Monday, October 7, 2024

Broadway: “Funny Girl” Revival with Lea Michele Will Close in September After 18 Roller Coaster Months

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“Funny Girl” has had a funny time on Broadway. But now, it’s planning a farewell.

The first revival ever of the famed musical that starred Barbra Streisand will ring down the curtain on September 3, 2023. That will be one year after Lea Michele and Tovah Feldshuh stepped in and saved the show that had opened in April 2022.

When the new cast came in, box office receipts — which had been spotty — suddenly took off like crazy. In the first week, box office shot up by $1 million to $1.6 mil. The show was sold out and people were paying top dollar just to get in.

As recently as February 12, 2023, the box office was up to $1.8 million, an amazing feat.

Back during the pre-Lea Michele fun, Beanie Feldstein missed a lot of shows, which contributed to the problems. Recently, Lea Michele has been out some, too. Her standby, Julie Benko, plays every Thursday.

This past week showed that interest in “Funny Girl” collapses with Lea Michele’s absence — she was on vacation. Last week’s box office was down around 50% from February 12th. The show took an expected nose dive. Lea Michele’s back now, so the numbers will rise, but producers obviously see the writing on the wall. By September 3rd, “Funny Girl” will have fulfilled its mission.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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