Saw Julie Benko in Funny Girl when Beanie was out sick. Julie IS THE STAR and Broadway should realize that this woman can sing, dance and act with passion! She IS Funny Girl!! GO Julie!
Right? Even her acting outshines Beanie's, and the only praise Beanie got was for her acting. Beanie really wasn't selling a self-assured, confident character
This is the absolute best version i've ever heard. These outdoor performances tend to have awkward audio but this worked out in her favor. She has the voice, she has the energy, she has it. I hope they keep the show open when Lea leaves and have Julie full time if she'll have it.
I LOVE HOW JULIE DOES THE SONGS IN HER OWN STYLE AND NOT AS AN ATTEMPTED IMITATION OF BARBRA'S VERSION. Nothing against Barbra, I love her performances, but a Funny Girl with her own style was necessary
I’ve never been disappointed when I’ve seen a show that had an understudy filling in. They have to be just as great as the star to be there, but the understudies are hungrier.
Sadly. I have been disappointed a few times, but that really wasn't the performers' fault. They were clearly not given time to rehearse the role, and seemed to be working hard just to get through the performance without making a mistake.
I was there in Bryant Park, just over to Julie’s left. Then we saw Funny Girl two days later and the August Wilson Theatre was packed and roaring with enthusiastic ovations from overture to curtain call! Not only is she nothing less than sensational, from what I’m hearing she elevates the entire show. Forget the lukewarm (even negative) reviews the show got when it opened back in April. It’s pure dynamite now with Julie as Fanny. By all means SEE IT! It’ll knock your socks off!
My hope exactly! With Lea in NY, give Julie the national tour! I’ll see it again when it comes to my city! They’ll go nuts for her everywhere it plays.
Oh my gosh!!! Why didn't they give her this role from the get-go? I've heard clips of Beanie and Lea Michelle and they have nothing on Julie! She manages to capture the same energy Streisand gave to the role, but makes it her own!
I just love Julie! Great pipes and infinitely likable. She is Fanny right down to her fanny! Even with limited opportunity for top billing, hers is a star-making performance, no doubt.
So glad she only listened to Barbra once. You can fully hear that this is HER interpretation. Something we didn’t get with Beanie and certainly won’t get with Lea.
I know they're bringing in Lea Michele because she has more of a recognizable name and a big Glee following and probably still a good Spring Awakening following as well. I know they need good revenue to keep a show up and running. But it's unfortunate sometimes when the Biz comes before the Show in Show Business. Julie seems to have it all. She's cute, bubbly, goofy and lanky like Fanny was. She's got a good voice, and I hear her acting and comic timing is great as well. Lea can sing (although the Disney Princess quality in her voice isn't my cup of tea), and she can act. But can she carry a whole B'way show? And does she have the comic timing that's very much needed? We wait and see.
@@ryanwagner7980 Even though Wendla's story is at the center of the show, I still think Spring Awakening is basically an ensemble piece. She has two solos, one duet and is featured in two other numbers. One of the reasons it's been so hard to do a revival of FG is the role of Fanny Brice literally carries the whole show... have a bad Fanny (lol - bad fanny!), have a bad show. She's also the focused character in nearly all of the scenes. The other reason of course is Barbra Streisand, and the comparisons that come with that. Fanny has 9 solos, 3 duets, and leads a number of ensemble numbers. IMHO... apples and oranges.
I am still not okay with how the production treated Beanie, however, I do agree Julie knocks this show out of the park! If they do a national tour, I hope she leads.
Can you give some links or examples of how the production treated Beanie? Although she didn't seem to fit the role I feel badly about the public embarrassment she went through. Seems like a nightmare to me.
@@sydiris666 I don’t think she can. I don’t think she should have been allowed in that casting room or conversation. I just feel bad for how embarrassing it must have been.
