In Funny Girl, Lea Michele Does Exactly What You Thought She Could
8 / 10
When Feldstein opened the show, she could not handle the songs, and as Helen Shaw pointed out, the 'songs are the whole caboodle.' In Michele's case, this works to her advantage. The way that the show's written, Fanny's voice is the metonym for her stardom, so as long as you really believe she's got the magic, you don't necessarily need to buy her comedic skills, or really any other aspect of her character. It's like in Shakespeare, where the weather clears up when the right king is on the throne. Michele is not a natural comedian, but she finds a way to be charming with Fanny's jokes, which are as broad as the East River, just by trying so very hard to sell every one. It's like she's hoping her Sketch Comedy 101 teacher will give her a gold star.
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
