Beanie Feldstein's final curtain call as Fanny Brice is coming sooner than expected.
The actress announced on July 10 she would be leaving the Broadway production of Funny Girl at the end of the month. (She was originally set to star through September 25).
"Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a lifelong dream of mine, and doing so for the last few months has been a great joy and true honor," she wrote on Instagram. "Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than I anticipated."
While Feldstein is bowing out sooner than showgoers thought, the memories will last a lifetime.
"I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew," " the Booksmart star continued. "The people I have had the great joy of bringing Funny Girl to life with every night, both on and off the stage, are all remarkably talented and exceptional humans and I hope you continue to join them on Henry Street after I depart."
For some, the news perhaps is not unexpected. After all, the 29-year-old received mixed reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter saying she "struggles to locate the raw vulnerability of Fanny" and The New York Times hailing her performance "not stupendous."
Still, the role was a dream come true for Feldstein.
"For any of us that feel like just bagels when everyone else is an onion roll, there's so many beautiful bagels out there. And I get to share that message," she told E! News in April. "Theater also draws in the people that are left out. The people that are too much, the people that are eccentric or loud or performative—those people, we find each other."
While Feldstein's replacement has yet to be revealed, the production's official Twitter account revealed that "exciting casting announcements" will be revealed at 1 p.m. EST on July 11. As for who will step into her shoes? Social media is predicting Lea Michele.
"If Lea Michele is cast in funny girl alongside Jane lynch I will be forced to come to the conclusion that the world as we know it is actually just an episode of Glee," one social media tweeted, "and idk if I can handle this."
Added another earlier this month, "Am I the only one refreshing @broadwaycom, @playbill, and @BroadwayWorld to see if there's an official announcement on Lea Michele in FUNNY GIRL? Just confirm or deny it already."