Woww! What a performance. Amazing!! Fabulous news that she’s just joined the cast for the upcoming new to Broadway show “Harmony “ in the new year. Brilliant news Julie 🤩
hopefully Lea isn’t dumb enough to try that though cuz that would just be plain EMBARRASSING. Dhshsjsa i just feel like Lea is so devoid of any emotion and charisma lmao so it’s gonna be bleak I think
This randomly popped up playing and with no context,just the first five words. And I think “oh my god this woman Shoulda played Fanny Brice on Broadway revival.”
Based on a close up clip of Lea doing this song, I think Julie is a little better funny wise. While Lea was still good and on cometic timing, you can tell it didn’t come naturally to her.
Just give her a cast recording. Based on the lack of any Beanie performances we know that's not happening for her and Lea already has her autotuned beyond belief version. Let Julie have a studio cast recording at the very least.
I wouldn't mind a lea version with the cast. Lea's is just the glee version, where she's playing a character. This will be a great stepping stone for Julie, though. Hopefully she can go onto something great where the producers won't get mad when she outshines the star, because she'll be the star.
@@KimmaParish at this point if they get mad at that I think they would have fired her. She already outshined Beanie. Lea is basically only coming in to get ticket sales in hopes of recouping losses. I have no idea if it’s possible. The glee fandom that watched the show live is grown up and I think has a sour taste left with just how morbid it became on top of the nonsense that Lea has done and probably will continue to do. I think people would have been more intrigued with Amber Riley. No she isn’t Jewish but religiously neither is Lea. So, Julie gets the career. She’ll most definitely have a turn as Elphaba and then probably get a show of her own before moving off to California.
@@anthonyL1995 glee stan since 2009 here lol. Bought tickets for Leas show on the 28th. Front row center seats 😂 and the tickets are selling like hot cakes now that Lea’s on the bill. Glee fans are very much excited for Lea to play this roll irl
See , I like Julie’s version of Fanny bc she completely makes it her own. Lea tries to sound and be exactly like Barbra. And it’s not good bc no one can sound like Barbra
If she started off with the role she Probaly would have gotten nominated for a tony but after beanie the show needed huge publicity or it would have shut down bringing in lea was smart since ticket sales are all sold out almost through December and almost any ticket left is over 300
@@thatssoreed6541 There are plenty of tickets to Funny Girl,it is nowhere near sold out through December. Go check online. They have seats on certain days for under $100. I'm from NYC&there are tons of seats available No one is clamoring to see LM.
@@Wendi1760 This video is not about Beanie or Lea, but there certainly has been plenty of publicity about the show since Lea Michele was announced. The show may not be sold out but LM has sold more tickets than Beanie would have with her lukewarm reviews and word of mouth.
Julie Benko is far more balanced and authentic than Lea Michele could ever be in this role. Julie can sing it and depicts Fanny’s earnestness. Lea can sing but I doubt she could genuinely pull off the same qualities of Fanny without coming off as calculating. Plus Julie identifies as Jewish and doesn’t have racist bullying baggage.
Broadway fans can be so fickle. Julie is only getting her moment to shine because Beanie didn't. If the fans had been so full of praise for Beanie we still wouldn't get to see Julie front and center, like many other understudies. This is why big shows really need to start considering having Alternates as standard rather than just understudies. Really pleased that Julie will have a named day for her shows each week so her fans can go see her. But there probably aren't enough of them to keep the show afloat full time. Sadly they need a big recognisable name to help draw in the mass ticket sales needed to stay running.
I feel sorry for Beanie Feldstein: Her FUNNY GIRL dreams, which she had since she was three are shattered. Of course she needed viable childhood dreams.
