It must be difficult to cast Funny Girl. Whoever anchors the musical stands in the shadow of two stage titans: Fanny Brice, the vaudeville star whose life provides the (loose) basis for a show that’s basically the early 20th century version of A Star is Born, and Barbra Streisand, who originated the role as a relatively unknown 21-year-old in 1964 and blended a story of singular talent and inevitable fame seamlessly with her own. (Streisand also won the best actress Oscar for the 1968 film adaptation.) For the show’s first Broadway revival, producers have handed the reins to Beanie Feldstein, a Broadway sophomore (she made her debut in 2017 as Minnie Fay in Hello, Dolly!) primarily known for her sharp screen work in Booksmart, Lady Bird and as Monica Lewinsky in Impeachment: American Crime Story.
The casting makes sense on paper; Feldstein brings an endearing everygirl to Fanny. Her crisp comedic timing adapts well to the show’s slapstick gags and Fanny’s avant-klutz schtick; her deep brown eyes, wide as saucers, effectively project a real human on and off the meta-stage. Whether in diva mode or an anxious, awkward frenzy, Feldstein mostly hangs on to a torpedo of a character. But this is a musical, one with some full-tilt belting, and her singing just isn’t up to par. Paper-thin, reedy in the higher registers and overly nasal throughout, Feldstein’s voice is noticeably untextured compared to the rest of the cast. The role that gave Streisand some of her staples – People and Don’t Rain on My Parade, Funny Girl’s showstopper that Feldstein visibly musters every ounce of strength to blare – requires a power singer. Feldstein simply isn’t one.
