Streisand fan, will help to boost ticket sales.

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