The line in the song I am the greatest star is it must be a plot because they’re scared that I got such a gift Not I think it’s a plot cause they scared that I got such a gift
I saw and loved Julie as Fanny two months ago, and I saw the new trailer with Lea Michele and she sounds frankly too mature for the role to be honest. My feeling is that a new Funny Girl is never going to work, ever. At least not unless they massively overhaul the book. Even then it’s just a subpar musical. The reason it’s so deeply intertwined with Barbra isn’t just that Barbra is the GOAT, it’s that unlike My Fair Lady or The Sound of Music, Funny Girl has no other meaningful characters or songs that aren’t sung by the lead. Rex Harrison made My Fair Lady every bit as much as Audrey Hepburn (well maybe not entirely but Henry Higgins at least had songs). A pile of oatmeal in a tuxedo could credibly play Nick Arnstein and Who Taught her Everything She Knows is a nice number but it’s filler and so is Henry Street and ESPECIALLY those dull throwaway songs they dredged up for Ramin Karimloo to sing in this production. My point is that the original production and the movie weren’t successes because of the great story and characters but in spite of them.
She's literally living every understudy's dream
Because she went on almost every week.
Holy shit, someone actually sounds like they tried to get close to how the actual Fanny would sing it! This is fantastic!!
Saw Julie Benko in Funny Girl when Beanie was out sick. Julie IS THE STAR and Broadway should realize that this woman can sing, dance and act with passion! She IS Funny Girl!! GO Julie!
@Rodrigo Izetti Beanie tested Positive for COVID.
@@eamonndeane587 Yeh she was sick from COVID-19.
Right? Even her acting outshines Beanie's, and the only praise Beanie got was for her acting. Beanie really wasn't selling a self-assured, confident character
This is the absolute best version i've ever heard. These outdoor performances tend to have awkward audio but this worked out in her favor. She has the voice, she has the energy, she has it. I hope they keep the show open when Lea leaves and have Julie full time if she'll have it.
It doesn’t even seem like she’s acting-she’s just a NATURAL!👏🏾
I LOVE HOW JULIE DOES THE SONGS IN HER OWN STYLE AND NOT AS AN ATTEMPTED IMITATION OF BARBRA'S VERSION. Nothing against Barbra, I love her performances, but a Funny Girl with her own style was necessary
I’ve never been disappointed when I’ve seen a show that had an understudy filling in. They have to be just as great as the star to be there, but the understudies are hungrier.
Sadly. I have been disappointed a few times, but that really wasn't the performers' fault. They were clearly not given time to rehearse the role, and seemed to be working hard just to get through the performance without making a mistake.
I was there in Bryant Park, just over to Julie’s left. Then we saw Funny Girl two days later and the August Wilson Theatre was packed and roaring with enthusiastic ovations from overture to curtain call! Not only is she nothing less than sensational, from what I’m hearing she elevates the entire show. Forget the lukewarm (even negative) reviews the show got when it opened back in April. It’s pure dynamite now with Julie as Fanny. By all means SEE IT! It’ll knock your socks off!
Wouldn't that be great if she ended the perceived "need" for stunt casting? :)
she has so much resemblance of fanny and i love how she tries not to be like barbra 😭😭it's amazing
I don't know a damn thing about this show but she killed this
YES! A star is born! Hope she takes the show on tour.
I said the same thing to friends today!
My hope exactly! With Lea in NY, give Julie the national tour! I’ll see it again when it comes to my city! They’ll go nuts for her everywhere it plays.
Now I wish I could’ve seen Julie as Fanny!! This is wonderful!!!
She’ll be doing all performances until September 6th and then her Thursday schedule starts.
I saw her!! She’s amazing!!
We were fortunate enough to see her the 1st Saturday the show was on. She was fabulous!
She’s amazing!!!
Go on a Thursday and you will be able to, and I am sure there will be other times when Lea is off for some reason.
Saw Julie Benko last night as Fanny - she is the ‘greatest star!!!’
She’s AMAZING. Saves the show. So glad she’ll be doing a few performances a week. Bravo 🎉
Oh my gosh!!! Why didn't they give her this role from the get-go? I've heard clips of Beanie and Lea Michelle and they have nothing on Julie! She manages to capture the same energy Streisand gave to the role, but makes it her own!
Super talent. Oddly, I think the whole drama about Funny Girl will end up being a huge bennie for Julie. At least everyone knows who she is now.
Julie knocks it out of Bryant Park! What a great performance.
