Beanie Feldstein is stepping into Babs’ roller skates. The “Booksmart” star will topline Broadway’s first “Funny Girl” revival, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The production is expected to bow in spring 2022, COVID-depending.
Featuring classic tunes such as “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “Funny Girl” recounts real-life comedienne and singer Fanny Brice’s life, career, and tumultuous romance with gambler Nicky Arnstein. Barbra Streisand originated the role onstage in 1964 and reprised the character in the 1968 film adaptation. She won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance, tying with Katharine Hepburn for “The Lion in Winter.”
Feldstein previously showed off her musical chops in Broadway’s 2017 “Hello, Dolly!” revival and in “Lady Bird.” She is also portraying Mary Flynn in the screen adaptation of “Merrily We Roll Along,” which will be shot over the course of 20 years.
“How to Build a Girl” and “What We Do in the Shadows” are among Feldstein’s other credits. You can catch her next as Monica Lewinsky in “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” which traces the cultural and political fallout from 49-year-old Bill Clinton’s affair with 22-year-old Lewinsky. The limited series premieres September 7 on FX.
