After one major cast change and a lot of off-stage drama, “Funny Girl” has recouped its $16.5 million capitalization, the producers of the Broadway revival announced on Monday.
At one point, that kind of news would have seemed very unlikely. When “Funny Girl” opened in April 2022 at the August Wilson Theatre, Beanie Feldstein had the starring role of Vaudeville legend Fanny Brice, a part that had originally been filled by Barbra Streisand. Critics praised Feldstein’s comic chops, but largely felt she lacked the necessary vocal prowess to belt out the shows signature numbers like “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “People.” After “Funny Girl” was shut out of most major Tony Award nominations, the box office sagged.
Enter Lea Michele, the “Glee” star who had performed many of those same numbers on both the show that made her famous and on the 2012 Tonys. With Michele and her soaring voice in the central role, “Funny Girl” became a hot ticket, playing to sold out crowds. When she wraps up her run and the show closes on Sept. 3, “Funny Girl” will have played 599 performances and 30 previews. The production set several box office records for the August Wilson Theatre during its engagement.
Michael Mayer directed the revival, which featured the score by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The original book by Isobel Lennart, from an original story by Lennart, is revised by Harvey Fierstein. In addition to Michele, the cast includes Ramin Karimloo, Jared Grimes and Tovah Feldshuh.
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