She gives it so much personality, it’s refreshing.
She’s incredible!!! So glad she had the chance to star on Broadway-very well deserved and props to all the understudies out there!!!
Wauw couldn't she become the main singer? She's very likeable too as well as talented I'm sold
I think the show needed a bigger star like Lea Michele to save it from Beanie's reviews
Finally an actress who CAN SING..she's making it her own .. all I can say is BRAVO!!
I just love Julie! Great pipes and infinitely likable. She is Fanny right down to her fanny! Even with limited opportunity for top billing, hers is a star-making performance, no doubt.
So glad she only listened to Barbra once. You can fully hear that this is HER interpretation. Something we didn’t get with Beanie and certainly won’t get with Lea.
I think the key is to not try to be Barbra and Julie gets it.
@@WerdnaNiraehs She's clearly aiming to be more of an Emulation of the Real life Fanny Brice instead of Barbara.
She’s so cute and super talented! She definitely is gonna be a huge star on Broadway ❤️
Julie did Fanny and Babs proud! The talent is REAL!
All the drama has greatly benefitted Julie! Good for her!
The audience just 😍 loved her when I saw her so glad she has a new job in barry manilow.s new show.
I have watched this a totally healthy number of times… yes. Definitely.
You're not the Only one. Trust me .
Wow that was great! She’s very charismatic
A True Gem of a Star.
She’s indeed the greatest star!
she is such a joy to watch and her vocals are sparklingly perfect
She’s terrific!
She killed that
JULIE BENKO WILL BE STARRING IN THE TOURING COMPANY OF FUNNY GIRL AS FANNY BRICE STARTING THIS AUGUST 2023!
She really is a GREAT star, C’mom Broadway!
I hope Julie goes on to do amazing things after she finishes her time in the Funny Girl revival.
@@eamonndeane587 same! She is amazing!
Oh she is just divine! Brava!
She's delightful
Oh she’s absolutely lovely!
Wow! She’s amazing. And she looks a little like Fanny Brice. Now I want to see her entire performance.
She rocked it!
what a star indeed!!
She should actually be the star of this show.
So incredibly proud of you, Julie!! 🤩
Flawless! Wow 🤩
Such a natural quality ! Brava !
I know they're bringing in Lea Michele because she has more of a recognizable name and a big Glee following and probably still a good Spring Awakening following as well. I know they need good revenue to keep a show up and running. But it's unfortunate sometimes when the Biz comes before the Show in Show Business. Julie seems to have it all. She's cute, bubbly, goofy and lanky like Fanny was. She's got a good voice, and I hear her acting and comic timing is great as well. Lea can sing (although the Disney Princess quality in her voice isn't my cup of tea), and she can act. But can she carry a whole B'way show? And does she have the comic timing that's very much needed? We wait and see.
Lea is just too unlovable to carry such a comic role
“Can she carry a Bway show” is kind of an ironic question considering Spring Awakening is what launched her career.
@@ryanwagner7980 Even though Wendla's story is at the center of the show, I still think Spring Awakening is basically an ensemble piece. She has two solos, one duet and is featured in two other numbers. One of the reasons it's been so hard to do a revival of FG is the role of Fanny Brice literally carries the whole show... have a bad Fanny (lol - bad fanny!), have a bad show. She's also the focused character in nearly all of the scenes. The other reason of course is Barbra Streisand, and the comparisons that come with that. Fanny has 9 solos, 3 duets, and leads a number of ensemble numbers. IMHO... apples and oranges.
@@ivey5587 😆🤐
Well said. Lea is also too old! It’s not being harsh to say this, she’s just ten years past the age of a credible Fanny.
I am still not okay with how the production treated Beanie, however, I do agree Julie knocks this show out of the park! If they do a national tour, I hope she leads.
Beane would NEVER have been cast if she wasn't a movie star. She was in over her head.
Can you give some links or examples of how the production treated Beanie? Although she didn't seem to fit the role I feel badly about the public embarrassment she went through. Seems like a nightmare to me.
She should never have accepted the part.
Beanie can't sing, get over it
@@sydiris666 I don’t think she can. I don’t think she should have been allowed in that casting room or conversation. I just feel bad for how embarrassing it must have been.
Woww! What a performance. Amazing!! Fabulous news that she’s just joined the cast for the upcoming new to Broadway show “Harmony “ in the new year. Brilliant news Julie 🤩
Fabulous!
THE PEOPLE’S FANNY
I’m seeing her in Funny Girl in two weeks. I can hardly wait!!
Get it girl!!!
julie is amazing!
Great job! I can almost see a bit of the real Fanny Brice in her.
BRAVISSIMA!
SO GOOD
Superstar!!
She's the best!
She gets it.
Julie Benko is a star and they don’t seem to know it 🎶
I love that she's Julie Beno, not a Streisand copycat which is what I imagine is what Lea Michelle with undoubtedly be.
hopefully Lea isn’t dumb enough to try that though cuz that would just be plain EMBARRASSING. Dhshsjsa i just feel like Lea is so devoid of any emotion and charisma lmao so it’s gonna be bleak I think
@@stxrstrxckmxteo515 embarrassing is kind of her thing so I’d be surprised if she didn’t
MY Fanny Brice 🥰🥰🥰
Guys. She's not supposed to be copying Barbra. She's Julie.
Well done
🎉🎉 Amazing
This randomly popped up playing and with no context,just the first five words. And I think “oh my god this woman Shoulda played Fanny Brice on Broadway revival.”
Now THIS is fanny Brice.
Looks so much like the real Fannie Brice! She should have gotten another couple months in the lead I believe
Super!
Finally we are getting performances from this show! Beanie didn’t do ANY!
Sutton Foster/thoroughly modern Millie vibes!!
wowowowowow!!!
Petition for Funny Girl to release the backing track for this!!!!!!!!!!
Lea Michelle was born to play the role that Barbra left behind. But Julie? She was born to play Fanny Brice.
Nice
Based on a close up clip of Lea doing this song, I think Julie is a little better funny wise. While Lea was still good and on cometic timing, you can tell it didn’t come naturally to her.
Just give her a cast recording. Based on the lack of any Beanie performances we know that's not happening for her and Lea already has her autotuned beyond belief version. Let Julie have a studio cast recording at the very least.
Seriously this is really nice!
I wouldn't mind a lea version with the cast. Lea's is just the glee version, where she's playing a character. This will be a great stepping stone for Julie, though. Hopefully she can go onto something great where the producers won't get mad when she outshines the star, because she'll be the star.
@@KimmaParish at this point if they get mad at that I think they would have fired her. She already outshined Beanie. Lea is basically only coming in to get ticket sales in hopes of recouping losses. I have no idea if it’s possible. The glee fandom that watched the show live is grown up and I think has a sour taste left with just how morbid it became on top of the nonsense that Lea has done and probably will continue to do. I think people would have been more intrigued with Amber Riley. No she isn’t Jewish but religiously neither is Lea. So, Julie gets the career. She’ll most definitely have a turn as Elphaba and then probably get a show of her own before moving off to California.
@@anthonyL1995 glee stan since 2009 here lol. Bought tickets for Leas show on the 28th. Front row center seats 😂 and the tickets are selling like hot cakes now that Lea’s on the bill. Glee fans are very much excited for Lea to play this roll irl
It will be Lea. She’s doing an out of this world amazing job.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💜💙💚
She is phenomenal. How sad that Lea won out. Julie deserves better.
Especially from Lea Michelle fans who are bashing her and saying Lea is better before they've even seen Michelle on stage as Fanny Brice.
Grow up, Chandler
See , I like Julie’s version of Fanny bc she completely makes it her own. Lea tries to sound and be exactly like Barbra. And it’s not good bc no one can sound like Barbra
that was fresh and fantastic.
she’s brilliant… still don’t get how people wear tucked in shirts without a belt though!!
i honestly like her much more than lea
I have tickets to see Leah Michele but Julie is really amazing.
Hey Beanie, this is how you sing and act. Thanks. Julie Benko is perfection
she'd be a v good veronica
She’s amazing, a real show stopper. If they ever bring back Grey Gardens I’d love her to be young little Edie
I also think Julie would also be an Amazing Roxie Hart in Chicago.
They should’ve just given the role to her instead of B or L
If she started off with the role she Probaly would have gotten nominated for a tony but after beanie the show needed huge publicity or it would have shut down bringing in lea was smart since ticket sales are all sold out almost through December and almost any ticket left is over 300
@@thatssoreed6541 There are plenty of tickets to Funny Girl,it is nowhere near sold out through December. Go check online. They have seats on certain days for under $100. I'm from NYC&there are tons of seats available
No one is clamoring to see LM.
@@Wendi1760 This video is not about Beanie or Lea, but there certainly has been plenty of publicity about the show since Lea Michele was announced. The show may not be sold out but LM has sold more tickets than Beanie would have with her lukewarm reviews and word of mouth.
Julie Benko is far more balanced and authentic than Lea Michele could ever be in this role. Julie can sing it and depicts Fanny’s earnestness. Lea can sing but I doubt she could genuinely pull off the same qualities of Fanny without coming off as calculating. Plus Julie identifies as Jewish and doesn’t have racist bullying baggage.
this is a perfect comment
She’s very very good. Honestly a bit overdramatized even for a stage performance lol. Her voice is great. Lea’s performances are still my favorite 😅
No one can compare TO STREISAND
And then there's Lillias White…
Saw Lea's second performance from the front row and she was spectacular!
@@eamonndeane587 Who asked YOU?
@@jerryjones7838 Who asked YOU? First day on the internet?
So this is one of the many talented lesser known actresses they could’ve casted instead of Lea
Sorry, but vocally Beanie is nowhere near this performance! Congrats, Julie!
I saw Beanie and she knocked it out if the park.🤷🏽♂️
Broadway fans can be so fickle. Julie is only getting her moment to shine because Beanie didn't. If the fans had been so full of praise for Beanie we still wouldn't get to see Julie front and center, like many other understudies.
This is why big shows really need to start considering having Alternates as standard rather than just understudies. Really pleased that Julie will have a named day for her shows each week so her fans can go see her. But there probably aren't enough of them to keep the show afloat full time. Sadly they need a big recognisable name to help draw in the mass ticket sales needed to stay running.
I feel sorry for Beanie Feldstein: Her FUNNY GIRL dreams, which she had since she was three are shattered. Of course she needed viable childhood dreams.
The line in the song I am the greatest star is it must be a plot because they’re scared that I got such a gift Not I think it’s a plot cause they scared that I got such a gift
THE greatest star. La Michelle had better take some notes.
Laughable comment.Lea is getting well deserved raves and DOES NOT need to take notes from Julie!
Really? Thirty years ago she wouldn't have even been an understudy.
I saw and loved Julie as Fanny two months ago, and I saw the new trailer with Lea Michele and she sounds frankly too mature for the role to be honest.
My feeling is that a new Funny Girl is never going to work, ever. At least not unless they massively overhaul the book. Even then it’s just a subpar musical. The reason it’s so deeply intertwined with Barbra isn’t just that Barbra is the GOAT, it’s that unlike My Fair Lady or The Sound of Music, Funny Girl has no other meaningful characters or songs that aren’t sung by the lead. Rex Harrison made My Fair Lady every bit as much as Audrey Hepburn (well maybe not entirely but Henry Higgins at least had songs). A pile of oatmeal in a tuxedo could credibly play Nick Arnstein and Who Taught her Everything She Knows is a nice number but it’s filler and so is Henry Street and ESPECIALLY those dull throwaway songs they dredged up for Ramin Karimloo to sing in this production. My point is that the original production and the movie weren’t successes because of the great story and characters but in spite of them.